After falling for three months over the summer, Qatar’s population reached 2,634,234 at the end of September, according to new government figures.

That’s up almost 190,000 people from August, and an increase of 3 percent from the previous September.

Population numbers usually rebound after summer and Eid holidays.

They then tend to peak in November before people go out of town again for winter break.

September’s figures show that Qatar is inching back up toward its higher-ever population of 2.7 million, which was recorded in May this year.

Tapering off

Though Qatar’s population continues to increase, growth has slowed from double digits in years past to below 5 percent this year.

This is partly because of declining demand for labor as some infrastructure projects near completion.

There have also been layoffs in several sectors due to belt-tightening measures.

The Ministry of Development, Planning and Statistics had forecast this shift previously, saying it expected growth to taper off by the middle of this year.

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