The population has grown greatly as a result of this influx of foreign labor, which has also helped to diversify it and create a more global environment (Kabbani, 2022). Over 2.8 million people called Qatar home as of September 2021, with a sizable expatriate majority (AlNuaimi, 2023). In 2023, The World Population Review reported that Qatar boasts the highest net migration rate among Persian Gulf nations and ranks 4th globally in terms of migration influx. Qatar’s economic growth has led to heavy reliance on foreign workers, primarily from Pakistan, Iran, and India. Migrant workers outnumber the country’s nationals by a significant margin (Chaabna, 2018). Only a small fraction of Qataris maintain a nomadic way of life and the influx of expatriates keeps the nation competitive and innovative.
Qatar’s population is 2,217,862 males and 867,225 females. The population consists of 65.2% Muslims, 15.9% Hindus, 13.7% Christians, 3.8% Buddhists, and smaller percentages of followers in Jewish faith, folk, and other religions. Less than 1% of the population identifies as unaffiliated with any particular religion (CIA, 2020). Qatar’s population age structure comprises 15.18% aged 0-14 years, 82.67% aged 15-64 years, and 1.52% aged 65 years and over. Among GCC nations, Qatar excelled with the highest life expectancy and notably low levels of communicable diseases and overall mortality (Statisca, 2023). The literacy rate in Qatar, defined as the ability of individuals aged 15 and above to read and write, is recorded at 93.5% for the total population as of 2017. Breaking it down, the male literacy rate stands at 93.1%, while the female literacy rate is notably higher at 94.7% (WB, 2017).
Figure 3: Qatar’s Population from 1960-2022
