Qatar

{{Short description|Country in West Asia}} {{About|the country|other uses}} {{protection padlock|small=yes}} {{Use British English|date=June 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}} {{Infobox country | conventional_long_name = State of Qatar | common_name = Qatar | native_name = {{native name|ar|دولة قطر}} {{Transliteration|ar|Dawlat Qaṭar}} | image_flag = Flag of Qatar.svg | flag_size = 135 | image_coat = Emblem of Qatar (2022–present).svg | symbol_type = Emblem | national_motto = {{lang|ar|الله، الوطن، الأمير}} {{transliteration|ar|Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Amir}} "God, Nation, Emir" | national_anthem = {{lang|ar|السلام الأميري}} {{transliteration|ar|As-Salām al-Amīrī}} "Peace to the Emir" <div style="display: inline-block; margin-top: 0.4em;">File:National anthem of Qatar.ogg</div> | image_map = {{switcher|frameless|Show globe|frameless|Show map of Qatar}} | map_width = 250px | map_caption = | image_map2 = | capital = Doha | coordinates = {{Coord|25|18|N|51|31|E|type:city}} | largest_city = capital | ethnic_groups = {{ubl | 49% Arab | {{Tree list}} * 43% South Asian<ref name=qsa-Aug13>{{cite web|title=Population of Qatar by nationality|url=https://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/|publisher=Priya Dsouza|date=19 August 2019|access-date=19 November 2022|archive-date=30 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930175429/http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> ** 21.8% Indian ** 12.5% Bangladeshi ** 4.7% Pakistani ** 4.35% Sri Lankan {{Tree list/end}} |7% other }} | ethnic_groups_year = 2019 | ethnic_groups_ref = <ref name="CIA"/> | official_languages = Arabic<ref>{{cite web |title=The Constitution |url=https://www.gco.gov.qa/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/GCO-Constitution-English.pdf |website=Government Communications Office |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129012504/https://www.gco.gov.qa/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/GCO-Constitution-English.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | demonym = Qatari | government_type = Unitary authoritarian semi-constitutional monarchy{{efn|Despite officially claiming to be a constitutional monarchy, the Emir wields complete power over the government.}} | leader_title1 = Emir | leader_name1 = Tamim bin Hamad | leader_title2 = Deputy Emir | leader_name2 = Abdullah bin Hamad | leader_title3 = Prime Minister | leader_name3 = Mohammed bin Abdulrahman | leader_title4 = Deputy Prime Minister | leader_name4 = Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani | legislature = Consultative Assembly | sovereignty_type = Establishment | established_event1 = Qatar National Day | established_date1 = 18 December 1878 | established_event2 = Declared independence | established_date2 = 1 September 1971 | established_event3 = Independence from the United Kingdom | established_date3 = 3 September 1971 | area_km2 = 11,581 | area_rank = 158th  | area_sq_mi = 4,467.6 | percent_water = negligible | population_estimate = 3,214,609<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistical Key Indicators |url=https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/pages/allIndicators.aspx?Indicator=population |access-date=2026-01-15 |website=www.npc.qa |language=en-GB}}</ref> | population_census = 2,846,118<ref>{{Cite web |title=Total Population by Sex in Census (1986 , 1997 , 2004 , 2010 , 2020 ) |url=https://qatar.opendatasoft.com/explore/dataset/total-population-by-sex-in-census-1986-1997-2004-2010-2020/information/ |access-date=26 July 2025 |website=qatar.opendatasoft.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> | population_estimate_year = 2025 | population_estimate_rank = 134th | population_census_year = 2020 | population_census_rank = | population_density_km2 = 264 | population_density_sq_mi = auto  | population_density_rank = 52nd | GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $378.080 billion<ref name="auto">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en}}</ref> | GDP_PPP_year = 2025 | GDP_PPP_rank = 60th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $121,610<ref name="auto"/> | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 4th | GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $222.780 billion<ref name="auto"/> | GDP_nominal_year = 2025 | GDP_nominal_rank = 54th | GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $71,650<ref name="auto"/> | GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th | Gini = 35.1  | Gini_year = 2017 | Gini_change =  | Gini_ref = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=QA |title=GINI index |publisher=World Bank |access-date=26 July 2025 |archive-date=15 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250215041229/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=QA |url-status=live }}</ref> | Gini_rank = | HDI = 0.886  | HDI_year = 2023 | HDI_change = increase | HDI_ref = <ref name="HDI">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=6 May 2025 |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |language=en}}</ref> | HDI_rank = 43rd | currency = Qatari riyal | currency_code = QAR | time_zone = AST | utc_offset = +3:00 | time_zone_DST = | calling_code = +974 | cctld = {{ubl | .qa | قطر. }} | conventional_short_name = | religion = {{ubl |65.5% Islam (official) |15.1% Hinduism |14.2% Christianity |3.3% Buddhism |1.9% other }} | religion_year = 2020 | religion_ref = <ref>{{cite web|title=Population By Religion, Gender And Municipality March 2020|url=http://www.qsa.gov.qa/QatarCensus/sensus_2020/pubulation-eng/Tabels/Pubulation/T06.htm|publisher=Qatar Statistics Authority}}</ref> | today = }}

'''Qatar''',{{efn|{{langx|ar|قطر|Qaṭar|engvar=gb}}, {{IPA|ar|ˈqɑtˤɑr|pron}}, {{IPA|afb|ˈɡɪtˤɑr|label=local vernacular}}<ref name="EoI">{{cite journal |url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/katar-SIM_4018 |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam |last=Johnstone |first=T. M. |journal=Ķaṭar |year=2008 |publisher=Brill Online |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-date=27 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927185243/http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/katar-SIM_4018 |url-status=live }}{{Subscription required|date=January 2013}}</ref>}}{{efn|The English pronunciation is commonly {{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|t|ɑːr|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Qatar.wav}} {{respell|kə|TAR}} or, approximating Arabic, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑː|t|ɑr}} {{respell|KAH|tar}}; other variants include {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ʌ|t|ɑːr|,_|ˈ|k|æ|-|,_|-|ər}} {{respell|KUT|ar|,_|KAT|ar|,_|KUT|ər|,_|KAT|ər}}, {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑː|t|ər}} {{respell|KAH|tər}}, and {{IPAc-en|k|æ|ˈ|t|ɑːr|,_|k|ɑː|-}} {{respell|ka(h)|TAR}}.<ref>{{Cite Dictionary.com|Qatar|access-date=26 November 2022}} {{Cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/qatar |title=Archived copy |access-date=28 March 2024 |archive-date=29 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221129060235/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/qatar |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Lexico|Qatar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite EPD|18|Qatar}}</ref><ref>{{cite LPD|3}}</ref>}} officially the '''State of Qatar''',{{efn|{{langx|ar|دولة قطر|Dawlat Qaṭar|engvar=gb}}, {{IPA|ar|ˈdawlat ˈqɑtˤɑr|pron}}.}} is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants. Most of the land area is made up of flat, low-lying desert.

Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed an agreement with Britain in 1868 that recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916 and gained independence in 1971. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who, like previous emirs, holds nearly all executive, legislative, and judicial authority in an autocratic manner under the Constitution of Qatar.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Qatar: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report|url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/qatar/freedom-world/2020|access-date=6 April 2021|website=Freedom House|language=en|archive-date=3 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503104458/https://freedomhouse.org/country/qatar/freedom-world/2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The Consultative Assembly (also known as the "Shura Council") can block legislation and has a limited ability to dismiss ministers, but is fully appointed by the emir. While Qatar held a partial Shura Council election in 2021, with two thirds of seats elected, in 2024 it moved to abolish those elections altogether, and reverted to a fully appointed Assembly.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Gambrell |first=Jon |date=2024-11-05 |title=Qataris votes to end limited polls for legislative seats in shadow of US election |url=https://apnews.com/article/qatar-constitutional-amendment-vote-elections-9c9125cb4bb6d6e98bc73cf5a7cbdaea |access-date=2025-10-30 |website=AP News |language=en}}</ref>

In early 2017, the population of Qatar was 2.6 million, although only 313,000 of them were Qatari citizens and 2.3 million were expatriates and migrant workers.<ref name=pop>{{cite web |url=http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/ |title=Population of Qatar by nationality – 2017 report |access-date=7 February 2017 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225053320/http://priyadsouza.com/population-of-qatar-by-nationality-in-2017/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its official religion is Islam.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Constitution|url=http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80|access-date=29 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041024231923/http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80|archive-date=24 October 2004}}</ref> The country has the fourth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world<ref>{{Cite web |title=GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=data.worldbank.org |archive-date=22 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622102516/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |url-status=live }}</ref> and the eleventh-highest GNI per capita (Atlas method).<ref>{{Cite web |title=GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=data.worldbank.org |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120072314/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GNP.PCAP.CD |url-status=live }}</ref> It ranks 42nd in the Human Development Index, the third-highest HDI in the Arab world.<ref>{{Cite web |author=United Nations |date=8 September 2022 |title=Human Development Report 2021-22 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2021-22 |language=en |access-date=16 November 2022 |archive-date=12 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112121440/https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2021-22 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112042847/http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/|archive-date=12 January 2013 |title=Indices & Data | Human Development Reports |publisher=United Nations Development Programme |date=14 March 2013 |access-date=27 June 2013}}</ref> Qatar is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 July 2022|title=2022 World LNG Report Press Release|work=International Gas Union (IGU)|url=https://www.igu.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Press-Release-IGU-World-LNG-Report-2022-1.pdf|access-date=7 October 2022|archive-date=9 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009205924/https://www.igu.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Press-Release-IGU-World-LNG-Report-2022-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Where in the world do people emit the most CO2?|url=https://ourworldindata.org/per-capita-co2|access-date=17 July 2021|website=Our World in Data|date=4 October 2019 |archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525012947/https://ourworldindata.org/per-capita-co2|url-status=live |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah }}</ref>

