The Kuwaiti population declined on average by 6.5% per year during 1990-95, due in part to the Iraqi invasion and Gulf War of 1990-91. The population of Kuwait in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 2,521,000, which placed it as number 137 in population among the 193 nations of the world. This number includes over one million non-nationals who live and work in the country. In that year approximately 1% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 26% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 151 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 3.46%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 3,352,000. The population density in 2002 was 127 per sq km (330 per sq mi). The vast majority of the population resides along the coast.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 98% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital, Kuwait City, had a population of approximately 165,000 in that year. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 2.3%.