Demographics of Qatar

Demographics of Qatar
Population pyramid of Qatar in 2022
Population2,937,800 (2022 est.)
Growth rate1.04% (2022 est.)
Birth rate9.33 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate1.42 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy79.81 years
 • male77.7 years
 • female81.96 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate1.9 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate6.62 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate2.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years14.23%
15–64 years84.61%
65 and over1.16%
Sex ratio
Total3.36 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.02 male(s)/female
Under 151.02 male(s)/female
65 and over1.13 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityQatari
Language
OfficialArabic

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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4] Education in Qatar is compulsory and free for all citizens 6–16 years old. The country has an increasingly high literacy rate.

  1. ^ "Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics". Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  2. ^ "Population of Qatar by nationality – 2017 report". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  3. ^ "Four years of labour reforms in Qatar". www.ilo.org. 1 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Qatar Tourist Guide". Retrieved 15 February 2012.