The House of Al Sabah (Arabic: آل صباح‎) is the ruling family of Kuwait. They are a clan from the Anizah tribe, which migrated to Kuwait in the early eighteenth century from Najd (current day Saudi Arabia). After reaching Kuwait, they entered under the umbrella of the Utub. According to a tradition preserved by the Al-Sabah family, the reason why the ancestors of their section and those of the Al-Khalifa section came to Kuwait was that they had been expelled by the Turks from Umm Qasr upon Khor Zubair, an earlier seat from which they had been accustomed to prey as brigands upon the caravans of Basra and as pirates upon the shipping of the Shatt Al Arab . They have ruled Kuwait since 1752 when Sabah I became Sheikh (chief) of Kuwait. Subsequent Sheikhs are the descendants of Sabah I. The sons of Sabah I are Salman, Mohammad, Mubarak, Malich and Abdullah.

The Emir of Kuwait is the head of the executive branch. He is nominated by a family council, headed by the most senior and prominent members of the Al-Sabah. The leadership is not strictly hereditary, and although many Emirs have succeeded their fathers, the family chooses the leader from each succeeding generation. For example, the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah appointed his cousin Sheikh Saad as Heir Apparent.

The Kuwaiti parliament has a say in the appointment of the Emir. Although customs prohibit the use of such measures, the parliament (as per article 3 of the constitution) has a constitutional right to approve or disapprove of an Emir's appointment. Nonetheless the parliament effectively removed then crown prince Sheikh Saad after the death of Sheikh Jaber Al-Sabah in early 2006 due to the first's inability to rule because of illness.