Qatar’s rate of population growth is among the highest in the world, according to new data. The nation is thought to have recorded population growth of 10.71 per cent each year between 2000 and 2009, figures from the Abu Dhabi-based Arab Monetary fund highlight. Qatar’s population has more than doubled from around 614,000 in 2000 to 1.699 million at the end of 2010. It is thought that the population boom can be largely attributed to the rising number of expats in the nation. Data from 2010 suggests that just 200,000 are native to the country. “At that rate, I think Qatar and the UAE had the most rapid population growth in the world…you can attribute this to a massive influx of foreigners into the two countries due to the oil boom,” an Abu Dhabi-based economist told Emirates 247. Overall, the total Arab population stood at 351.8 million at the end of 2010.

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