Demographics of Qatar

Natives of the Arabian Peninsula, many Qataris (Arabic: قطريون) are descended from a number of migratory Arab tribes that came to Qatar in the 18th century from mainly the neighboring areas of Nejd and Al-Hasa. Some are descended from Omani tribes. Qatar has about 2.6 million inhabitants as of early 2017, the vast majority of whom (about 92%) live in Doha, the capital. Foreign workers amount to around 88% of the population, the largest of which comprise South Asians, with those from India alone estimated to be around 700,000. Egyptians and Filipinos are the largest non-South Asian migrant group in Qatar. The treatment of these foreign workers has been heavily criticized with conditions suggested to be modern slavery. However the International Labour Organization published report in November 2022 that contained multiple reforms by Qatar for its migrant workers. The reforms included the establishment of the minimum wage, wage protection regulations, improved access for workers to justice, etc. It included data from last 4 years of progress in workers conditions of Qatar. The report also revealed that the freedom to change jobs was initiated, implementation of Occupational safety and health & labor inspection, and also the required effort from the nation's side.

Demographics of Qatar
Population pyramid of Qatar in 2022
Population	2,937,800 (2022 est.)
Growth rate	1.04% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	9.33 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	1.42 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	79.81 years
• male	77.7 years
• female	81.96 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	1.9 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	6.62 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	14.23%
15–64 years	84.61%
65 and over	1.16%
Sex ratio
Total	3.36 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.02 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.02 male(s)/female
65 and over	1.13 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Qatari
Language
Official	Arabic

Islam is the official religion, and Islamic jurisprudence is the basis of Qatar's legal system. A significant minority religion is Hindu due to the large number of Qatar's migrant workers coming from India.

Arabic is the official language and English is the lingua franca of business. Hindi-Urdu and Malayalam are among the most widely spoken languages by the foreign workers. Education in Qatar is compulsory and free for all citizens 6–16 years old. The country has an increasingly high literacy rate.

Population

1986–2023

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1986	369,079	—
1997	522,023	+3.20%
2004	744,029	+5.19%
2010	1,699,435	+14.76%
2015	2,404,776	+7.19%
2020	2,846,118	+3.43%
2023	3,063,005	+2.48%
Source: Qatar Statistics Authority

1950–2010

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	25,000	—
1960	47,000	+6.52%
1970	108,000	+8.68%
1980	222,000	+7.47%
1990	474,000	+7.88%
2000	591,000	+2.23%
2010	1,759,000	+11.52%
Source: United Nations

Foreigners

Construction laborers in Doha

Foreigners constitute 85% to 90% of Qatar's population of 2.7 million, with migrant workers making up approximately 95% of the workforce. South Asia and Southeast Asia are the primary regions which migrants come from. Societal divisions exist depending on the origin of the foreigner, with Europeans, North Americans, and Arabs typically securing better job opportunities and social privileges than sub-Saharan Africans and South Asians. Socialization between foreigners and Qataris is slightly limited due to language barriers and vastly different religious and cultural customs.

The human rights of migrant workers is limited by the country's Kafala system, which stipulates their requirement of a Qatari sponsor and regulates their entry and exit. Prospective migrant workers from origin countries sometimes face exorbitant recruitment fees, surpassing government-set limits, paid to licensed and unlicensed recruitment entities. These charges, ranging from $600 to $5,000, often force workers into debt and compel them to sell family assets. Government-to-government agreements have emerged in recent years to mitigate opaque recruitment practices and worker exploitation. Many companies in Qatar skirt local laws, resulting in workers facing delayed or non-payment of wages. While some employers deposit wages into bank accounts, most workers are paid in cash without detailed pay slips, hindering evidence of payment and complicating remittances. Additionally, the confiscation of passports by employers is a common practice in Qatar which limits the workers' freedom of movement and exposes them to potential exploitation.