In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as both a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a middle power in the Arab world. Its economy has grown rapidly due to its resource-wealth,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/middle-powers-squeezed-out-or-adaptive/|title=Middle Powers: Squeezed out or Adaptive?|publisher=Public Diplomacy Magazine|last=Cooper|first=Andrew F.|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317144416/http://publicdiplomacymagazine.com/middle-powers-squeezed-out-or-adaptive/|archive-date=17 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/mk556/publication-61175.pdf|title=Mediation and Qatari Foreign Policy|last=Kamrava|first=Mehran|access-date=12 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007183501/http://www18.georgetown.edu/data/people/mk556/publication-61175.pdf|archive-date=7 October 2013}}</ref> and its geopolitical power has risen through its media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reported financial support for rebel groups during the Arab Spring.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dagher |first=Sam |url=https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204002304576627000922764650 |title=Tiny Kingdom's Huge Role in Libya Draws Concern |publisher=Online.wsj.com |date=17 October 2011 |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=27 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027213238/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052970204002304576627000922764650 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://politicsandpolicy.org/article/qatar-rise-underdog |title=Qatar: Rise of an Underdog |publisher=Politicsandpolicy.org |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170610115944/http://politicsandpolicy.org/article/qatar-rise-underdog |archive-date=10 June 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Black|first=Ian|date=26 October 2011|title=Qatar admits sending hundreds of troops to support Libya rebels|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/26/qatar-troops-libya-rebels-support|access-date=30 December 2013|website=The Guardian|publisher=|archive-date=15 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115131603/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/oct/26/qatar-troops-libya-rebels-support|url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar also forms part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.<ref name="CIA" />

==Name== Pliny the Elder, a Roman writer, documented the earliest account pertaining to the inhabitants of the peninsula around the mid-first century AD; he referred to them as the ''Catharrei'', a designation that may have derived from the name of a prominent local settlement.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Casey|first1=Paula|last2=Vine|first2=Peter|title=The heritage of Qatar|url=https://archive.org/details/heritageofqatar00vinerich|url-access=registration|publisher=Immel Publishing|year=1992|page=[https://archive.org/details/heritageofqatar00vinerich/page/17 17]|isbn=9780907151500}}</ref><ref name="qsahistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.qsa.gov.qa/QatarCensus/History.aspx|title=History of Qatar|publisher=Qatar Statistics Authority|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606170458/http://www.qsa.gov.qa/QatarCensus/History.aspx|archive-date=6 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> A century later, Ptolemy produced the first known map to depict the peninsula, referring to it as ''Catara''.<ref name="qsahistory" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qnl.qa/collections/aihl/maps|title=Maps|publisher=Qatar National Library|access-date=11 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606173751/http://qnl.qa/collections/aihl/maps|archive-date=6 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The map also referenced a town named "Cadara" to the east of the peninsula.<ref name="katara" /> The term "Catara" (inhabitants, ''Cataraei'')<ref>{{cite book|last=Hazlitt|first=William|title=The Classical Gazetteer: A Dictionary of Ancient Geography, Sacred and Profane|url=https://archive.org/details/classicalgazett02hazlgoog|publisher=Whittaker & co.|year=1851}}</ref> was exclusively used until the 18th century, after which "Katara" emerged as the most commonly recognised spelling.<ref name="katara">{{cite web|url=http://www.katara.net/english/about-katara/about-us/|title=About us|publisher=Katara|access-date=11 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722071207/http://www.katara.net/english/about-katara/about-us/|archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref> Eventually, after several variations—"Katr", "Kattar" and "Guttur"—the modern derivative ''Qatar'' was adopted as the country's name.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rahman |first1=Habibur |title=The Emergence of Qatar: The Turbulent Years 1627–1916 |date=2010 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9780710312136 |page=1}}</ref>

According to classical linguistic accounts, the term "Qatar" may derive from a type of informal transaction known as ''muqāṭarah'', in which goods were purchased in sealed containers without measuring or weighing the contents, for a fixed price. This practice, also called ''jazāf'', was reportedly widespread in Qatar's markets. Another explanation connects the name to the word ''qiṭār'', meaning camel train, possibly alluding to Qatar's role in historical trade routes.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://qspace.qu.edu.qa/handle/10576/4866|title=موسوعة المعلومات القطرية – المجلد الجغرافي|trans-title=Encyclopedia of Qatari Information – The Geographical Volume|year=1998|publisher=College of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Qatar|location=Doha|editor-last1=Al-Khayyat|editor-first1=Hassan|editor-last2=Al-Emadi|editor-first2=Hassan Darwish|last1=Amer|first1=Ismail|last2=Al-'Arifi|first2=Saleh|last3=Babiker|first3=Ahmad Abdullah|last4=Al-Nasr|first4=Bassam|last5=Abdul Karim|first5=Nidham|last6=Al-Kuwari|first6=Fatima|last7=Al-Shayb|first7=Ali Ibrahim|last8=Aziz|first8=Mohammed Al-Khuzami|last9=Fakhro|first9=Nasser Abdulrahman|last10=Al-Kuwari|first10=Mohammed Khalifa|page=17|language=ar|archive-date=25 August 2018|access-date=17 June 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825110355/https://qspace.qu.edu.qa/handle/10576/4866|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In Standard Arabic, the name is pronounced {{IPA|ar|ˈqɑtˤɑr|}}, while in the local dialect, Qatari Arabic, it is {{IPA|ar|ˈɡɪtˤɑr|}}.<ref name="EoI" /> English speakers use different approximate pronunciations as the Arabic pronunciations use sounds not present in English.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lyall|first=Sarah|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/21/sports/world-cup/how-pronounce-qatar.html|title=The 2022 World Cup is being hosted in Qatar, which, as everyone knows, is pronounced...|newspaper=The New York Times|date=21 November 2022|accessdate=25 November 2022|archive-date=25 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125040748/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/21/sports/world-cup/how-pronounce-qatar.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==History== {{Main|History of Qatar}}

===Prehistory=== Human habitation in Qatar dates back to 50,000 years ago.<ref name="cs1"/> Settlements and tools dating back to the Stone Age have been unearthed in the peninsula.<ref name="cs1">Toth, Anthony. "Qatar: Historical Background." [https://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/pe/persiangulfstate00metz_0/persiangulfstate00metz_0_djvu.txt ''A Country Study: Qatar''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209203237/https://cdn.loc.gov/master/frd/frdcstdy/pe/persiangulfstate00metz_0/persiangulfstate00metz_0_djvu.txt |date=9 February 2017 }} (Helen Chapin Metz, editor). Library of Congress Federal Research Division (January 1993). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain''.</ref> Mesopotamian artefacts originating from the Ubaid period (c. 6500–3800 BC) have been discovered in abandoned coastal settlements.<ref name="haya">{{cite book|last1=Khalifa|first1=Haya|last2=Rice|first2=Michael|title=Bahrain Through the Ages: The Archaeology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hmbc9evgB0C|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0710301123|year=1986|pages=79, 215}}</ref> Al Da'asa, a settlement located on the western coast of Qatar, is the most important Ubaid site in the country and is believed to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment.<ref name="thaiembassy">{{cite web|url=http://www.qatarembassy.or.th/download/Complete_History_of_Qatar.pdf|title=History of Qatar|website=www.qatarembassy.or.th|publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar. London: Stacey International, 2000|access-date=9 January 2015|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010092636/http://www.qatarembassy.or.th/download/Complete_History_of_Qatar.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Rice|first=Michael|title=Archaeology of the Persian Gulf|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0maIAgAAQBAJ|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415032681|pages=206, 232–233|year=1994}}</ref> Some historians have theorised that the Sumerians may have originated from this region.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sumerian Civilization |url=https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/sumer.htm |access-date=19 October 2024 |website=www.sjsu.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=TIME |date=18 April 1960 |title=Science: Home City of Sumer? |url=https://time.com/archive/6811703/science-home-city-of-sumer/ |access-date=19 October 2024 |magazine=TIME |language=en |archive-date=7 December 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241207050121/https://time.com/archive/6811703/science-home-city-of-sumer/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date= 1963|title=Dilmun: Quest for Paradise |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/antiquity/article/abs/dilmun-quest-for-paradise/1E05877729B4510B9CADA85307925845 |journal=Antiquity |language=en |volume=37 |issue=146 |pages=111–115 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00037212 |issn=0003-598X |last1=Kramer |first1=S. N. |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Antiquity=== [[File:Excavated site on Al Khor Island.jpg|thumb|left|Excavation of a Kassite dye site on Al Khor Island]]

Kassite Babylonian material dating back to the second millennium BC found on the Al Khor Islands attests to trade relations between the inhabitants of Qatar and the Kassites in modern-day Bahrain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Magee|first=Peter|title=The Archaeology of Prehistoric Arabia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FqlkAwAAQBAJ|publisher=Cambridge Press|year=2014|pages=50, 178|isbn=9780521862318}}</ref> Among the findings were crushed snail shells and Kassite potsherds.<ref name="thaiembassy"/> It has been suggested that Qatar is the earliest known site of shellfish dye production, owing to a Kassite purple dye industry which existed on the coast.<ref name="haya"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Sterman|first=Baruch|title=Rarest Blue: The Remarkable Story Of An Ancient Color Lost To History And Rediscovered|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XGdBBAAAQBAJ|publisher=Lyons Press|year=2012|pages=21–22|isbn=978-0762782222}}</ref>

