The statistics also highlighted other changes, including marriage, divorce, traffic safety, and more.

Tourism has taken centre stage in Qatar’s Monthly Statistics bulletin, with a dramatic yearly visitor influx of 71.7% compared to May 2022.

The figures from the Planning and Statistics Authority show Qatar still welcomed a grand total of approximately 285,000 global visitors in May despite a minor dip of 12.1% from the previous month.

The majority were jet-setters from neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, making up 37% of the total. Notably, air was the preferred mode of arrival for 66% of these tourists.

On the roads of Qatar, a flurry of activity was noted.

A resounding increase in new driver’s licenses, soaring by 75.6%, was reported in May 2023, while the roll-out of fresh-off-the-assembly-line vehicles grew by 20.5%.

As the wheels turned, however, traffic violations also ticked up by 12.6%, alongside a sobering rise of 53.8% in traffic-related fatalities.

A total of 704 incidents were recorded, down 9.6% from the previous month. Of these cases, a vast majority, 92%, were light injuries, with severe injuries making up 5% and fatalities making up 3% of the total, equivalent to 20 lives lost.

On the home front, live births struck a high note, marking an increase of 2.4% from the previous month to 2,381. A 9.9% rise in recorded deaths was observed, the equivalent of 211.

The dance of marital unions and dissolutions also quickened, with an increase of 41.8% in marriage contracts and a staggering 148.4% rise in divorce certificates.

Qatar’s social security tune also changed, showing a 2.8% increase in payout to a robust 80 million Qatari Riyals, and a modest 0.5% rise in the number of beneficiaries to 14,433.

In Qatar’s banking sector, the Broad Money Supply (M2) ballooned to a staggering QAR 699 billion, marking a yearly increase of 6.5%. However, cash equivalents saw a slight deflation of 1.3%, totalling QAR 955 billion.

In the nation’s skyline, the silhouette of progress is taking shape.

Construction sector permits experienced a soaring monthly increase of 97.9%, with a total of 758 permits in May 2023, which also signals a sturdy annual increase of 17.5%.