Map of Qatar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant hydrocarbon revenues. Former Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and by 2007, Doha had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2011, due in part to its immense wealth and patronage network. In mid-2013, HAMAD peacefully abdicated, transferring power to his son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad. TAMIM is popular with the Qatari public, for his role in shepherding the country through an economic embargo by some other regional countries, for his efforts to improve the country's healthcare and education systems, and for his expansion of the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting international sporting events. Qatar became the first country in the Arab world to host the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2022.


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Location: Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 11,586 km²
Land: 11,586 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: almost twice the size of Delaware; slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 87 km
Border countries: (1) Saudi Arabia 87 km

Coastline: 563 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line

Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert

Elevation
Highest point: Tuwayyir al Hamir 103 m
Lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Mean elevation: 28 m

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use
Agricultural land: 5.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 4.3% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 94.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 130 km² (2020)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 530 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 400 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 320 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Geography
Note: the peninsula occupies a strategic location in the central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits


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Population
Distribution: most of the population is clustered in or around the capital of Doha on the eastern side of the peninsula: 2,532,104 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.86% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Qatari(s)
Adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups: non-Qatari 88.4%, Qatari 11.6% (2015 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language
Major-language samples:

Religions: Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 13.08% (male 167,065/female 164,110)
15-64 years: 85.51% (male 1,757,982/female 407,120)
65 years and over: 1.41% (2023 est.) (male 23,544/female 12,283)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 20.7
Youth dependency ratio: 16.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 2
Potential support ratio: 50.1 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 34.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 35.5 years
Female: 28.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.86% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 9.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 1.4 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: most of the population is clustered in or around the capital of Doha on the eastern side of the peninsula

Urbanization
Urban population: 99.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.66% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 798,000 Ar-Rayyan, 658,000 DOHA (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air, land, and water pollution are significant environmental issues; limited natural freshwater resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities; other issues include conservation of oil supplies and preservation of the natural wildlife heritage
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 59.04 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 103.26 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 8.34 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 4.32 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.92 male(s)/female
Total population: 3.34 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 8 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 7.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 5.9 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80 years (2023 est.)
Male: 77.9 years
Female: 82.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 37.5% (2012)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 99.6% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0.4% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.2% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 2.49 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 35.1% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.96 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.59 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 11.8% (2020 est.)
Male: 21.7% (2020 est.)
Female: 1.9% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 93.5%
Male: 92.4%
Female: 94.7% (2017)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 12 years
Female: 15 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 1.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 0.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 2.1%


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Country name
Conventional long form: State of Qatar
Conventional short form: Qatar
Local long form: Dawlat Qatar
Local short form: Qatar
Etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but it dates back at least 2,000 years since a term "Catharrei" was used to describe the inhabitants of the peninsula by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.), and a "Catara" peninsula is depicted on a map by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.)
Note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation is gat-tar or cot-tar

Government type: absolute monarchy

Capital
Name: Doha
Geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: derives from the Arabic term "dohat," meaning "roundness," and refers to the small rounded bays along the area's coastline

Administrative divisions: 8 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Khawr wa adh Dhakhirah, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Ash Shamal, Ash Shihaniyah, Az Za'ayin, Umm Salal

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 September 1971 (from the UK)

National holiday: National Day, 18 December (1878), anniversary of Al Thani family accession to the throne; Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Constitution
History: previous 1972 (provisional); latest drafted 2 July 2002, approved by referendum 29 April 2003, endorsed 8 June 2004, effective 9 June 2005
Amendments: proposed by the Amir or by one third of Advisory Council members; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Advisory Council members and approval and promulgation by the emir; articles pertaining to the rule of state and its inheritance, functions of the emir, and citizen rights and liberties cannot be amended

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law and Islamic (sharia) law (in family and personal matters)

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Qatar
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 20 years; 15 years if an Arab national

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Amir TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani (since 25 June 2013)
Head of government: Prime Minister and Foreign Minister MUHAMMAD bin Abd al-Rahman Al Thani (since 7 March 2023); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs KHALID bin Mohamed AL Attiyah (since 14 November 2017)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amir
Elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the amir

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (45 seats; 30 members directly elected by popular vote for 4-year re-electable terms; 15 members appointed by the monarch to serve until resignation or until relieved; note - legislative drafting authority rests with the Council of Ministers and is reviewed by the Advisory Council
Elections: first election held for 30 elected members on 2 October 2021 (next to be held in 2025); date of appointed members - 14 October 2021 (next appointments - NA)
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Court of Cassation (consists of the court president and several judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of the chief justice and 6 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Supreme Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body consisting of judiciary heads appointed by the Amir; judges appointed for 3-year renewable terms; Supreme Constitutional Court members nominated by the Supreme Judiciary Council and appointed by the monarch; term of appointment NA
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Administrative Court; Courts of First Instance; sharia courts; Courts of Justice; Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center, established in 2009, provides dispute resolution services for institutions and bodies in Qatar, as well as internationally