In AD 224, the Sasanian Empire gained control over the territories surrounding the Persian Gulf.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cadène|first=Philippe|title=Atlas of the Gulf States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSSzAQAAQBAJ|publisher=BRILL|year=2013|isbn=978-9004245600|page=10}}</ref> Qatar played a role in the commercial activity of the Sasanids, contributing at least two commodities: precious pearls and purple dye.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of Qatar |url=http://www.qatarembassy.or.th/download/Complete_History_of_Qatar.pdf |access-date=9 July 2024 |website=www.qatarembassy.or.th |publisher=Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Qatar. London: Stacey International, 2000}}</ref> Under the Sasanid reign, many of the inhabitants in eastern Arabia were introduced to Christianity following the eastward dispersal of the religion by Mesopotamian Christians<ref name="gillman">{{cite book|last1=Gillman|first1=Ian|last2=Klimkeit|first2=Hans-Joachim|title=Christians in Asia Before 1500|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UGpr2KsbS94C|publisher=University of Michigan Press|pages=87, 121|year=1999|isbn=978-0472110407|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=1 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230801122401/https://books.google.com/books?id=UGpr2KsbS94C|url-status=live}}</ref> (see also Christianity in pre-Islamic Arabia). Monasteries were constructed and further settlements were founded during this era.<ref>{{cite book|last=Commins|first=David|title=The Gulf States: A Modern History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T56CBAAAQBAJ|publisher=I. B. Tauris|page=16|year=2012|isbn=978-1848852785}}</ref><ref>Habibur Rahman, p. 33</ref> During the latter part of the Christian era, Qatar comprised a region known as 'Beth Qatraye' (Syriac for "house of the Qataris").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aub.edu.lb/communications/media/Documents/May_2011/grant-syriac-EN.pdf|title=AUB academics awarded $850,000 grant for project on the Syriac writers of Qatar in the 7th century AD|publisher=American University of Beirut|date=31 May 2011|access-date=12 May 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528053210/http://www.aub.edu.lb/communications/media/Documents/May_2011/grant-syriac-EN.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2015}}</ref> The region was not limited to Qatar;{{clarify |Nonsensical. In what regard? |date= January 2025}} it also included Bahrain, Tarout Island, Al-Khatt, and Al-Hasa.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kozah|first1=Mario|last2=Abu-Husayn|author2link=Abdulrahim Abu-Husayn|first2=Abdulrahim|last3=Al-Murikhi|first3=Saif Shaheen|title=The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century|publisher=Gorgias Press LLC|year=2014|page=24|isbn=978-1463203559}}</ref>

In 628, the Islamic prophet Muhammad sent a Muslim envoy to a ruler in eastern Arabia named Munzir ibn Sawa Al-Tamimi and requested that he and his subjects accept Islam. Munzir obliged his request, and accordingly most of the Arab tribes in the region converted to Islam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maritimeheritage.org/ports/bahrain.html|title=Bahrain|publisher=maritimeheritage.org|access-date=17 January 2015|archive-date=14 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714191117/http://www.maritimeheritage.org/ports/bahrain.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2017}} In the middle of the century, the Muslim conquest of Persia resulted in the fall of the Sasanian Empire.<ref name="fromherz">{{cite book|author-link1=Allen James Fromherz |last= Fromherz|first= Allen|date= 13 April 2012|title= Qatar: A Modern History|publisher= Georgetown University Press|pages= 44, 60, 98|isbn= 978-1-58901-910-2}}</ref>

===Early and late Islamic period (661–1783)=== [[File:Abbasids850.png|thumb|left|Abbasid Caliphate at its greatest extent, {{Circa|850}}]]

Qatar was described as a famous horse and camel breeding centre during the Umayyad period.<ref name="rahman">{{cite book|last=Rahman|first=Habibur|title=The Emergence Of Qatar|publisher=Routledge|year=2006|page=34|isbn=978-0710312136}}</ref> In the 8th century, it started benefiting from its commercially strategic position in the Persian Gulf and went on to become a centre of pearl trading.<ref>{{cite book|title=A political chronology of the Middle East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eCSOT0_JAnwC|publisher=Routledge / Europa Publications|year=2001|page=192|isbn=978-1857431155|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=29 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629132054/https://books.google.com/books?id=eCSOT0_JAnwC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="kogan">{{cite book|last=Page|first=Kogan|title=Middle East Review 2003–04: The Economic and Business Report|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=78ACLNgHdf4C|publisher=Kogan Page Ltd|page=169|year=2004|isbn=978-0749440664|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152941/https://books.google.com/books?id=78ACLNgHdf4C|url-status=live}}</ref> Substantial development in the pearling industry around the Qatari Peninsula occurred during the Abbasid period.<ref name="rahman"/> Ships voyaging from Basra to India and China would make stops in Qatar's ports during this period. Chinese porcelain, West African coins, and artefacts from Thailand have been discovered in Qatar.<ref name="fromherz"/> Archaeological remains from the 9th century suggest that Qatar's inhabitants used greater wealth to construct higher quality homes and public buildings. Over 100 stone-built houses, two mosques, and an Abbasid fort were constructed in Murwab during this period.<ref>{{cite book|title=Qatar, 2012 (The Report: Qatar)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1JsAZouLOVQC|publisher=Oxford Business Group|year=2012|page=233|isbn=978-1907065682}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Casey|first1=Paula|last2=Vine|first2=Peter|title=The heritage of Qatar|url=https://archive.org/details/heritageofqatar00vinerich|url-access=registration|publisher=Immel Publishing|year=1992|pages=184–185|isbn=9780907151500}}</ref> As the caliphate's prosperity waned in Iraq, Qatar experienced a corresponding decline.<ref>{{cite book|last=Russell|first=Malcolm|title=The Middle East and South Asia 2014|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v6RjBAAAQBAJ|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|page=151|year=2014|isbn=978-1475812350}}</ref>

Qatar is mentioned in 13th-century Muslim scholar Yaqut al-Hamawi's book, ''Mu'jam Al-Buldan'', which alludes to the Qataris' fine striped woven cloaks and their skills in improvement and finishing of spears.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qatarembassy.net/page/history|title=History|publisher=qatarembassy.net|access-date=18 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217204727/http://qatarembassy.net/page/history|archive-date=17 February 2015}}</ref>

Much of eastern Arabia was controlled by the Usfurids in 1253, but control of the region was seised by the prince of Ormus in 1320.<ref>{{cite book|last=Larsen|first=Curtis|title=Life and Land Use on the Bahrain Islands: The Geoarchaeology of an Ancient Society (Prehistoric Archeology and Ecology series)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q65mRSPPU6UC|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=1984|isbn=978-0226469065|page=54|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152942/https://books.google.com/books?id=Q65mRSPPU6UC|url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar's pearls provided the kingdom with one of its main sources of income.<ref name="mohamed">{{cite book|last=Althani|first=Mohamed|title=Jassim the Leader: Founder of Qatar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X_J9kiBRdIgC|publisher=Profile Books|year=2013|page=16|isbn=978-1781250709|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=12 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212120320/https://books.google.com/books?id=X_J9kiBRdIgC|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Portuguese era (1507–1650) === In 1515, Manuel I of Portugal vassalised the Kingdom of Ormus. Portugal went on to seize a significant portion of eastern Arabia in 1521.<ref name="mohamed"/><ref name="gillespie">{{cite book|last=Gillespie|first=Carol Ann|title=Bahrain (Modern World Nations)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OoR1e79B3mAC|publisher=Chelsea House Publications|year=2002|page=31|isbn=978-0791067796|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152942/https://books.google.com/books?id=OoR1e79B3mAC|url-status=live}}</ref>

After the fall of the Jabrid Dynasty with the conquest of Bahrain by the Portuguese, the Arabian coast up to Al Hassa came under the rule and influence of the Portuguese empire. Attempts by the Ottomans to dominate the region were eliminated with the Portuguese reconquest of the castle of Tarout<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tarot Island • MyTrip Saudi Tour Operator – رحلتي السياحية |url=https://mytrip.sa/tour/tarot-island/ |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=MyTrip Saudi Tour Operator – رحلتي السياحية |language=en-US |archive-date=11 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240111165659/https://mytrip.sa/tour/tarot-island/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or Al Qatif in 1551. In 1550, the inhabitants of Al-Hasa had voluntarily submitted to the rule of the Ottomans, preferring them to the Portuguese.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anscombe|first=Frederick|title=The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=og5vjx2V_xoC|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=1997|page=12|isbn=978-0231108393|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152955/https://books.google.com/books?id=og5vjx2V_xoC|url-status=live}}</ref>

Archaeological finds are still being excavated from one of the Portuguese fortresses that served as a base to dominate the region as Ruwayda.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Petersen |first1=Andrew |last2=Al-Naimi |first2=Faisal Abdullah |last3=Grey |first3=Tony |last4=Edwards |first4=Ifan |last5=Hill |first5=Austin |last6=Russ |first6=Hannah |last7=Williams |first7=Dee |date=2016 |title=Ruwayda: an historic urban settlement in north Qatar |url=https://www.academia.edu/33395202 |journal=Post-Medieval Archaeology |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=321 |doi=10.1080/00794236.2016.1229093 |s2cid=164311802 |issn=0079-4236}}</ref> The first representation of Qatar appears on the Portuguese map by Luis Lázaro in 1563, showing the "city of Qatar" as a fortress, possibly referring to the fort of Ruwayda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gis.psa.gov.qa/QatarAtlas/History|title=Qatar Timeline|publisher=Planning and Statistics Authority (Qatar)|access-date=26 June 2024}}</ref>

Having retained a negligible military presence in the area, the Ottomans were expelled by the Bani Khalid tribe and their emirate in 1670.<ref>{{cite book|last=Potter|first=Lawrence|title=The Persian Gulf in History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncfIAAAAQBAJ|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2010|page=262|isbn=978-0230612822|access-date=23 February 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328153108/https://books.google.com/books?id=ncfIAAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Bahraini and Saudi rule (1783–1868)=== [[File:Map of Catura (Qatar) 1794 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|A 1794 map by Samuel Dunn depicting ''Catura'' (at centre) in the historical region of Bahrain]]

In 1766, members of the Al Khalifa family of the Utub tribal confederation migrated from Kuwait to Zubarah in Qatar.<ref name="frauke">{{cite book|last=Heard-Bey|first=Frauke|title=From Tribe to State. The Transformation of Political Structure in Five States of the GCC|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mIqNAwAAQBAJ|page=39|isbn=978-88-8311-602-5|year=2008|publisher=EDUCatt – Ente per il diritto allo studio universitario dell'Università Cattolica|access-date=18 January 2015|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328152943/https://books.google.com/books?id=mIqNAwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>'Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part IA & IB. J G Lorimer. 1915' [1000] (1155/1782), p. 1001</ref> By the time of their arrival, the Bani Khalid exercised weak authority over the peninsula, notwithstanding the fact that the largest village was ruled by their distant kin.<ref>{{cite book|last=Crystal|first=Jill|title=Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D8di8GN_hKsC|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1995|page=27|isbn=978-0521466356}}</ref> In 1783, Qatar-based Bani Utbah clans and allied Arab tribes invaded and annexed Bahrain from the Persians. The Al Khalifa imposed their authority over Bahrain and retained their jurisdiction over Zubarah.<ref name="frauke"/>

