DOHA: Remittances sent by migrant workers home more than doubled in six years, between 2008 and 2013, while the population rose only 31.63 percent in the period.
Figures released by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics suggest foreign workers transferred QR19.54bn ($5.4bn) home in 2008.
The country’s population in the year was 1.55 million. The remittances jumped to over QR40.55bn ($11.13bn) in 2013, while the population increased to 2.04 million.
Statistics for the first two quarters of 2014 (January to June) put the remittances at QR19.79bn ($5.43bn), whereas the population stood at over 2.21 million.
Talking year-wise, workers’ remittances totalled QR25.82bn ($7.14bn) in 2009, the country’s population being a little over 1.63 million.
In 2010, the total money transferred by migrant workers overseas was QR29.57bn ($8.12bn) and the population was, again a little more than 1.63 million.
The growth of population in 2010 was nominal as only 5,715 new arrivals were recorded.
Remittance figures for 2011 were QR37.54bn ($10.3bn), while the population was slightly more than 1.7 million. In 2012, money transfers declined marginally to QR37.43bn ($10.27bn).
The dip in remittances was recorded despite the fact that some 129,000 freshly-recruited foreign workers arrived in the country in 2012, taking the population to over 1.83 million.
In 2013, the population rose by more than 200,000, to 2.21 million, whereas remittances totaled QR40.55bn.
The Peninsula
