Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- Kuwait's parliament has approved a law to reduce the number of foreign workers in the country by one year, as part of efforts to 'rebalance' its population.

The new legislation, which would force hundreds of thousands of expats to leave the Gulf state, was passed with an aim to provide more employment opportunities for Kuwaiti nationals as the coronavirus pandemic has shaken the petroleum-based economy.

Out of total 4.8 million people in Kuwait, foreign nationals currently account for roughly 3.4 million or 70 per cent and Kuwaiti nationals only make up 30 per cent, or 1.4 million, according to global media reports.

In June, Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah said that the country would like to re...