Following his swearing-in as crown prince of the Emirate of Diriyah in 1788, Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz moved to expand Wahhabi territory eastward towards the Persian Gulf and Qatar. After defeating the Bani Khalid in 1795, the Wahhabi were attacked on two fronts. The Ottomans and Egyptians assaulted the western front, while the Al Khalifa in Bahrain and the Omanis launched an attack against the eastern front.<ref>{{cite book|last=Casey|first=Michael S.|title=The History of Kuwait (The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AwweY4yYSMIC|publisher=Greenwood|pages=37–38|year=2007|isbn=978-0313340734}}</ref><ref name="qdl1">{{cite web|url=http://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023575945.0x0000c7|title='Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf. Vol I. Historical. Part IA & IB. J G Lorimer. 1915' [843] (998/1782)|publisher=qdl.qa|access-date=13 January 2014|archive-date=13 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113165241/http://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100023575945.0x0000c7|url-status=live}}</ref> Upon being made aware of the Egyptian advance on the western frontier in 1811, the Wahhabi amir reduced his garrisons in Bahrain and Zubarah in order to redeploy his troops. Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman, capitalised on this opportunity and raided the Wahhabi garrisons on the eastern coast, setting fire to the fort in Zubarah. The Al Khalifa was effectively returned to power thereafter.<ref name="qdl1"/>

[[File:Qatar, Zubarah (10), ruined city.JPG|thumb|A partially restored section of the ruined town of Zubarah]]

As punishment for piracy, an East India Company vessel bombarded Doha in 1821, destroying the town and forcing hundreds of residents to flee. In 1825, the House of Thani was established with Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani as the first leader.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.teachmideast.org/geography/qatar |title=Qatar |publisher=Teachmideast.org |access-date=27 June 2013 |archive-date=9 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709213843/http://www.teachmideast.org/geography/qatar |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although Qatar was considered a dependency of Bahrain, the Al Khalifa faced opposition from the local tribes. In 1867, the Al Khalifa, along with the ruler of Abu Dhabi, sent a massive naval force to Al Wakrah in an effort to crush the Qatari rebels. This resulted in the maritime Qatari–Bahraini War of 1867–68, in which Bahraini and Abu Dhabi forces sacked and looted Doha and Al Wakrah.<ref name="Fromhertz2012">{{cite book |title = Katar'da Osmanlilar 1871–1916 |last1= Kursun|first1= Zekeriya|publisher=Turk Tarih Kurumu|year= 2004}}</ref> The Bahraini hostilities were in violation of the Perpetual Truce of Peace and Friendship of 1861. The joint incursion, in addition to the Qatari counter-attack, prompted British Political Resident, Colonel Lewis Pelly to impose a settlement in 1868. His mission to Bahrain and Qatar and the resulting peace treaty were milestones because they implicitly recognised the distinctness of Qatar from Bahrain and explicitly acknowledged the position of Mohammed bin Thani. In addition to censuring Bahrain for its breach of agreement, Pelly negotiated with Qatari sheikhs who were represented by Mohammed bin Thani.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zahlan |first1=Rosemarie Said |title=The Creation of Qatar |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |page=42}}</ref> The negotiations were the first stage in the development of Qatar as a sheikhdom.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=John Craven |title=Arabia's Frontiers: The Story of Britain's Boundary Drawing in the Desert |date=1991 |publisher=IB Tauris |pages=46–47}}</ref>

===Ottoman period (1871–1915)=== [[File:Qatar in Stielers Handatlas 1891 59.JPG|thumb|Qatar in an 1891 map by Adolf Stieler, with Al Bidda as the major settlement]] thumb|left|Old city of Doha, January 1904 [[File:Barzan towers 3.jpg|thumb|left|Barzan Towers are watchtowers that were built in the late 19th century and renovated in 1910 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani.]] Under military and political pressure from the governor of the Ottoman Vilayet of Baghdad, Midhat Pasha, the ruling Al Thani tribe submitted to Ottoman rule in 1871.<ref name="Rogan1199">{{cite journal |last1 = Rogan|first1 = Eugene|date = November 1999|title = Review of The Ottoman Gulf: The Creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar by Frederick F. Anscombe; The Blood-Red Arab Flag: An Investigation into Qasimi Piracy, 1797–1820 by Charles E. Davies; The Politics of Regional Trade in Iraq, Arabia and the Gulf, 1745–1900 by Hala Fattah | journal = British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |volume = 26 |issue = 2|pages = 339–342|jstor = 195948 |doi = 10.1080/13530199908705688 |last2 = Murphey |first2 = Rhoads |last3 = Masalha |first3 = Nur |last4 = Durac |first4 = Vincent |last5 = Hinnebusch |first5 = Raymond| issn=1353-0194 }}</ref> The Ottoman government imposed reformist (Tanzimat) measures concerning taxation and land registration to fully integrate these areas into the empire.<ref name=Rogan1199/> Despite the disapproval of local tribes, Al Thani continued supporting the Ottoman rule. Qatari-Ottoman relations stagnated, and in 1882 they suffered further setbacks when the Ottomans refused to aid Al Thani in his expedition of Abu Dhabi-occupied Khor Al Adaid and offered only limited support in the Qatari–Abu Dhabi War, mainly due to fear of British intervention on Abu Dhabi's side.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hayajneh|first1=Raed Ahmed|url=https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1070&context=aauja|title=Khannour Battle 1889, Causes, Results, and Reactions in the Arabian Gulf: Documentary Research|journal=Association of Arab Universities Journal for Arts|language=Arabic|volume=18|issue=1|page=73|year=2021|accessdate=18 July 2024}}</ref> In addition, the Ottomans supported the Ottoman subject Mohammed bin Abdul Wahab who attempted to supplant Al Thani as kaymakam of Qatar in 1888.<ref>Habibur Rahman, pgs.143–144</ref> This eventually led Al Thani to rebel against the Ottomans, whom he believed were seeking to usurp control of the peninsula. He resigned as kaymakam and stopped paying taxes in August 1892.<ref>Habibur Rahman, pgs.150–151</ref>

In February 1893, Mehmed Hafiz Pasha arrived in Qatar in the interests of seeking unpaid taxes and accosting Jassim bin Mohammed's opposition to proposed Ottoman administrative reforms. Fearing that he would face death or imprisonment, Jassim retreated to Al Wajbah ({{convert|10|mi|km|0|abbr=on|order=flip|disp=or}} west of Doha), accompanied by several tribe members. Mehmed's demand that Jassim disband his troops and pledge his loyalty to the Ottomans was met with refusal. In March, Mehmed imprisoned Jassim's brother and 13 prominent Qatari tribal leaders on the Ottoman corvette ''Merrikh'' as punishment for his insubordination. After Mehmed declined an offer to release the captives for a fee of 10,000 liras, he ordered a column of approximately 200 troops to advance towards Jassim's Al Wajbah Fort under the command of Yusuf Effendi, thus signalling the start of the Battle of Al Wajbah.<ref name="fromherz"/>

Effendi's troops came under heavy gunfire by a sizable troop of Qatari infantry and cavalry shortly after arriving at Al Wajbah. They retreated to Shebaka fortress where they were again forced to draw back from a Qatari incursion. After retreating from Shebaka to Al Bidda, the Ottomans were besieged by Jassim's forces, forcing them to surrender, release captives, and secure safe passage for Mehmed Pasha's cavalry to Hofuf.<ref>Habibur Rahman, p. 152</ref> Although Qatar did not gain full independence from the Ottoman Empire, the result of the battle forced a treaty that would later form the basis of Qatar's emerging as an autonomous country within the empire.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=439&pID=1701 |title=Battle of Al Wajbah |publisher=Qatar Visitor |date=2 June 2007 |access-date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117024415/http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=439&pID=1701 |archive-date=17 January 2013 }}</ref>

===British period (1916–1971)=== [[File:Zubarah Fort1.jpg|thumb|left|Zubarah Fort built in 1938]] By the Anglo-Ottoman Convention of 1913, the Ottomans agreed to renounce their claim to Qatar and withdraw their garrison from Doha. With the outbreak of World War I however, nothing was done to carry this out, and the garrison remained in the fort at Doha, although its numbers dwindled as men deserted. In 1915, with the presence of British gunboats in the harbour, Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani (who was pro-British) persuaded the remainder to abandon the fort, and when British troops approached the following morning, they found it deserted.<ref name=diwan>{{cite web|title=Amiri Diwan – Shaikh Abdullah Bin Jassim Al Thani |url=http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/Qatar/AbdullahBinQassim.htm |publisher=Diwan.gov.qa |access-date=28 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210053313/http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/AbdullahBinQassim.htm |archive-date=10 February 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zahlan |first1=Rosemarie Said |title=The Creation of Qatar |date=1979 |publisher=Croom Helm |location=Abingdon |isbn=978-1-138-18167-0 |page=74 |access-date=27 May 2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uVqFCwAAQBAJ |archive-date=19 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119043503/https://books.google.com/books?id=uVqFCwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Qatar became a British protectorate on 3 November 1916<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rahman |first1=Habibur |title=The Emergence of Qatar: The Turbulent Years 1627–1916 |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |page=235}}</ref> when the United Kingdom signed a treaty with Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani to bring Qatar under its Trucial System of Administration. The treaty reserved foreign affairs and defence to the United Kingdom but allowed internal autonomy. While Abdullah agreed not to enter into any relations with any other power without the prior consent of the British government, the latter guaranteed the protection of Qatar from aggression by sea and provide its 'good offices' in the event of an attack by land. This latter undertaking was left deliberately vague.<ref name="diwan"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Zahlan |first1=Rosemarie Said |title=The Creation of Qatar |date=1979 |publisher=Croom Helm |location=Abingdon |isbn=978-1-138-18167-0 |pages=73–85 |access-date=27 May 2019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uVqFCwAAQBAJ |archive-date=19 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230119043503/https://books.google.com/books?id=uVqFCwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 5 May 1935, while agreeing an oil concession with the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Abdullah signed another treaty with the British government which granted Qatar protection against internal and external threats.<ref name="diwan" /> Oil reserves were first discovered in 1939. Exploitation and development were, however, delayed by World War II.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Morton |first1=Michael Quentin |title=Empires and Anarchies: A History of Oil in the Middle East |date=2017 |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=London |isbn=978-1-78023-810-4 |pages=139–140 |access-date=27 May 2019|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BGkwDwAAQBAJ&q=empires+and+anarchies+morton}}</ref> [[File:British stamp overprinted for use in Qatar 1 April 1957.jpg|right|thumb|A British Wilding series stamp, issued 1 April 1957, and overprinted for use in Qatar]] The focus of British interests in Qatar changed after the Second World War with the independence of India, the creation of Pakistan in 1947, and the development of oil in Qatar. In 1949, the appointment of the first British political officer in Doha, John Wilton, signified a strengthening of Anglo-Qatari relations.<ref>Wilton, John, unpublished memoir, ‘Qatar and Sharjah, 1949–1952’, Special Collections, University of Exeter Library, Exeter.</ref> Oil exports began in 1949, and oil revenues became the country's main source of revenue; the pearl trade had gone into decline. These revenues were used to fund the expansion and modernisation of Qatar's infrastructure.

