Hitting yet another population milestone, Qatar is now home to more than 2.5 million people, a new all-time high for the country.

As of Feb. 29, official government figures registered a total of 2,545,000 people inside of Qatar, Gulf Times reports.

The Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics (MDPS) has yet to update its website with the new numbers.

This is an increase of 9 percent or around 210,000 more people than at the same time last year, when MDPS figures recorded 2.34 million people inside the country at the end of January.

The previous highest-ever population was marked at the end of November 2015, when 2.46 million people were recorded as living in the state.

The next two months after that were lower because of winter holidays and end-of-term breaks, when many people travel.

Trends

The population spike comes despite many reported layoffs in the energy sector following low global oil prices, which are also starting to have an effect on government entities.

However, the hospitality and construction sectors are still developing, as more hotels open and key infrastructure projects, particularly related to the World Cup, are gathering pace to meet their looming deadlines.

Qatar’s population has seen enormous growth in the last decade, increasing by 40 percent (700,000 people) in the five years from 2010, the MDPS said last year.

The capital Doha has struggled to cope with the influx of new people, and the congestion, along with high rents in the city, has encouraged more people to live further out of town.

Ministry figures released late last year showed that two of the country’s densest districts – Doha and Al Rayyan – now house some 65 percent of Qatar’s population, down from 74 percent in 2012-2013.

According to MDPS official Frank Harrigan, the population is expected to peak by summer 2017, before starting to drop.

Does Qatar feel busier to you? Thoughts?