Qatar Population
Qatar had an estimated population of 2,972,215 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 138th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.04% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +3.92% a year.
Qatar at a glance
How Qatar's population is changing
Qatar's population is growing fast: +3.92% a year, which works out to about +116,653 people per year, or +319 a day. Births (9.5 per 1,000) and deaths (1.1 per 1,000) alone would give +0.85% a year; net migration adds about 36,288 people a year (+1.22%). Roughly one in every 2,764 people on Earth lives in Qatar.
Population of Qatar since 1960
In 1960, Qatar had 36,010 people. By 2025 that was 2,972,215 — 82.5× larger. The fastest growth came between 1961 and 1971, when the population rose by 231%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 36,010 | — |
| 1970 | 116,350 | +223.1% |
| 1980 | 275,913 | +137.1% |
| 1990 | 440,175 | +59.5% |
| 2000 | 644,989 | +46.5% |
| 2010 | 1,616,832 | +150.7% |
| 2020 | 2,794,148 | +72.8% |
| 2025 | 2,972,215 | +6.4% |
Qatar from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Qatar at about 14,092 people in 1800; the UN estimates 3,115,891 in 2025 (221× 1800) and projects 7,272,258 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 133% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 14,092 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 14,092 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 16,061 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 24,304 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 644,993 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 3,115,891 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 4,164,465 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 5,550,355 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 7,272,258 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Qatar
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 2,972,215. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doha | 2,193,708 | UN urban centre | 73.81% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Ar Rayyān | 272,465 | GeoNames settlement | 9.17% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Lusail | 198,600 | GeoNames settlement | 6.68% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Az̧ Z̧a‘āyin | 54,339 | GeoNames settlement | 1.83% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Umm Ghuwaylīnah | 39,457 | GeoNames settlement | 1.33% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Umm Şalāl Muḩammad | 29,391 | GeoNames settlement | 0.99% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Mu‘aydhir Rawḑat Rāshid | 27,569 | GeoNames settlement | 0.93% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Al Wakrah | 26,436 | GeoNames settlement | 0.89% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Nu‘ayjah | 19,975 | GeoNames settlement | 0.67% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Al Khawr | 18,923 | GeoNames settlement | 0.64% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Qatar compares
Qatar has almost the same population as Lithuania (2,888,774).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Qatar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #136 |  Namibia | 3,092,816 | +4% | compare → |
| #137 |  Armenia | 3,086,700 | +4% | compare → |
| #139 |  Lithuania | 2,888,774 | −3% | compare → |
| #140 |  Jamaica | 2,837,077 | −5% | compare → |
Compare Qatar with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Qatar
Land neighbours (1)
Saudi Arabia 36,973,555 · 12.4× the population · compare
Qatar's 1 neighbours together hold 36,973,555 people — 12.4× Qatar's population. The most populous is Saudi Arabia (36,973,555).
In its region
Qatar is the 20th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 0.4% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Qatar
Cities
Doha, Ar Rayyān, Lusail, Az̧ Z̧a‘āyin, Umm Ghuwaylīnah, Umm Şalāl Muḩammad, Mu‘aydhir Rawḑat Rāshid, Al Wakrah — all Qatar's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Qatar when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.