By nationality

A 2011–2014 report by the International Organization for Migration recorded 176,748 Nepali Citizens living in Qatar as migrant workers. In 2012 about 7,000 Turkish nationals lived in Qatar and in 2016 about 1,000 Colombian nationals and descendants lived in Qatar. No official numbers are published of the foreign population broken down by nationality, however a firm provided estimates as of 2019:

Country	Number	percent
Pakistan	700,000	21.8%
Qatar	600,000	18.7%
Bangladesh	400,000	12.5%
Nepal	400,000	12.5%
Egypt	300,000	9.35%
Philippines	236,000	7.36%
India	180,000	4.7%
Sri Lanka	140,000	4.35%
Sudan	60,000	1.9%
Syria	54,000	1.8%
Jordan	51,000	1.6%
Lebanon	40,000	1.25%
United States	40,000	1.25%
Kenya	30,000	1%
Iran	30,000	1%

Vital statistics

UN estimates

Period	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR*	CDR*	NC*	TFR*	IMR*
1950–1955	1,000	0	1,000	47.5	13.8	33.7	6.97	126
1955–1960	2,000	0	1,000	44.3	11.3	33.0	6.97	110
1960–1965	2,000	1,000	2,000	41.0	8.8	32.1	6.97	90
1965–1970	4,000	1,000	3,000	38.6	6.8	31.8	6.97	71
1970–1975	5,000	1,000	4,000	34.8	5.2	29.6	6.77	53
1975–1980	7,000	1,000	6,000	35.7	4.0	31.7	6.11	38
1980–1985	10,000	1,000	9,000	33.2	3.1	30.1	5.45	28
1985–1990	11,000	1,000	10,000	25.4	2.5	22.9	4.50	23
1990–1995	11,000	1,000	10,000	22.8	2.2	20.6	4.01	18
1995–2000	10,000	1,000	9,000	19.2	2.1	17.1	3.30	14
2000–2005	13,000	1,000	12,000	18.8	1.9	16.9	3.01	11
2005–2010	18,000	2,000	16,000	14.1	1.6	12.5	2.40	9
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)
Source:

Registered births and deaths

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 2)	Natural change (per 1000)	TFR
1970	108,000	3,616	464	3,152	33.4	4.3	29.1
1971	118,000	3,921	491	3,430	33.2	4.2	29.0
1972	129,000	4,038	563	3,475	31.2	4.4	26.8
1973	141,000	4,367	660	3,707	31.0	4.7	26.3
1974	152,000	4,562	688	3,874	30.0	4.5	25.5
1975	163,000	4,559	600	3,959	28.0	3.7	24.3
1976	172,000	4,893	609	4,284	28.4	3.5	24.9
1977	181,000	5,313	686	4,627	29.4	3.8	25.6
1978	190,000	5,977	645	5,332	31.4	3.4	28.0
1979	203,000	6,057	709	5,348	29.8	3.5	26.3
1980	222,000	6,750	662	6,088	30.5	3.0	27.5
1981	246,000	7,192	725	6,467	29.3	3.0	26.3
1982	275,000	8,032	789	7,243	29.2	2.9	26.3
1983	307,000	8,261	803	7,458	26.9	2.6	24.3
1984	338,000	8,613	642	7,971	25.5	1.9	23.6
1985	368,000	9,225	794	8,431	25.1	2.2	22.9
1986	395,000	9,942	784	9,158	25.2	2.0	23.2
1987	420,000	9,919	788	9,131	23.6	1.9	21.7
1988	442,000	10,842	861	9,981	24.5	1.9	22.6
1989	460,000	10,908	847	10,061	23.7	1.8	21.9
1990	474,000	11,022	871	10,151	23.3	1.8	21.5
1991	483,000	9,756	883	8,873	20.2	1.8	18.4
1992	488,000	10,459	944	9,515	21.4	1.9	19.5
1993	491,000	10,822	913	9,909	22.0	1.9	20.1
1994	495,000	10,561	964	9,597	21.3	1.9	19.4
1995	501,000	10,371	1,000	9,371	20.7	2.0	18.7
1996	512,000	10,317	1,015	9,302	20.1	2.0	18.1
1997	529,000	10,447	1,060	9,387	19.8	2.0	17.8
1998	549,000	10,781	1,157	9,624	19.6	2.1	17.5
1999	570,000	10,846	1,148	9,698	19.0	2.0	17.0
2000	591,000	11,438	1,173	10,265	19.4	2.0	17.4
2001	608,000	12,355	1,210	11,145	20.3	2.0	18.3
2002	624,000	12,388	1,220	11,168	19.8	2.0	17.8
2003	654,000	13,026	1,311	11,715	19.9	2.0	17.9
2004	715,000	13,589	1,341	12,248	19.0	1.9	17.1	2.78
2005	821,000	13,514	1,545	11,969	16.5	1.9	14.6	2.62
2006	978,000	14,204	1,750	12,454	14.5	1.8	12.7	2.48
2007	1,178,000	15,695	1,776	13,919	13.3	1.5	11.8	2.45
2008	1,448,000	17,480	1,942	15,538	12.1	1.3	10.8	2.43
2009	1,639,000	18,351	2,008	16,343	11.2	1.2	10.0	2.28
2010	1,715,000	19,504	1,970	17,534	11.4	1.1	10.3	2.08
2011	1,733,000	20,623	1,949	18,674	12.0	1.1	10.9	2.12
2012	1,833,000	21,423	2,031	19,392	11.7	1.1	10.6	2.05
2013	2,004,000	23,708	2,133	21,575	11.8	1.1	10.7	2.00
2014	2,216,000	25,443	2,366	23,007	11.5	1.1	10.4	2.00
2015	2,438,000	26,622	2,317	24,305	10.9	1.0	9.9	2.00
2016	2,618,000	26,816	2,347	24,469	10.2	0.9	9.3	1.85
2017	2,725,000	27,906	2,294	25,612	10.2	0.8	9.4	1.83
2018	2,760,000	28,069	2,385	25,684	10.2	0.9	9.3	1.75
2019	2,799,000	28,412	2,200	26,212	10.2	0.8	9.4	1.73
2020	2,834,000	29,014	2,811	26,203	10.2	1.0	9.2	1.67
2021	2,748,000	26,319	2,841	23,478	9.6	1.0	8.5	1.60
2022	2,932,000	26,316	2,792	23,524	9.0	1.0	8.0	1.51
2023	3,063,000	27,414	2,651	24,763	9.0	0.9	8.1
Sources:

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2019):

Age Group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	2 064 276	734 926	2 799 202	100%
0–4	74 902	71 724	146 626	5.24%
5–9	71 614	69 267	140 881	5.03%
10–14	56 637	54 291	110 928	3.96%
15–19	47 897	38 313	86 210	3.08%
20–24	205 862	44 382	250 244	8.94%
25–29	352 616	92 515	445 131	15.90%
30–34	393 644	109 435	503 079	17.97%
35–39	319 713	89 034	408 747	14.60%
40–44	211 372	62 490	273 862	9.78%
45–49	145 216	39 577	184 793	6.60%
50–54	86 415	25 298	111 713	3.99%
55–59	51 306	16 530	67 836	2.42%
60–64	26 902	9 875	36 777	1.31%
65–69	10 744	5 365	16 109	0.58%
70–74	4 905	3 154	8 059	0.29%
75–79	2 703	2 031	4 734	0.17%
80+	1 828	1 645	3 473	0.12%
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	203 153	195 282	398 435	14.23%
15–64	1 840 943	527 449	2 368 392	84.61%
65+	20 180	12 195	32 375	1.16%

Life expectancy

Life expectancy at birth in Qatar

73.4
Source: UN World Population Prospects

Qatari people

Main article: Qataris

Native Qataris can be divided into three ethnic groups: Bedouin Arabs, hadar, and Afro-Arab, which can be considered a sub-category of the hadar. Some of the hadar are of Iranian descent. Qatari citizens comprise 11.6% of the country's population.