Political parties and leaders: political parties are banned

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, CICA (observer), EITI (implementing country), FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Meshal Bin Hamad AL THANI (since 24 April 2017)
In the us chancery: 2,555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 237-0682
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Timmy DAVIS (since 5 September 2022)
From the us embassy: 22 February Street, Al Luqta District, P.O. Box 2,399, Doha
From the us mailing address: 6,130 Doha Place, Washington DC 20,521-6,130
From the us telephone: [974] 4,496-6,000
From the us FAX: [974] 4,488-4,298
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side; maroon represents the blood shed in Qatari wars, white stands for peace; the nine-pointed serrated edge signifies Qatar as the ninth member of the "reconciled emirates" in the wake of the Qatari-British treaty of 1916
Note: the other eight emirates are the seven that compose the UAE and Bahrain; according to some sources, the dominant color was formerly red, but this darkened to maroon upon exposure to the sun and the new shade was eventually adopted

National symbols: a maroon field surmounted by a white serrated band with nine white points; national colors: maroon, white

National anthem
Name: "Al-Salam Al-Amiri" (The Amiri Salute)
Lyrics/music: Sheikh MUBARAK bin Saif al-Thani/Abdul Aziz Nasser OBAIDAN
Note: adopted 1996; anthem first performed that year at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperative Council hosted by Qatar

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: high-income, oil-and-gas-based Middle Eastern economy; better regional integration after 2021 terrorism resolution; sports-led infrastructure investments; Islamic finance leader; citizenship-based labor force growth

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 24.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 17% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 43.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 51% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -37.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 50.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 49.5% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: tomatoes, dates, camel milk, sheep milk, goat milk, pumpkins/gourds, mutton, poultry, milk, eggplants

Industries: liquefied natural gas, crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizer, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: 0.66% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 1.977 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 1.1% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 0.9%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 2.1%

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 41.1 (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 1.3%
Highest 10%: 35.9% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $65.922 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $57.258 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -5.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 26.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 13%, Japan 11%, India 11%, South Korea 10%, Singapore 6% (2021)
Commodities: natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, ethylene polymers, fertilizers (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 14%, United Arab Emirates 8%, United States 7%, United Kingdom 6%, India 6% (2021)
Commodities: cars, gas turbines, jewelry, broadcasting equipment, gold (2021)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 10.633 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 44,116,984,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 2.772 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 1,815,100 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 293,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 1,264,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 25.244 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 273,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 485,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 12,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 167,460,996,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 37,701,809,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 126,749,621,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 23,860,500,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 111.922 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 33.44 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 78.482 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 723.582 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 523,765 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 3,876,499 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 144 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: TV and radio broadcast licensing and access to local media markets are state controlled; home of the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, which was originally owned and financed by the Qatari government but has evolved to independent corporate status; Al-Jazeera claims editorial independence in broadcasting; local radio transmissions include state, private, and international broadcasters on FM frequencies in Doha; in August 2013, Qatar's satellite company Es'hailSat launched its first communications satellite Es'hail 1 (manufactured in the US), which entered commercial service in December 2013 to provide improved television broadcasting capability and expand availability of voice and Internet; Es'hailSat launched its second commercial satellite in 2018 with aid of SpaceX (2019)

Internet
Country code: .qa
Users total: 2.7 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 100% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 296,126 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 10 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: the national police and Ministry of Interior forces maintain internal security, including preventing terrorism, cyberattacks, and espionage

Military service age and obligation: conscription for men aged 18-35 introduced in 2013; compulsory service times range from 4-12 months, depending on educational and professional circumstances; since 2018, women have been permitted to serve as volunteers in the armed forces, including as uniformed officers and pilots (2023)
Note 1: the military incorporates about 2,000 conscripts annually
Note 2: Qatar recruits foreign contract soldiers to overcome manpower limitations

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 251
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 29,178,923 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 12,666,710,000 (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: A7

Airports: 6 (2021)
With paved runways: 4
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 2
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports: 1 (2021)

Pipelines: 288 km condensate, 221 km condensate/gas, 2,383 km gas, 90 km liquid petroleum gas, 745 km oil, 103 km refined products (2013)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 7,039 km (2016)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 123 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 6, container ship 4, general cargo 4, oil tanker 3, other 106

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Doha, Musay'id, Ra's Laffan
Lng terminals export: Ras Laffan


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Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 1,200 (2022)

Illicit drugs