Population growth rate in Qatar

Qatar: Population growth rate was 2.2% in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2.2%
Change on year
down 39.2%
World rank
42nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
22.1%
in 2006
All-time low
-0.9%
in 2020
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population growth rate in Qatar, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, population growth rate in Qatar stood at 2.2%.

That represents a change of down 39.2% on the previous year and down 70.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population growth rate in Qatar peaked at 22.1% in 2006 and was at its lowest, -0.9%, in 2020.

That places Qatar 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Population growth rate in Qatar, year by year

Annual values for Population growth rate in Qatar, 1950 to 2023.
Year % Change
1950 3.2%
1951 3.2% +1.3%
1952 3.2% +1.5%
1953 3.2% -0.6%
1954 3.2% +0.5%
1955 3.3% +2.1%
1956 3.5% +5.7%
1957 3.9% +11.6%
1958 4.6% +17.7%
1959 5.7% +23.5%
1960 7.8% +37.4%
1961 11.4% +47.1%
1962 12.0% +5.1%
1963 12.2% +1.4%
1964 12.0% -1.3%
1965 11.8% -1.9%
1966 12.1% +2.1%
1967 12.0% -0.1%
1968 11.8% -2.0%
1969 11.4% -3.4%
1970 12.8% +12.6%
1971 11.5% -10.5%
1972 10.4% -9.4%
1973 9.5% -8.4%
1974 8.8% -7.7%
1975 8.2% -6.8%
1976 7.7% -6.1%
1977 7.3% -5.6%
1978 6.9% -5.1%
1979 6.6% -4.4%
1980 6.3% -4.2%
1981 6.1% -3.8%
1982 5.8% -4.3%
1983 5.5% -5.0%
1984 5.2% -5.8%
1985 4.9% -5.5%
1986 3.9% -20.5%
1987 3.6% -8.5%
1988 3.5% -2.8%
1989 3.4% -2.4%
1990 3.3% -2.3%
1991 3.2% -2.3%
1992 3.2% -2.4%
1993 3.1% -2.7%
1994 3.0% -3.0%
1995 2.9% -3.5%
1996 2.8% -4.4%
1997 5.2% +87.3%
1998 5.5% +5.8%
1999 5.3% -3.6%
2000 5.1% -3.6%
2001 4.9% -3.7%
2002 4.7% -3.8%
2003 4.5% -4.2%
2004 3.1% -31.7%
2005 9.7% +216.9%
2006 22.1% +127.2%
2007 21.4% -3.6%
2008 12.6% -41.0%
2009 8.7% -30.6%
2010 6.3% -27.9%
2011 5.3% -16.2%
2012 5.1% -4.0%
2013 7.6% +49.9%
2014 9.8% +28.9%
2015 8.3% -15.5%
2016 5.5% -33.4%
2017 2.6% -52.1%
2018 1.4% -48.6%
2019 1.3% -4.8%
2020 -0.9% -169.7%
2021 1.7% -291.2%
2022 3.7% +114.0%
2023 2.2% -39.2%

Qatar compared with similar countries

  • Qatar's 2.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.5%, 4.6× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Qatar's 2.2% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.6%, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Population growth rate in Qatar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2021 +291.2% -0.9% 1.7%
2005 +216.9% 3.1% 9.7%
2020 -169.7% 1.3% -0.9%
2006 +127.2% 9.7% 22.1%
2022 +114.0% 1.7% 3.7%
1997 +87.3% 2.8% 5.2%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3.7% 3.2% 5.7% 10
1960s 11.5% 7.8% 12.2% 10
1970s 9.0% 6.6% 12.8% 10
1980s 4.8% 3.4% 6.3% 10
1990s 3.7% 2.8% 5.5% 10
2000s 9.7% 3.1% 22.1% 10
2010s 5.3% 1.3% 9.8% 10
2020s 1.7% -0.9% 3.7% 4

Countries ranked near Qatar

  1. 39 Gambia 2.3% compare
  2. 40 Vanuatu 2.3% compare
  3. 41 Burkina Faso 2.3% compare
  4. 43 Guinea-Bissau 2.2% compare
  5. 44 Togo 2.2% compare
  6. 45 Liberia 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Qatar

All data for Qatar →

Frequently asked questions

What is population growth rate in Qatar?
Population growth rate in Qatar was 2.2% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Qatar?
The highest recorded value was 22.1% in 2006.
What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Qatar?
The lowest recorded value was -0.9% in 2020.
How does Qatar rank for population growth rate?
Qatar ranks 42nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population growth rate rising or falling in Qatar?
Over the last ten years it is down 70.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Qatar data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population growth rate in Qatar. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-growth-rates/qatar/

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About this data

Indicator
Population growth rate
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.