Home/Countries/Qatar

Arabian Peninsula

Qatar

Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.

Muslim population65.2%of the population

Population3.4 millionpeople (current)

CapitalDohaUTC+3

Currency3.64 = $1Qatari rials (QAR) (2024)

Country basics

Qatar is a peninsular emirate on the western coast of the Persian Gulf, bordering Saudi Arabia.

Qatar is an absolute monarchy with Doha as its capital and Arabic as its official language, and it occupies a peninsula in the Gulf. The riyal is pegged to the United States dollar, and liquefied natural gas supplies most of its export earnings.

Official name

State of Qatar

Region

Asia · Western Asia

Government

Constitutional monarchy under an authoritarian government

Time zonesCheck the offset for your own city

UTC+03:00

Driving side

Right

Phone code

+974

Currency

Qatari riyal (QAR, ر.ق)

Member of

Arab League; UN

Website

https://www.gov.qa

Faith and language

Religions

Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1%

Languages

Arabic

People and cities

Population

3.4 million (current)

Median ageHalf the population is younger than this

34.4 years (2025)

Living in cities

99.4% (2023)

Largest cities

Ar-Rayyan 798,000 · Doha (capital) 658,000

Money and cost of living

Exchange rateYearly average; check today’s rate before you budget

3.64 Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar (2024)

Income per personGDP per person, adjusted for local prices (2021 dollars)

$110,900 (2024)

InflationHow much prices rose over the year

1.3% (2024)

Unemployment

0.2% (2024)

Spent on foodShare of an average household’s spending

14.6% (2023)

Health and daily life

Life expectancy

80.3 years (2024)

Doctors

3.02 per 1,000 people (2023)

Hospital beds

1.1 per 1,000 people (2019)

Safe drinking water

100% of people (2022)

Electricity

100% of people (2022)

Internet users

100% of people (2023)

Land and climate

Climate

Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

SizeAlmost twice the size of Delaware; slightly smaller than Connecticut

11,586 sq km

Natural hazards

Haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

National holiday

National Day, 18 December (1878), anniversary of Al Thani family accession to the throne; Independence Day, 3 September (1971)