Qatar population swells as summer holidays come to an end

Nearly 169,000 people returned or moved to Qatar at the end of August, according to newly released population figures.

As of Aug. 31, there were some 2,288,927 people in the country, up sharply from the month before, as thousands returned to Qatar ahead of the new academic year.

The numbers, as provided by the Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics, reflect a 10 percent growth in the population since last August.

That’s about on par with the average increase Qatar has been seeing each month in 2015.

However, end-of-August figures are still lower than the population peak of 2,374,860 that Qatar saw in May 2015.

This is likely because not everyone was back from their holidays by the end of last month, but may also be due to summer layoffs in several sectors around town.

Forward looking

Despite falling oil prices however, Qatar’s finance minister said yesterday that projects will continue as planned.

As such, the population is expected to keep climbing as companies recruit more workers to meet the country’s infrastructure and construction goals ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

But the increases may not continue for much longer.

Previously, a senior MDPS official forecast that the country’s population would peak at 2.5 million as early as next year:

“By 2015 or 2016 when most of projects should be working in full capacity, the population will reach its peak level. But as these projects reach their completion many workers will start returning home, and we would see the population declining.”

In the meantime, as many of the 262,000 students in Qatar return to school this week, residents are struggling to cope with the traffic.

#Doha experiences #traffic rush as #schools reopen. pic.twitter.com/weDa78h4Vl

— Voiceofworld (@Voiceofworld_1) September 7, 2015

A car without AC, 41 degrees, the first week of schools traffic, buckin horrendous. An unwelcome return of Doha rage.

— Graham A (@graham1A) September 7, 2015