When Britain officially announced in 1968 that it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf in three years' time, Qatar joined talks with Bahrain and seven other Trucial States to create the Federation of Arab Emirates. Regional disputes, however, persuaded Qatar and Bahrain to withdraw from the talks and become independent states separate from the Trucial States, which went on to become the United Arab Emirates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/news/latest-news/world-and-societies/2013/november/historian-heard-bey-on-why-the-uae-is-a-federation.html|title=Historian Heard-Bey On Why the UAE is a Federation|publisher=NYU Abu Dhabi|date=29 October 2013|access-date=12 August 2025}}</ref>

=== Independence and later (1971–2000) ===

Under an agreement with the United Kingdom,<ref>A Treaty of Friendship and an Exchange of Notes, each entered into on 3 September 1971</ref><ref name="ReferenceA"/> on 3 September 1971, the "special treaty arrangements" that were "inconsistent with full international responsibility as a sovereign and independent state" were terminated.<ref name="ReferenceA">Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Kuwait regarding relations between the United ... Exchange of Notes concerning the Termination of Special Treaty Relations ... Northern Ireland and the State of Qatar, 3 September 1971</ref> Ahmad bin Ali was the emir of Qatar. He was deposed on 22 February 1972 by Khalifa bin Hamad.

In 1991, Qatar played a significant role in the Gulf War, particularly during the Battle of Khafji in which Qatari tanks rolled through the streets of the town and provided fire support for the Saudi Arabian National Guard units that were engaging Iraqi Army troops. Qatar allowed coalition troops from Canada to use the country as an airbase to launch aircraft on combat air patrol duty and also permitted air forces from the United States and France to operate in its territories.<ref name="cs1" />

In 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani seised control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, with the support of the armed forces and cabinet, as well as neighbouring states and France.<ref name="nobs">[http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/l-enquete-de-l-obs/20130405.OBS6953/qatar-s-ils-pouvaient-ils-acheteraient-la-tour-eiffel.html nouvelobs.com: "Qatar : "S'ils pouvaient, ils achèteraient la Tour Eiffel"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010091751/http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/l-enquete-de-l-obs/20130405.OBS6953/qatar-s-ils-pouvaient-ils-acheteraient-la-tour-eiffel.html |date=10 October 2017 }}, 7 April 2013</ref><ref name="resh">{{cite news |date=26 June 2013 |title=New Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim 'set to announce reshuffle' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23059333 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331095643/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23059333 |archive-date=31 March 2019 |access-date=26 June 2013 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Under Emir Hamad, Qatar experienced a moderate degree of liberalisation, including the launch of the Al Jazeera television station in 1996, the endorsement of women's suffrage or right to vote in municipal elections in 1999, participation of women in society in 2003, drafting its first written constitution in 2005 and inauguration of a Roman Catholic church in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar opens first church, quietly |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/6/20/qatar-opens-first-church-quietly |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> An unsuccessful counter-coup was staged in 1996.

===21st century=== [[File:Corniche Doha Qatar.jpg|thumb|left|Traditional dhows in front of the West Bay skyline as seen from the Doha Corniche]]Qatar's economy and status as a regional power rapidly grew in the 2000s.<ref>{{Cite news |last= |date=23 July 2019 |title=Qatar sees robust economic growth |url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/qatar-sees-robust-economic-growth-1.429735 |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=Gulf News |agency=Reuters |language=en}}</ref> According to the UN, the nation's economic growth, measured by GDP, was the fastest in the world during this decade.<ref>{{cite report |url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/10/Qatar_Qatar-National-Development-Strategy.pdf |title=Qatar National Development Strategy 2011–2016 |publisher=Qatar General Secretariat for Development Planning |date=March 2011 |access-date=24 December 2022 |archive-date=8 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220708031507/https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2019/10/Qatar_Qatar-National-Development-Strategy.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=5 August 2008 |title=Real estate in Qatar – A growth story: The economic background |url=https://www.euromoney.com/article/b13229k7c79lqn/real-estate-in-qatar-a-growth-story-the-economic-background |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=Euromoney |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120152306/https://www.euromoney.com/article/b13229k7c79lqn/real-estate-in-qatar-a-growth-story-the-economic-background |url-status=live }}</ref> The basis of this growth lay in the exploitation of natural gas in the North Field during the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oil and Gas Sector |url=https://bern.embassy.qa/en/qatar/economy-today/oil-and-gas-sector |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=bern.embassy.qa}}</ref> At the same time, the population tripled between 2001 and 2011, mostly from an influx of foreigners.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 January 2013 |title=Qatar's delicate balancing act |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21029018 |access-date=20 November 2022 |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120152304/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-21029018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, Qatar served as the United States Central Command headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the invasion of Iraq to topple the government of Saddam Hussein.<ref>{{cite web |title=Qatar (01/10) |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320133756/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm |archive-date=20 March 2021 |access-date=28 March 2010 |publisher=State.gov}}</ref> Shortly before the invasion, Qatari government offered sanctuary to Saddam.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Recknagel |first=Charles |date=9 April 2008 |title=Iraq: Hussein Unlikely To Welcome Asylum Offers As Solution To Crisis |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1101858.html |access-date=12 May 2025 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref> In March 2005, a suicide bombing killed a British teacher<ref>{{cite news |title=Last respects paid to teacher killed by bomb |work=Dorset Echo |url=https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5355478.last-respects-paid-to-teacher-killed-by-bomb/ |access-date=20 April 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806152010/https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/5355478.last-respects-paid-to-teacher-killed-by-bomb/ |url-status=live}}</ref> at the Doha Players Theatre, shocking the country, which had not previously experienced acts of terrorism. The bombing was carried out by Omar Ahmed Abdullah Ali, an Egyptian resident in Qatar who had suspected ties to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.<ref>{{cite news |author=Coman, Julian |date=21 March 2005 |title=Egyptian Suicide Bomber Blamed for Attack in Qatar |work=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Analytica |first=Oxford |date=25 March 2005 |title=The Advent of Terrorism in Qatar |work=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/2005/03/25/cz_0325oxan_qatarattack.html |access-date=10 September 2017 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330181755/https://www.forbes.com/2005/03/25/cz_0325oxan_qatarattack.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The increased influence of Qatar and its role during the Arab Spring, especially during the 2011 uprisings in Bahrain against King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, worsened longstanding tensions with Saudi Arabia, the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petrović |first=Nikola |date=3 September 2021 |title=Relations in the MENA region: Saudi Arabia and Qatar – CeGIT : Analysis |url=https://cegit.org/relations-in-the-mena-region-saudi-arabia-and-qatar/ |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=CeGIT |language=sr-RS}}</ref> In 2011, Qatar joined NATO operations in Libya and reportedly armed Libyan opposition groups against Muammar Gaddafi.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 June 2012 |title=Qatar Timeline |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702609 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330171032/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702609 |archive-date=30 March 2019 |access-date=7 January 2013 |work=BBC News}}</ref> It was also a major funder of weapons for rebel groups in the Syrian civil war against Bashar al-Assad.<ref name="ft-20130516">{{cite news |author1=Roula Khalaf |author2=Abigail Fielding Smith |name-list-style=amp |date=16 May 2013 |title=Qatar bankrolls Syrian revolt with cash and arms |url=https://www.ft.com/content/86e3f28e-be3a-11e2-bb35-00144feab7de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607043508/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/86e3f28e-be3a-11e2-bb35-00144feab7de.html |archive-date=7 June 2013 |access-date=3 June 2013 |newspaper=Financial Times}}</ref> Qatar participated in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.<ref>"{{cite web |date=27 March 2015 |title=Saudi-led coalition strikes rebels in Yemen, inflaming tensions in region |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/26/middleeast/yemen-saudi-arabia-airstrikes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116051636/http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/26/middleeast/yemen-saudi-arabia-airstrikes/ |archive-date=16 November 2017 |access-date=28 May 2015 |work=CNN}}</ref>

