Kuwaitis Take No. 1 Spot in GCC Property Ownership Across UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi

Kuwaitis are officially the biggest Gulf property owners across three major GCC markets — the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia — according to fresh numbers from the GCC Statistical Center. The data, part of the Gulf Common Market review, shows Kuwaitis holding 3,545 properties in the UAE, 2,600 in Bahrain, and 2,536 in Saudi Arabia, making them the leading GCC buyers in all three countries.

Regionwide, Gulf nationals are also buying more than ever. Property ownership across the GCC jumped 162%, reaching nearly 18,000 properties.

Inside Kuwait: Who Owns What

While Kuwaitis dominate abroad, Saudis remain the top Gulf property owners inside Kuwait with 237 properties, followed by smaller numbers of owners from Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, and Oman.

Travel Between GCC Countries Is Booming

The report also highlights how Gulf citizens are moving around the region more than ever. In 2024, 6.6 million GCC residents visited Kuwait, the highest level recorded. Saudis made up the bulk of these visits with 5.6 million travelers, followed by Bahrainis, Emiratis, Qataris, and Omanis.

Across all GCC states, mobility is at an all-time high, with 41.4 million Gulf citizens traveling between member countries in 2024 — almost triple the number from 2007.

Labor Movement Continues to Rise

Workforce mobility mirrors the travel trend. Around 2,111 Kuwaitis are employed elsewhere in the Gulf, mostly in Saudi Arabia. At the same time, Kuwait hosts the largest number of Saudi workers, alongside thousands of employees from Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, and Qatar.

Across the region, more than 11,900 Gulf nationals are enrolled in pension systems and 13,800 in social insurance programs, with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia leading participation.

Trade, Business, and Investment Keep Strengthening

Economic ties are tightening too. Intra-GCC trade has reached $146 billion, and 30 Gulf banks now operate across member states. Gulf-owned business activity is rising fast, with 96,300 licenses issued around the region — 11,718 of them held by Kuwaitis.

Kuwaiti investors also maintain a strong presence in regional stock markets, especially in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, as the number of listed companies open to GCC shareholders grows by 30%.

Education and Healthcare Numbers Show Deep Integration

The report also tracks movement in social sectors. Around 43,200 Gulf students attend public schools across the region, 12,800 study in universities, and nearly 500,000 citizens received government healthcare services in the past year — highlighting the increasing interconnectedness of systems across the Gulf.