Nearly 40,000 expatriates were deported from Kuwait in 2025, Arab Times reported, as the government continued a purge of foreign workers as well as citizens it claims gained their nationality illegitimately. Sixty-nine citizens and their dependents were stripped of their passports in the first week of the year, according to the outlet, adding to at least 50,000 others since 2024.
The crackdown has accelerated since Kuwait’s emir dissolved the country’s parliament in May 2024 and embarked on a regulatory overhaul. The wealthy nation, heavily dependent on oil revenue, has been dogged by deficits over the past decade, with 80% of the state budget spent on subsidies and salaries.
Interior minister Sheikh Fahad al-Yousef, who is leading the citizenship clampdown, has argued that previous attempts to address immigration were blocked by the now-suspended National Assembly. The authorities generally claim those stripped of citizenship had secured their passport through fraud, or held another nationality (dual citizenship is illegal for Kuwaitis), though rights groups say political opponents have also been targeted.