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen broke diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism.<ref>{{cite news |date=5 June 2017 |title=Six nations cut diplomatic ties to Qatar as Arab rift deepens |url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/six-nations-cut-diplomatic-ties-to-qatar-as-arab-rift-deepens.aspx?pageID=238&nID=113926&NewsCatID=352 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010092140/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/six-nations-cut-diplomatic-ties-to-qatar-as-arab-rift-deepens.aspx?pageID=238&nID=113926&NewsCatID=352 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |access-date=5 June 2017 |publisher=Hurriyet Daily News}}</ref> The crisis escalated a dispute over Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is considered a terrorist organisation by some Arab nations,<ref name="guard">{{cite news |date=5 June 2017 |title=Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain break diplomatic ties with Qatar over 'terrorism' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/05/saudi-arabia-and-bahrain-break-diplomatic-ties-with-qatar-over-terrorism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605042514/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/05/saudi-arabia-and-bahrain-break-diplomatic-ties-with-qatar-over-terrorism |archive-date=5 June 2017 |access-date=5 June 2017 |newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> as well as over its ties with Iran. Qatar was expelled from the anti-Houthi coalition. The crisis lead to a strengthening of Qatar's relationship with Iran, which provided significant material and political support, rather than its weakening.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-06-23|title=Iran sends 1,100 tonnes of food to Qatar daily — report|url=http://jordantimes.com/news/region/iran-sends-1100-tonnes-food-qatar-daily-%E2%80%94-report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170717112058/http://jordantimes.com/news/region/iran-sends-1100-tonnes-food-qatar-daily-%E2%80%94-report|archive-date=2017-07-17|access-date=2025-11-10|work=Jordan Times|language=en|agency=Agence France-Presse|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/06/iran-hassan-rouhani-condemns-siege-qatar-170625174347048.html|title=Iran: Hassan Rouhani condemns 'siege of Qatar'|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=25 June 2017|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-gulf-qatar-iran/qatar-says-its-ambassador-to-return-to-iran-foreign-ministry-idUSKCN1B32J6|title=Qatar says its ambassador to return to Iran: foreign ministry|publisher=Reuters|date=23 August 2017|access-date=2 September 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://en.mehrnews.com/news/137124/Iran-willing-to-deepen-ties-with-Qatar-Rouhani|title='Iran willing to deepen ties with Qatar': Rouhani|date=26 August 2018}}</ref> The diplomatic crisis ended in January 2021 with the signing of the al-Ula declaration.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 2021 |title=Qatar appoints first ambassador to Saudi Arabia Since Rift |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/11/qatar-appoints-first-ambassador-to-saudi-arabia-since-rift |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909093739/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/11/qatar-appoints-first-ambassador-to-saudi-arabia-since-rift |archive-date=9 September 2021 |access-date=9 September 2021 |publisher=Al Jazeera}}</ref> Qatar did not fulfil any of the original 13 demands, with analysts saying that the Gulf states agreed instead to a vague "joint security declaration".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Saudi ends blockade but Qatar gives up little |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/qatar-saudi-arabia-gulf-arab-b1782751.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108041533/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/qatar-saudi-arabia-gulf-arab-b1782751.html |archive-date=2021-01-08 |access-date=2026-03-11 |work=The Independent |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 2 December 2010, Qatar won the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first country in the Middle East to be selected to host the tournament. The awarding increased further investment and developments within the nation during the 2010s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Reilly |first=Damian |date=9 December 2010 |title=Doha to overtake Dubai? |url=https://www.arabianbusiness.com/opinion/doha-overtake-dubai-366581 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220201935/https://www.arabianbusiness.com/opinion/doha-overtake-dubai-366581 |archive-date=20 December 2022 |access-date=24 December 2022 |work=Arabian Business}}</ref> In June 2013, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani became the emir of Qatar after his father handed over power.<ref>{{cite news |last=Nordland |first=Rod |date=24 June 2013 |title=In Surprise, Emir of Qatar Plans to Abdicate, Handing Power to Son |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/world/middleeast/qatar-transfer-of-power.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170337/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/25/world/middleeast/qatar-transfer-of-power.html |archive-date=30 March 2019 |access-date=26 June 2013 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> Sheikh Tamim has prioritised improving the domestic welfare of citizens, which includes establishing advanced healthcare and education systems, and expanding the country's infrastructure in preparation for the hosting of the 2022 World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |date=20 June 2014 |title=The World factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709105408/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/ |archive-date=9 July 2021 |access-date=20 June 2014 |publisher=CIA.Gov}}</ref> Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup from 21 November to 18 December, becoming the first Arab and Muslim-majority country to do so, and the third Asian country to host it following the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rhys |first=Paul |title=Blatter reaches out to Arabia |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/sport/2010/04/2010424184010305993.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119153740/https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2010/4/24/blatter-reaches-out-to-arabia |archive-date=19 January 2021 |access-date=30 December 2013 |work=Aljazeera}}</ref>

==Geography== {{main|Geography of Qatar}}

{{Multiple image |total_width=400 | align = right | direction = horizontal | width = | image1 = Desert Coast (6996854733).jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = Desert coast | image2 = Arabian oryx (oryx leucoryx).jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = Arabian oryx, the national animal of Qatar }} thumb|Qatar was the fifth most water-stressed country in the world in 2022. The Qatari peninsula protrudes {{convert|100|mi|km|sigfig=2|order=flip}} into the Persian Gulf, north of Saudi Arabia. It lies between latitudes 24° and 27° N, and longitudes 50° and 52° E. Most of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the Khor al Adaid ("Inland Sea"), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Persian Gulf.

The highest point is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at {{convert|103|m|ft}}<ref name="CIA">{{cite web | title = Qatar | url = https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/ | publisher = Central Intelligence Agency | work = CIA World Factbook | date = 8 February 2012 | access-date = 4 March 2012 | archive-date = 9 July 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210709105408/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcroppings running north–south from Zekreet through Umm Bab to the southern border.<ref name=":1">Anthony, John Duke, Crystal, Jill Ann, Zeidan, Adam. "Qatar". ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 31 March 2025, https://www.britannica.com/place/Qatar. Accessed 2 April 2025</ref> The Jebel Dukhan area also contains Qatar's main onshore oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.<ref name=":1" />

Qatar's geography is defined by its flat, dry desert scenery and sunshine all year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar's climate {{!}} Weather & climate guide |url=https://visitqatar.com/intl-en/about-qatar/climate |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=visitqatar.com |language=en}}</ref> The winters are mild, with average temperatures of {{convert|18.5|C}} in January, and the summers are very hot, with temperatures often reaching {{convert|40|C}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar climate: average weather, temperature, rain – Climates to Travel |url=https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/qatar |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=www.climatestotravel.com}}</ref> The country only gets {{convert|70|mm}} of rain a year on average, and most of that falls between October and March. These weather conditions make it possible to enjoy outdoor sports and travel for most of the year.<ref name="MOFA">{{cite web | url=https://mofa.gov.qa/en/state-of-qatar/Key-Facts-and-Information/general-information | title=General Information }}</ref>

===Biodiversity=== {{See also|Wildlife of Qatar|Natural areas of Qatar}}

Qatar became part of the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbd.int/convention/parties/list/|title=List of Parties|publisher=Convention on Biological Diversity|access-date=8 December 2012|archive-date=24 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124005746/http://www.cbd.int/convention/parties/list/|url-status=live}}</ref> It subsequently produced a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbd.int/doc/world/qa/qa-nbsap-01-en.pdf|title=National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan. State of Qatar|location=Doha, Qatar|publisher=Convention on Biological Diversity|access-date=9 December 2012|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225081930/https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/qa/qa-nbsap-01-en.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> A total of 142 fungal species have been recorded from Qatar.<ref>{{cite book|author=A. H. Moubasher|title=Soil Fungi in Qatar and Other Arab Countries|year=1993|publisher=Centre for Scientific and Applied Research, University of Qatar|isbn=978-99921-21-02-3}}</ref> A book recently produced by the Ministry of Environment documents the lizards known or believed to occur in Qatar, based on surveys conducted by an international team of scientists and other collaborators.<ref>{{cite book|author=Aurora M Castilla|display-authors=etal|url=http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/The_Lizards_Living_in_Qatar_2014.pdf|title=The Lizards Living in Qatar|edition=1st|location=Doha, Qatar|publisher=Green Solutions|date=5 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708101506/http://www.biology.ucr.edu/people/faculty/Garland/The_Lizards_Living_in_Qatar_2014.pdf|archive-date=8 July 2014|url-status=dead|editor=Ahmad Amer Mohamed Al Hemaidi|display-editors=etal}}</ref>

Like other members of the UNFCCC, Qatar is supposed to publish details of its greenhouse gas emissions two years after they occur – however as of 2024 the latest official details are for 2007 emissions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nations Are Undercounting Emissions, Putting UN Goals at Risk |url=https://e360.yale.edu/features/undercounted-emissions-un-climate-change |access-date=1 December 2024 |website=Yale E360 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=GHG Profiles – Non-Annex I |url=https://di.unfccc.int/ghg_profile_non_annex1?_gl=1*wtpzae*_ga*MjMxNTQyNjI2LjE3MzMwNzQ2NTg.*_ga_7ZZWT14N79*MTczMzA3NDY1OC4xLjAuMTczMzA3NDY2MS4wLjAuMA.. |access-date=1 December 2024 |website=di.unfccc.int}}</ref> According to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research, carbon dioxide emissions per person average over 30 tonnes, one of the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9d09ccd1-e0dd-11e9-9c4e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en |title=Fossil CO2 and GHG emissions of all world countries : 2019 report. |date=26 September 2019 |website=op.europa.eu |publisher=Publications Office of the European Union |isbn=9789276111009 |access-date=20 May 2020 |archive-date=8 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908142704/https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/9d09ccd1-e0dd-11e9-9c4e-01aa75ed71a1/language-en |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Climate=== {{See also|Climate change in the Middle East and North Africa}} {{Weather box |location = Qatar |metric first = Y |single line = Y |Jan high C = 22 |Feb high C = 23 |Mar high C = 27 |Apr high C = 33 |May high C = 39 |Jun high C = 42 |Jul high C = 42 |Aug high C = 42 |Sep high C = 39 |Oct high C = 35 |Nov high C = 30 |Dec high C = 25 |Jan low C = 14 |Feb low C = 15 |Mar low C = 17 |Apr low C = 21 |May low C = 27 |Jun low C = 29 |Jul low C = 31 |Aug low C = 31 |Sep low C = 29 |Oct low C = 25 |Nov low C = 21 |Dec low C = 16 |Jan precipitation mm = 12.7 |Feb precipitation mm = 17.8 |Mar precipitation mm = 15.2 |Apr precipitation mm = 7.6 |May precipitation mm = 2.5 |Jun precipitation mm = 0 |Jul precipitation mm = 0 |Aug precipitation mm = 0 |Sep precipitation mm = 0 |Oct precipitation mm = 0 |Nov precipitation mm = 2.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 12.7 |source 1 = {{cite web |url=http://us.worldweatheronline.com/doha-weather-averages/ad-dawhah/qa.aspx |title=Doha Annual Weather Averages |website=World Weather Online |access-date=24 December 2022}} |date=Jan 2016 }} {|style="width:100%;text-align:center;line-height:1.2em;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto" class="wikitable" |- !Colspan=14|Sea Climate Data For Doha |- !Month !Jan !Feb !Mar !Apr !May !Jun !Jul !Aug !Sep !Oct !Nov !Dec !style="border-left-width:medium"|Year |- !Average sea temperature °C (°F) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|21.0}}"|21.0 (69.8) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|19.4}}"|19.4 (66.9) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|20.9}}"|20.9 (69.6) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|23.3}}"|23.3 (73.9) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|27.8}}"|27.8 (82) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|30.5}}"|30.5 (86.9) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|32.4}}"|32.4 (90.3) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|33.6}}"|33.6 (92.5) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|32.8}}"|32.8 (91) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|30.8}}"|30.8 (87.4) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|27.5}}"|27.5 (81.5) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|23.5}}"|23.5 (74.3) | style="{{Weather box/colsea|26.9}}"|26.9 (80.5) |- !Colspan=14 style="background:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-size:100%;"|Source:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.seatemperature.org/middle-east/qatar/doha-march.htm/ | title=Doha Sea Temperature | access-date=8 August 2021 | archive-date=8 August 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210808182927/https://www.seatemperature.org/middle-east/qatar/doha-march.htm | url-status=dead }}</ref> |}

