Rural population in Qatar
Qatar: Rural population was 19,042 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Qatar, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Qatar stood at 19,042.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 23.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Qatar peaked at 46,905 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 12,603, in 1960.
That places Qatar 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Qatar, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 12,603 | — |
| 1961 | 13,209 | +4.8% |
| 1962 | 14,157 | +7.2% |
| 1963 | 15,257 | +7.8% |
| 1964 | 16,475 | +8.0% |
| 1965 | 17,788 | +8.0% |
| 1966 | 19,247 | +8.2% |
| 1967 | 20,883 | +8.5% |
| 1968 | 22,662 | +8.5% |
| 1969 | 24,544 | +8.3% |
| 1970 | 26,760 | +9.0% |
| 1971 | 29,237 | +9.3% |
| 1972 | 31,676 | +8.3% |
| 1973 | 34,079 | +7.6% |
| 1974 | 36,435 | +6.9% |
| 1975 | 38,714 | +6.3% |
| 1976 | 40,878 | +5.6% |
| 1977 | 42,865 | +4.9% |
| 1978 | 44,598 | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 45,983 | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 46,905 | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 46,823 | -0.2% |
| 1982 | 45,475 | -2.9% |
| 1983 | 43,235 | -4.9% |
| 1984 | 40,603 | -6.1% |
| 1985 | 38,224 | -5.9% |
| 1986 | 36,624 | -4.2% |
| 1987 | 35,283 | -3.7% |
| 1988 | 33,873 | -4.0% |
| 1989 | 32,490 | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 31,148 | -4.1% |
| 1991 | 29,856 | -4.1% |
| 1992 | 28,623 | -4.1% |
| 1993 | 27,455 | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 26,358 | -4.0% |
| 1995 | 25,337 | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 24,396 | -3.7% |
| 1997 | 23,857 | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 23,765 | -0.4% |
| 1999 | 23,819 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 23,902 | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 23,948 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 23,879 | -0.3% |
| 2003 | 23,598 | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 22,834 | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 22,272 | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 23,516 | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 25,788 | +9.7% |
| 2008 | 26,691 | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 26,555 | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 24,145 | -9.1% |
| 2011 | 22,258 | -7.8% |
| 2012 | 21,654 | -2.7% |
| 2013 | 22,312 | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 23,634 | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 24,894 | +5.3% |
| 2016 | 25,130 | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 24,669 | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 23,857 | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 23,242 | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 23,421 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 19,954 | -14.8% |
| 2022 | 20,090 | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 19,030 | -5.3% |
| 2024 | 19,376 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | 19,042 | -1.7% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 19,042 is below the median for high income countries, which is 456,529, 4% of the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 19,042 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.62 million, 1% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17,682 | 12,603 | 24,544 | 10 |
| 1970s | 37,122 | 26,760 | 45,983 | 10 |
| 1980s | 39,954 | 32,490 | 46,905 | 10 |
| 1990s | 26,461 | 23,765 | 31,148 | 10 |
| 2000s | 24,298 | 22,272 | 26,691 | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,580 | 21,654 | 25,130 | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,152 | 19,030 | 23,421 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More agriculture & rural data for Qatar
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 4.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0031 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 221.93 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0064 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.3% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Qatar?
- Rural population in Qatar was 19,042 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 46,905 in 1980.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 12,603 in 1960.
- How does Qatar rank for rural population?
- Qatar ranks 192nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Qatar data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.