DOHA: Qatar’s population surged to an all-time high to over 2.33 million (2,334,029) in February. The increase was by more than 109,000 over January.
The record rise was witnessed after two months of consecutive drop in the figure, which had led some analysts to believe that the population might not grow at as rapid a pace as earlier due to stalling or shelving of some projects on account of falling world oil prices.
This January the population had fallen by 11,000 to over 2.22 million, while last December the drop was by over 34,000 to over 2.23 million.
In January, many families with school-going children were out of the country during spring break. The population figure for last February includes persons of all ages, including citizens and expatriates, within the boundaries of the country as on February 28, 2015. It also includes visitors, including those on business and tourist visas. This is supposed to be the tourist season here.
The highest population figure in 2014 was in November (2.26 million).
In February, the year-on-year increase in population was a massive 10 percent, or 217,000. The population in February of 2014 was 2,116,400, official data released yesterday show.
The Peninsula