Citizenship

Two distinctions exist between Qatari citizens: those whose families migrated to Qatar before 1930, commonly referred to as "native Qataris", and those whose families arrived after. Previously, the 1961 citizenship law defined Qatari citizens as only those families who have been in the country since the 1930s, though this was repealed in the 2005 citizenship law. In 2021, a law was signed by Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani restricting the rights to vote in local elections for those whose families' arrival post-date the 1930s, leading to minor demonstrations and public disapproval. This led Al Thani to later announce that he would amend the law to allow all citizens to vote in future elections.

Children of Qatari mothers and foreign fathers are not granted Qatari citizenship; however, as of 2018, they are granted permanent residency status, which entitles them to similar state benefits as Qatari citizens. Nonetheless, the government limits the number of permanency residency visas it issues each year. The 2005 citizenship law allows for revocation of citizenship without appeal, which has been used on a number of families with dual citizenship.

Ethnic groups

Qatar's population has been historically diverse due to its role as a trading center, a refuge for nomadic tribes, and a hub for the pearling industry. Ethnic groups and the differences among them are considered sensitive topics in Qatari society and are rarely discussed in official contexts.

Bedouins, though constituting approximately 10 percent of the population, hold an outsized role in local culture. Many Qataris descend from tribes that migrated from Najd and Al-Hasa in the 18th century. Commonly called the bedu, they maintain ties, homes, and even passports in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. In the early 20th century, bedu migrated from the Arabian interior, with some traveling intermittently between Qatar and Bahrain. During the mid-20th century economic boom, many found work in the oil industry, police, army, and security services. The government settled Bedu families in the 1960s, discouraging the nomadic lifestyle. Today, many live in urban areas but return to the desert to stay connected to their roots. Many Bedu see themselves as noble and "pure" Arabs, often looking down on the settled population (hadar) as influenced by urban and Persian elements. Intermarriage between these groups is rare.

The hadar, a diverse group of settled Qatari citizens, includes Baharna, Huwala, Ajam (Iranians), and Afro-Arabs. Baharna Arabs, a group native to Qatar and often practicing Shia Muslims, sometimes face discrimination from the Sunni majority. Huwala Arabs, who are Sunni Muslims, migrated through the Persian Gulf to Persia and back to Qatar. Historically wealthier and better educated due to trade and pearling, their advantage has diminished as education became more accessible. The Ajam, ethnic Shia Persians, were active in boat building and still speak Farsi. Qatar’s Afro-Arab population descends from slaves brought from East Africa for the pearling industry. While some Arabs may view this group as "less" Qatari, most consider them full citizens. Despite occasional tensions, these groups are well integrated into Qatari society. Intermarriage is increasing, and Persian and African influences are evident in local culture.

Religions

Main article: Religion in Qatar

Qatar is an Islamic state with multi-religious minorities like most of the Persian Gulf countries with waves of migration over the last 30 years. The official state religion is Sunni Islam. The community is made up of Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, and small groups of Buddhists and Baha’is. Muslims form 65.5% of the Qatari population, followed by Christians at 15.4%, Hindus at 14.2%, Buddhists at 3.3% and the rest 1.9% of the population follow other religions or are unaffiliated. Qatar is also home to numerous other religions mostly from the Middle East and Asia.

Languages

Arabic

Main article: Qatari Arabic

Arabic is the official language of Qatar according to Article 1 of the Constitution. Arabic in Qatar not only serves as a symbol of national identity but is also the medium of official communication, legislation, and education. The government has instituted policies to reinforce the use of Arabic, including the Arabic Language Protection Law enacted in 2019, which mandates the use of Arabic in governmental and public functions and penalizes non-compliance. Arabic speakers constitute a minority of the 2.8 million population, at around 11%.

Qatari Arabic, a dialect of Gulf Arabic, is the primary dialect spoken. As the prestige dialect within the nation, Qatari Arabic not only functions in everyday communication but also plays a significant role in maintaining cultural identity and social cohesion among the Qatari people. The vocabulary of Qatari Arabic incorporates a plethora of loanwords from Aramaic, Persian, Turkish, and more recently, English. Phonetically, it conserves many classical Arabic features such as emphatic consonants and interdental sounds, which distinguish it from other Arabic dialects that have simplified these elements. Syntactically, Qatari Arabic exhibits structures that align with other Gulf dialects but with unique adaptations, such as specific verb forms and negation patterns.

