MigrantoMigration trends in Qatar
Middle East
Qatar takes in more people than it loses: 2.3M immigrants against 19.8K emigrants. Net balance +2.3M — 80% of the country's population
2.9M
Population
2.3M
Immigrants
19.8K
Emigrants
+2.3M
Inflow
1 in 1 residents of Qatar was born abroad — and 1 in 145 people born in Qatar lives abroad
#31 in the world by net migration gain
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Qatar
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
212.4K immigrants · 11.4K emigrants
1995
- Without migration, the population would have declined
2000
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 42%
2005
- India overtook Indonesia as the largest source of new arrivals
- Without migration, the population would have declined
- Immigration from Indonesia declined sharply — 98.8K fewer migrants from there
2010
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 119%
- Surge of immigrants from India — 330.8K new arrivals
- Surge of immigrants from Pakistan — 88.9K new arrivals
- Surge of immigrants from Bangladesh — 88.5K new arrivals
2015
- Surge of immigrants from Nepal — 123.5K new arrivals
- Migration accounted for 95% of the country's population growth
Today
- Since 1990: 2.1M more foreign-born residents and roughly the same number of emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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