Natives of the Arabian Peninsula, many Qataris () 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 as conditions of these workers are that of 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.
Islam is the official religion, and Islamic jurisprudence is the basis of Qatar's legal system. A significant minority religion is Hinduism 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
Foreigners
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 the Philippines 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 faces limitations due to language barriers and 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"Turkish school in Qatar to help spread Turkish culture" (Archive). Today's Zaman. Wednesday February 29, 2012. Retrieved on September 26, 2015. 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 700,000 400,000 400,000 330,000 300,000 236,000 180,000 140,000 60,000 54,000 51,000 40,000 40,000 30,000 30,000
Updated from countries' embassies:
Nationality Population Percent of total Data Recency 700,000 21.8% May 2019 400,000 12.5% Apr 2019 400,000 12.5% Jul 2018 333,000 10.5% Q1 2019 300,000 9.35% May 2018 236,000 7.35% Jul 2019 150,000 4.7% Jul 2019 140,000 4.35% Sep 2018 60,000 1.9% Jan 2019 54,000 1.7% Nov 2015 51,000 1.6% May 2017 40,000 1.25% Jan 2019 40,000 1.25% Jul 2019 30,000 1% Mar 2019 30,000 1% Dec 2013 27,350 0.85% Apr 2019 26,000 0.8% Nov 2018 25,000 0.8% Jan 2018 22,000 0.7% Apr 2018 11,000 0.35% Sep 2018 >10,000 0.3% Jan 2016 10,000 0.3% Jun 2018 10,000 0.3% Aug 2016 9,200 0.3% Mar 2019 9,000 0.28% Nov 2014 8,245 0.25% Aug 2017 8,000 0.25% May 2018 8,000 0.25% Apr 2019 6,500 0.2% Apr 2019 6,100 0.2% Nov 2018 5,500 0.17% Sep 2018 5,000 – 6,000 ~0.17% Apr 2019 5,000 0.15% Jan 2019 5,000 0.14% Mar 2016 4,000 0.12% Mar 2018 3,500 – 4,000 ~0.12% Nov 2012 3,100 <0.10% Jul 2019 3,065 0.1% Jul 2019 3,000 0.1% Jul 2019 2,600 <0.10% Mar 2019 2,500 <0.10% Jun 2019 2,500 <0.10% Mar 2018 2,349 <0.10% Aug 2017 2,100 <0.10% Nov 2016 2,000 <0.10% Jul 2019 2,000 <0.10% Dec 2018 1,800 <0.10% Mar 2019 1,500 <0.10% Dec 2018 1,500 <0.10% 2018 1,500 <0.10% 2019 1,400 <0.10% Apr 2019 1,350 <0.10% Jul 2019 1,200 <0.10% Jan 2017 1,027 <0.10% Aug 2017 1,000 <0.10% Dec 2013 1,000 <0.10% Sep 2019 989 <0.10% Feb 2017 949 <0.10% Oct 2017 900 <0.10% Feb 2017 750 <0.10% Mar 2018 700 <0.10% Oct 2018 550 <0.10% Jul 2019 550 <0.10% Jul 2019 500 <0.10% Nov 2018 ~500 <0.10% Jun 2019 500 <0.10% May 2019 500 <0.10% Nov 2016 400 <0.10% Apr 2019 400 <0.10% Sep 2018 400 <0.10% Nov 2017 400 <0.10% Jul 2019 350 <0.10% Feb 2019 337 <0.10% Dec 2014 320 <0.10% Jul 2019 300 <0.10% Jul 2019 300 <0.10% May 2017 250 <0.10% Oct 2018 238 <0.10% 2018 200 <0.10% Mar 2016 200 <0.10% Feb 2018 200 <0.10% Jan 2017 200 <0.10% Aug 2015 200 <0.10% Feb 2017 160 <0.10% 2018 160 <0.10% 2015 120 <0.10% Jul 2019 100 <0.10% Jul 2019 100 <0.10% Aug 2019 100 <0.10% Dec 2014 82 <0.10% Dec 2014 75 <0.10% Aug 2019 41 <0.10% Jul 2019 40 <0.10% Dec 2013 32 <0.10% Jul 19 23 <0.10% Jul 2019 22 <0.10% Jan 18
Vital Statistics
UN estimates PeriodLive births per yearDeaths per yearNatural change per yearCBR*CDR*NC*TFR*IMR* 1950–1955 1,000 0 1,00047.513.833.76.97126 1955–1960 2,000 0 1,00044.311.333.06.97110 1960–1965 2,000 1,000 2,00041.08.832.16.9790 1965–1970 4,000 1,000 3,00038.66.831.86.9771 1970–1975 5,000 1,000 4,00034.85.229.66.7753 1975–1980 7,000 1,000 6,00035.74.031.76.1138 1980–1985 10,000 1,000 9,00033.23.130.15.4528 1985–1990 11,000 1,000 10,00025.42.522.94.5023 1990–1995 11,000 1,000 10,00022.82.220.64.0118 1995–2000 10,000 1,000 9,00019.22.117.13.3014 2000–2005 13,000 1,000 12,00018.81.916.93.0111 2005–2010 18,000 2,000 16,00014.11.612.52.409 * 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:World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
Registered births and deaths