==Politics== {{main|Politics of Qatar}}

{{multiple image | caption_align = center | image1 = تميم بن حمد بن خليفة آل ثاني (49759678641) (cropped).jpg | width1 = 153 | caption1 = Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Emir since 2013 | image2 = Mohammed_bin_Abdulrahman_Al-Thani_of_Qatar_on_25_January_2024_-_2_(cropped).jpg | width2 = 140 | caption2 = Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani Prime Minister since 2023 }}

Qatar is officially a constitutional monarchy,<ref name=BBC9Sep05>BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3784765.stm ''How democratic is the Middle East?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211002901/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3784765.stm |date=11 February 2021 }}, 9 September 2005.</ref><ref name=USState2011>United States Department of State [https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186656.pdf Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011: Qatar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026090100/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186656.pdf |date=26 October 2020 }}, 2011.</ref> but the wide powers retained by the monarchy have it bordering an absolute monarchy<ref name=ftManage>{{cite news|last=Gardener|first=David|url=https://www.ft.com/content/2e141faa-dd82-11e2-a756-00144feab7de|title=Qatar shows how to manage a modern monarchy|newspaper=Financial Times|access-date=5 December 2016|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224183440/https://www.ft.com/content/2e141faa-dd82-11e2-a756-00144feab7de|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/qatar/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/index.aspx?lang=eng&pedisable=true|title=Embassy of Canada to the State of Qatar|date=|work=Government of Canada|access-date=4 February 2021|language=en|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225094525/https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/qatar/bilateral_relations_bilaterales/index.aspx?lang=eng&pedisable=true|url-status=live}}</ref> and autocracy<ref name=":2" /><ref name="MEPEI" /> ruled by the Al Thani family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3784765.stm|title=BBC NEWS – Middle East – How democratic is the Middle East?|website=news.bbc.co.uk|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-date=11 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211002901/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3784765.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186656.pdf |title=Documents |website=www.state.gov |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=26 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026090100/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/186656.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The Al Thani dynasty has been ruling Qatar since the family house was established in 1825.<ref name="CIA"/>

The eighth emir of Qatar is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.<ref name="New Emir BBC">{{cite news|title=Qatari emir Sheikh Hamad hands power to son Tamim|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23026870|access-date=25 June 2013|newspaper=BBC|date=25 June 2013|archive-date=25 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625005221/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23026870|url-status=live}}</ref> The emir has the exclusive power to appoint the prime minister and cabinet ministers who, together, constitute the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme executive authority in the country.<ref name="embassycouncil">{{cite web|title=Council of Ministers |url=http://www.qatarembassy.net/council.asp |publisher=Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC |access-date=4 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612090451/http://qatarembassy.net/council.asp |archive-date=12 June 2010 }}</ref> The Council of Ministers also initiates legislation.<ref name="embassycouncil"/>

[[File:View of Amiri Diwan from the corniche.jpg|thumb|Amiri Diwan of the State of Qatar, administrative office of the Emir|left]]

===Elections=== In 2003, Qatar adopted a constitution that provided for the direct election of 30 of the 45 members of a legislature.<ref name="CIA"/><ref name="Lambert2011a">{{cite journal|first=Jennifer|last=Lambert|year=2011|title=Political Reform in Qatar: Participation, Legitimacy and Security|url=http://mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/political-reform-qatar-participation-legitimacy-and-security?print|journal=Middle East Policy|volume=19|issue=1|access-date=9 January 2012|archive-date=16 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235840/http://mepc.org/journal/middle-east-policy-archives/political-reform-qatar-participation-legitimacy-and-security?print|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Reut20111101">{{cite news|title=Qatar to hold advisory council elections in 2013|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-qatar-election-idUKTRE7A01US20111101|date=1 November 2011|publisher=Reuters|work=Reuters (UK edition)|access-date=4 March 2012|archive-date=18 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118142354/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-qatar-election-idUKTRE7A01US20111101|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the legislature has limited powers to reject legislation and dismiss ministers. The government remains authoritarian.<ref name=":2">{{cite news |title=The objections to Qatar hosting the World Cup reek of Eurocentrism |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/2022-world-cup-qatar-time-fifa-came-arab-world-rcna57749 |agency=nbc |quote=In condemning Qatar, we should remember that the population of this authoritarian monarchy |access-date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122171942/https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/2022-world-cup-qatar-time-fifa-came-arab-world-rcna57749 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=MEPEI>{{cite web |title=Political Stability: the Mysterious Case of Qatar |url=https://mepei.com/political-stability-the-mysterious-case-of-qatar/ |website=Middle East Political and Economic Institute |quote=; the Qatari state remains fundamentally autocratic |access-date=22 November 2022 |archive-date=22 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122173513/https://mepei.com/political-stability-the-mysterious-case-of-qatar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The assembly held its first general election in October 2021 after several postponements,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thafer |first1=Dania |date=14 October 2021 |title=Qatar's first elected parliament may have more power than other Persian Gulf legislatures. Here's why. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/14/qatars-first-elected-parliament-may-have-more-power-than-other-persian-gulf-legislatures-heres-why/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123214801/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/14/qatars-first-elected-parliament-may-have-more-power-than-other-persian-gulf-legislatures-heres-why/ |archive-date=23 January 2022 |access-date=2 April 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatari elections: A PR stunt or a step toward democracy? {{!}} DW {{!}} 24 August 2021 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/qatari-elections-a-pr-stunt-or-a-step-toward-democracy/a-58970500 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210824193240/https://www.dw.com/en/qatari-elections-a-pr-stunt-or-a-step-toward-democracy/a-58970500 |archive-date=24 August 2021 |access-date=7 November 2021 |website=DW.COM |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=17 June 2016 |title=Legislative elections in Qatar postponed until at least 2019 |url=https://dohanews.co/legislative-elections-in-qatar-postponed-until-at-least-2019/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929231332/https://dohanews.co/legislative-elections-in-qatar-postponed-until-at-least-2019/ |archive-date=29 September 2017 |access-date=26 May 2017 |work=Doha News |language=en-US}}</ref> but in November 2024 it went back to being fully appointed by the emir, ending the country's "short-lived experiment in electing members of the advisory Shura Council".<ref name=":3" />

According to the 2025 Democracy Report of V-Dem Democracy indices, Qatar was second-last on the Electoral Democracy Index among Middle Eastern countries, and seventh-last worldwide from among the 179 countries rated.<ref name="vdem_dataset">{{cite web |last=V-Dem Institute |first=University of Gothenburg |date=2025 |title=Democracy Report 2025 |url=https://www.v-dem.net/documents/61/v-dem-dr__2025_lowres_v2.pdf |access-date=2025-10-28}}</ref> Qatari law does not permit the establishment of political bodies or trade unions.<ref name="kuwari">{{cite web|title=The People Want Reform… In Qatar, Too.|work=Jadaliyya|url=http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/8880/the-people-want-reform%E2%80%A6-in-qatar-too.|access-date=9 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010092159/http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/8880/the-people-want-reform%E2%80%A6-in-qatar-too.|archive-date=10 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Additionally, according to International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Qatar performs in the low range on overall democratic measures, with particular weaknesses in political representation, including credible elections, inclusive suffrage and effective parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/qatar |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>

===Law===

According to Qatar's Constitution, Sharia law is the main source of Qatari legislation,<ref name="con">{{cite web|title=The Permanent Constitution of the State of Qatar|url=http://www.almeezan.qa/LawArticles.aspx?LawArticleID=25754&LawId=2284&language=en|publisher=Government of Qatar|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006075128/http://www.almeezan.qa/LawArticles.aspx?LawArticleID=25754&LawId=2284&language=en|archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref><ref name=qat1>{{cite web|title=Constitution of Qatar|url=http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=9626|quote=According to Article 1: Qatar is an independent Arab country. Islam is its religion and Sharia law is the main source of its legislation.|access-date=23 September 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006153437/http://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/details.jsp?id=9626|url-status=live}}</ref> although in practice Qatar's legal system is a mixture of civil law and Sharia.<ref>{{cite web|title=The World Factbook|date=27 September 2021|publisher=U.S. Central Intelligence Agency|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709105408/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/171743.pdf|title=Qatar|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=21 May 2019|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808004909/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/171743.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Sharia is applied to family law, inheritance, and several criminal acts (including adultery, robbery, and murder). In some cases, Sharia-based family courts treat a female's testimony as being worth half that of a man.<ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar Gender Equality Profile|url=http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/Qatar-Gender-Eqaulity-Profile-2011.pdf|publisher=UNICEF|access-date=20 February 2013|archive-date=29 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629121154/http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/Qatar-Gender-Eqaulity-Profile-2011.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Codified family law was introduced in 2006. Islamic polygyny is permitted.<ref name=nobs/>