In Qatari Arabic, like many Arabic dialects, there is a significant phonological distinction between long and short vowels. This distinction is crucial for both pronunciation and meaning. Long vowels in Qatari Arabic are generally held for approximately twice the duration of their short counterparts. This length distinction can affect the meaning of words, making vowel length phonemically significant. Qatari Arabic typically includes five long vowels: /ā/, /ē/, /ī/, /ō/, and /ū/. These long vowels are analogous to the long vowels found in Classical Arabic and are integral to maintaining the clarity and meaning of words. For example, the word for 'dog' in Arabic is /kalb/ with a short vowel, but with a long vowel, it becomes /kālib/, meaning 'heart'. Short vowels in Qatari Arabic are /a/, /i/, and /u/. These vowels are shorter in duration and can be less emphasized in casual speech. In some dialectical variations, short vowels may even be dropped entirely in certain environments, a process known as vowel reduction. This feature is common in rapid, informal speech and can lead to significant variations in pronunciation from the standard forms of the language. The distinction between long and short vowels in Qatari Arabic not only affects pronunciation but also plays a role in the grammatical structure of words, influencing verb conjugations, noun cases, and the definiteness of nouns through the use of the definite article /al-/.

As English is considered the prestige lingua franca in Qatar, bilingual locals have incorporated elements of English into Qatari Arabic when communicating on an informal level. This mixture of English terms and phrases in Qatari Arabic speech is colloquially known as Qatarese. The practice of interchanging English and Arabic words is known as code-switching and is mostly seen in urban areas and among the younger generation.

As a result of mass migration, a South Asian pidgin form of Qatari Arabic has emerged in modern times.

English

English is the de facto second language of Qatar, and is very commonly used in business. Because of Qatar's varied ethnic landscape, English has been recognized as the most convenient medium for people of different backgrounds to communicate with each other. The history of English use in the country dates back to the mid-19th and early 20th centuries when the British Empire would frequently draft treaties and agreements with the emirates of the Persian Gulf. One such treaty was the 1916 protectorate treaty signed between Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani and the British representative Percy Cox, under which Qatar would be placed under British administration in exchange for protection. Another agreement drafted in English came in 1932 and was signed between the Qatarian government and the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. These agreements were mainly facilitated by foreign interpreters due to neither party possessing the required language skills for such complex arrangements. For instance, a translator and native Arabic speaker named A. A. Hilmy interpreted the 1932 agreement for Qatar.

French

Despite Qatar's population comprising only 1% French speakers, the country was admitted to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie as an associate member in 2012. It was not required to join as an observer state prior to its full admittance.

Other languages

Qatar's linguistic diversity is significantly shaped by its large expatriate population from South Asia and Southeast Asia. The most common Asian languages among migrants are Hindi, Urdu, Tagalog, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. Hindi and Malayalam are particularly prevalent, with large communities of speakers from India. For example, Malayalam is spoken by a significant portion of the Indian community originating from the southern state of Kerala, who make up the majority of the country's Indian diaspora. Similarly, the widespread presence of languages such as Bengali, Tamil, and Urdu is attributed to a large portion of expatriates from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other parts of India.

In 2015, there were more newspapers printed by the government in Malayalam than in Arabic or English.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar, the importance of these languages was particularly recognized in public health communications. The Qatari government utilized Asian languages extensively in its awareness campaigns to ensure that critical health information reached all population segments, including those who might not speak Arabic or English proficiently. This multilingual approach involved disseminating information through various channels such as radio, printed pamphlets, and digital media.

Further reading

• Ferdinand, Klaus (1993). Ida Nicolaisen (ed.). Bedouins of Qatar. London: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 9780500015735. OCLC 990430539.