Ethnologue: Areas: Asia

Kuwait

1,300,000 (1995). State of Kuwait, Dowlat al-Kuwait. Literacy rate 71% to 79%. Also includes Egyptian Spoken Arabic 20,000 (1995); Najdi Spoken Arabic 200,000, South Levantine Spoken Arabic 85,000, Baluchi, from the Philippines 50,000 (1995), others from Pakistan, India, the West. Data accuracy estimate: B. Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Christian, Hindu. Deaf institutions: 1. The number of languages listed for Kuwait is 3.

ARABIC, GULF SPOKEN (KHALIJI) [AFB] 500,000 in Kuwait, 85% of the population (1986); 2,440,000 in all countries (1995). Also in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Iran, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Yemen. Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. Dialect: KUWAITI HADARI ARABIC. Muslim. Survey needed.

ARABIC, STANDARD [ABV] Middle East, North Africa. Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Arabic. Used for education, official purposes, books, newspapers. National language. Braille Scripture in progress. Bible 1984-1991. NT 1980-1982. Bible portions 1984.

MEHRI (MAHRI) [MHR] 3,537 in Kuwait (1965 government report); 76,500 in all countries. Scattered individuals in Kuwait. Also in Yemen and Oman. Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, South, South Arabian. Muslim. Bible portions 1902. Survey needed.


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Part of the Ethnologue, 13th Edition, Barbara F. Grimes, Editor.
Copyright © 1996, Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. All rights reserved.

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