Average population Live birthsDeathsNatural changeCrude birth rate (per 1000)Crude death rate (per 1000)Natural change (per 1000)Crude migration change (per 1000)Total Fertility Rate 1970 108,0003,616 4643,15233.44.329.1 1971 118,0003,921 4913,43033.24.229.0 60.83 1972 129,0004,038 5633,47531.24.426.8 63.77 1973 141,0004,367 6603,70731.04.726.3 64.29 1974 152,0004,562 6883,87430.04.525.5 50.54 1975 163,0004,559 6003,95928.03.724.3 46.32 1976 172,0004,893 6094,28428.43.524.9 28.93 1977 181,0005,313 6864,62729.43.825.6 25.42 1978 190,0005,977 6455,33231.43.428.0 20.27 1979 203,0006,057 7095,34829.83.526.3 40.27 1980 222,0006,750 6626,08830.53.027.5 63.61 1981 246,0007,192 7256,46729.33.026.3 79.00 1982 275,0008,032 7897,24329.22.926.3 88.44 1983 307,0008,261 8037,45826.92.624.3 89.24 1984 338,0008,613 6427,97125.51.923.6 75.01 1985 368,0009,225 7948,43125.12.222.9 63.81 1986 373,3959,942 7849,15825.22.023.2 -10.23 1987 383,8509,919 7889,13123.61.921.7 3.55 1988 395,20910,842 8619,98124.51.922.6 3.59 1989 407,57110,908 84710,06123.71.821.9 5.82 1990 420,77911,022 87110,15123.31.821.5 7.50 1991 434,3729,756 8838,87320.21.818.4 11.22 1992 448,57110,459 9449,51521.41.919.5 10.78 1993 463,96710,822 9139,90922.01.920.1 12.23 1994 480,33010,561 9649,59721.31.919.4 14.58 1995 497,55110,3711,0009,37120.72.018.7 16.34 1996 515,57610,3171,0159,30220.12.018.1 17.53 1997 536,47410,4471,0609,38719.82.017.8 22.33 1998 560,99010,7811,1579,62419.62.117.5 27.76 1999 586,77010,8461,1489,69819.02.017.0 28.67 2000 613,96911,4381,17310,26519.42.017.4 2001 643,36412,3551,21011,14520.32.018.3 29.03 2002 676,49812,3881,22011,16819.82.017.8 33.29 2003 713,85913,0261,31111,71519.92.017.9 36.89 2004 798,05913,5891,34112,24819.01.917.1 95.182.78 2005 906,12313,5141,54511,96916.51.914.6 112.782.62 2006 1,042,94714,2041,75012,45414.51.812.7 127.622.48 20071,218,25015,6951,77613,91913.31.511.8 142.742.45 20081,448,47917,4801,94215,53812.11.310.8 161.012.43 20091,638,62618,3512,00816,34311.21.210.0 112.602.28 20101,715 09819,5041,97017,53411.41.110.3 35.152.08 20111,732,71720,6231,94918,67412.01.110.9 -0.612.12 20121,832,90321,4232,03119,39211.71.110.6 45.322.05 20132,003,70023,7082,13321,57511.81.110.7 77.792.00 20142,216,18025,4432,36623,07711.51.110.4 89.612.00 20152,437,79026,6222,31724,30510.91.010.0 84.732.00 20162,617,63426,8162,34724,46910.20.99.3 61.411.85 20172,724,60627,9062,29425,61210.20.89.4 30.421.83 20182,760,17028,0692,38525,68410.20.99.3 3.561.75 20192,799,20228,4122,20026,21210.20.89.4 4.571.73 20202,833,67929,0142,81126,20310.21.09.2 2.911.67 20212,748,16226,3192,84123,4789.61.08.5 -39.101.60 20222,932,24126,3162,79223,5249.01.08.0 56.481.51 20233,063,00527,3222,71424,608 8.9 0.9 8.0 35.361.46 20243,143,49129,7062,70627,000 9.50.9 8.6 17.011.47Sources: United nations. Demographic Yearbooks Qatar Information Exchange]
Population by sex and age group (01.VII.2019): Age groupMaleFemaleTotal% Total 2,064,276 734,926 2,799,202 0–4 74,902 71,724 146,626 5–9 71,614 69,267 140,881 10–14 56,637 54,291 110,928 15–19 47,897 38,313 86,210 20–24 205,862 44,382 250,244 25–29 352,616 92,515 445,131 30–34 393,644 109,435 503,079 35–39 319,713 89,034 408,747 40–44 211,372 62,490 273,862 45–49 145,216 39,577 184,793 50–54 86,415 25,298 111,713 55–59 51,306 16,530 67,836 60–64 26,902 9,875 36,777 65–69 10,744 5,365 16,109 70–74 4,905 3,154 8,059 75–79 2,703 2,031 4,734 80+ 1,828 1,645 3,473 Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent 0–14 203,153 195,282 398,435 15–64 1,840,943 527,449 2,368,392 65+ 20,180 12,195 32,375
Fertility Years 1925192619271928192919301931193219331934Total Fertility Rate in Qatar6.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.97 Years 1935193619371938193919401941194219431944Total Fertility Rate in Qatar6.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.976.97 Years 19451946194719481949Total Fertility Rate in Qatar6.976.976.976.976.97
Life expectancy
PeriodLife expectancy inYearsPeriodLife expectancy inYears1950–195555.21985–199074.51955–196059.21990–199575.31960–196562.91995–200076.01965–197066.62000–200576.61970–197569.72005–201076.91975–198071.82010–201577.61980–198573.4Source: UN World Population Prospects
Qatari people
Native Qataris can be divided into three ethnic groups: Bedouin, hadar, and Afro-Arabs. Some hadar are of Bedouin descent, but most are descended from Iranian, Pakistani and Afghan migrants. They are sometimes called "Irani-Qataris". The Afro-Arabs, often referred to as abd (), are mostly the descendants of enslaved people brought from east Africa. Qatari citizens comprise 11.6% of the country's population.
Citizenship