Judicial corporal punishment is a punishment in Qatar. Only Muslims considered medically fit are liable to have such sentences carried out. Flogging is employed as a punishment for alcohol consumption or illicit sexual relations.<ref name="amne">{{cite web |title=Qatar |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/qatar/report-2012#section-27-6 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312142217/https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/qatar/report-2012 |archive-date=12 March 2014 |access-date=19 March 2014 |work=Amnesty International Annual Report 2012 |publisher=Amnesty International}}</ref> Article 88 of the criminal code declares that the penalty for adultery is 100 lashes.<ref name="flog">{{Cite web |date=30 June 2006 |title=Filipino woman gets 100 lashes for giving birth in Qatar |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/9758/news/nation/filipino-woman-gets-100-lashes-for-giving-birth-in-qatar/ |website=GMA News Online |access-date=14 June 2022 |archive-date=1 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201122638/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/9758/news/nation/filipino-woman-gets-100-lashes-for-giving-birth-in-qatar |url-status=live }}</ref> Stoning is a legal punishment in Qatar,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/special-report-the-punishment-was-death-by-stoning-the-crime-having-a-mobile-phone-8846585.html|title=Special report: The punishment was death by stoning. The crime? Having|date=28 September 2013|website=The Independent|access-date=10 September 2017|archive-date=6 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006003044/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/special-report-the-punishment-was-death-by-stoning-the-crime-having-a-mobile-phone-8846585.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and apostasy and homosexuality are crimes punishable by the death penalty; however, the penalty has not been carried out for either crime.<ref name="iheu">{{cite news|author=Jenifer Fenton|url=http://iheu.org/religious-law-prison-for-blasphemy-severe-sexual-inequalilty-qatars-human-rights-review/|title=Religious law, prison for "blasphemy", severe sexual inequalilty: Qatar's human rights review|access-date=1 November 2014|archive-date=18 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318210908/http://iheu.org/religious-law-prison-for-blasphemy-severe-sexual-inequalilty-qatars-human-rights-review/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unitedexplanations.org/english/2014/05/20/what-are-the-worst-countries-in-the-world-to-be-gay/|title=United Explanations – What are the worst countries in the world to be gay?|date=20 May 2014|access-date=14 June 2022|archive-date=18 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518042443/https://unitedexplanations.org/english/2014/05/20/what-are-the-worst-countries-in-the-world-to-be-gay/|url-status=live}}</ref> Blasphemy can result in up to seven years in prison, while proselytising can incur a 10-year sentence.<ref name="iheu" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.onlineqatar.com/living/laws-and-regulations/general-laws-and-regulations-in-doha-qatar|title=General Laws and Regulations in Qatar|publisher=OnlineQatar|author=Davies Krish|date=9 April 2019|access-date=9 April 2019|archive-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327203657/http://www.onlineqatar.com/living/laws-and-regulations/general-laws-and-regulations-in-doha-qatar|url-status=live}}</ref>

Alcohol consumption is partially legal; some five-star luxury hotels are allowed to sell alcohol to non-Muslim customers.<ref name="wsj20120107">{{cite news |author=Alex Delmar-Morgan |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203686204577115923124889872 |title=Qatar, Unveiling Tensions, Suspends Sale of Alcohol |work=The Wall Street Journal |date=7 January 2012 |access-date=17 January 2012 |archive-date=19 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119015821/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203686204577115923124889872 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="arabist20120115">{{cite news |author=Jenifer Fenton |url=http://www.arabist.net/blog/2012/1/15/qatars-impromptu-alcohol-ban.html |title=Qatar's Impromptu Alcohol Ban |publisher=The Arabist |date=16 January 2012 |access-date=17 January 2012 |archive-date=17 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117011856/http://www.arabist.net/blog/2012/1/15/qatars-impromptu-alcohol-ban.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol, and those caught consuming it are liable to flogging or deportation. Non-Muslim expatriates can obtain a permit to purchase alcohol for personal consumption. The Qatar Distribution Company (a subsidiary of Qatar Airways) is permitted to import alcohol and pork; it operates the only liquor store in the country, which also sells pork to holders of liquor licences.<ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar Distribution Company|url=http://www.qatarloving.com/qatar-distribution-company|publisher=Qatar Loving|access-date=5 August 2015|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224170401/https://www.qatarloving.com/qatar-distribution-company|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=414&pID=1053 |title=Purchasing Alcohol in Qatar |publisher=Qatar Visitor |date=2 June 2007 |access-date=1 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501044507/http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=414&pID=1053 |archive-date=1 May 2011 }}</ref> Qatari officials had indicated a willingness to allow alcohol in "fan zones" at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.<ref>{{cite news |title=Qatar would 'welcome' Israel in 2022 |first=Tamara |last=Walid |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/qatar-would-welcome-israel-in-2022-1.501700/ |newspaper=The National |date=11 November 2009 |access-date=10 August 2013 |archive-date=31 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531214338/http://www.thenational.ae/sport/football/qatar-would-welcome-israel-in-2022 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, on 18 November, two days before the start of the games, Qatari officials announced alcoholic beverages would not be permitted within the stadiums.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=What To Know About Drinking Alcohol at the Qatar World Cup |url=https://time.com/6235017/qatar-bans-alcohol-world-cup-stadiums/ |access-date=18 November 2022 |magazine=Time |language=en |archive-date=18 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118122110/https://time.com/6235017/qatar-bans-alcohol-world-cup-stadiums/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2014, a modesty campaign was launched to remind tourists of the country's restrictive dress code.<ref name="'Leggings Are Not Pants' Qatar's New Modesty Campaign Aimed At Westerners">{{cite news|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|title='Leggings Are Not Pants' Qatar's New Modesty Campaign Aimed At Westerners'|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/28/qatar-modesty-world-cup_n_5405054.html|newspaper=Huffington Post|date=28 May 2014|access-date=21 August 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006094853/http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/05/28/qatar-modesty-world-cup_n_5405054.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Female tourists were advised not to wear leggings, miniskirts, sleeveless dresses, or short or tight clothing in public. Men were warned against wearing shorts and singlets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2014/05/29/240581035/Qatar-Bans-Tourists-from-Wearing-Leggings-in-Public |title=Qatar Bans Tourists from Wearing Leggings in Public |author=Aningtias Jatmika |date=29 May 2014 |access-date=29 May 2014 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006073951/http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2014/05/29/240581035/Qatar-Bans-Tourists-from-Wearing-Leggings-in-Public |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions=== {{main|Municipalities of Qatar}}

Qatar is divided into eight municipalities:<ref>{{cite web| title = Qatar Municipalities| publisher = Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment| url = http://www.mme.gov.qa/cui/view.dox?id=585&siteID=2| access-date = 8 August 2017| archive-date = 15 February 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200215073034/http://www.mme.gov.qa/cui/view.dox?id=585&siteID=2| url-status = dead}}</ref> The municipalities are further subdivided into 98 zones,<ref name="2015census">{{cite web|url=http://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/knowledge/Publications/Population/Population2015.pdf|title=2015 Population census|publisher=Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics|date=April 2015|access-date=8 August 2017|archive-date=17 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717042254/http://www.mdps.gov.qa/en/knowledge/Publications/Population/Population2015.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> which are in turn subdivided into blocks.<ref>{{cite web|title = Population By Gender, Municipality And Zone, March 2004|url = http://www.planning.gov.qa/Qatar-Census-2004/pubulation-eng/Tabels/Pubulation/T02.htm|publisher = General Secretariat for Development Planning|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061212202517/http://www.planning.gov.qa/Qatar-Census-2004/pubulation-eng/Tabels/Pubulation/T02.htm|archive-date = 12 December 2006}}</ref>

thumb|right|285px|Municipalities of Qatar as of 2014 {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Key !! Municipality (Baladiyah) !! Capital |- | 1 || Al Shamal || Madinat ash Shamal |- | 2 || Al Khor || Al Khor City |- | 3 || Al-Shahaniya || Al-Shahaniya City |- | 4 || Umm Salal || Umm Salal Ali |- | 5 || Al Daayen || Umm Qarn |- | 6 || Doha (municipality) || Doha |- | 7 || Al Rayyan || Al Rayyan City |- | 8 || Al Wakrah || Al Wakrah |}

===Foreign relations=== {{main|Foreign relations of Qatar}}

[[File:Donald Trump state visit to Qatar, 2025-05-14 P20250514DT-2130.jpg|thumb|right|Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and US President Donald Trump in Lusail, Qatar, during Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East, May 2025]]Qatar's international profile and active role in international affairs have led some analysts to identify it as a middle power. Regional relations and foreign policies are characterised by the strategy of balancing and alliance building among regional and great powers. It maintains independent foreign policy and engages in regional balancing to secure its strategic priorities and to have recognition on the regional and international level.<ref name="Boghardt">{{cite magazine |last1=Boghardt |first1=Lori Plotkin |date=6 October 2014 |title=Qatar Is a U.S. Ally. They Also Knowingly Abet Terrorism. What's Going On? |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/119705/why-does-qatar-support-known-terrorists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914045206/https://newrepublic.com/article/119705/why-does-qatar-support-known-terrorists |archive-date=14 September 2021 |access-date=7 October 2014 |magazine=New Republic |quote=Two overarching goals have driven Qatari policy. One has been to maximize Qatar's influence on the regional and international stage. This originally reflected the personal ambition of the former ruler and current emir's father, Shaykh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, and his foreign minister and eventually prime minister, Shaykh Hamad bin Jassim al Thani. The two men directed foreign policy until the father abdicated in favor of his son, Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, in July 2013. The second objective has been to preserve the security of the ruling family and state.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 April 2021 |title=Qatar's Regional Relations and Foreign Policy After Al Ula |url=https://agsiw.org/qatars-regional-relations-and-foreign-policy-after-al-ula/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909030241/https://agsiw.org/qatars-regional-relations-and-foreign-policy-after-al-ula/ |archive-date=9 September 2021 |access-date=9 September 2021 |publisher=The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=David D. |last2=Barnard |first2=Anne |date=7 June 2017 |title=Terrorist Attacks Pour Gas on Saudi- Iranian Rivalry and Gulf Tensions |url=https://www.academia.edu/33408516 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727235532/http://www.academia.edu/33408516/Terrorist_Attacks_Pour_Gas_on_Saudi-_Iranian_Rivalry_and_Gulf_Tensions |archive-date=27 July 2017 |access-date=11 June 2017 |work=Eurasia Diary}}</ref> As a comparatively small state in the gulf, Qatar established an "open-door" foreign policy where Qatar maintains ties to all parties and regional players in the region.<ref>{{cite web |date=16 July 2017 |title=Qatar Opens Its Doors to All, to the Dismay of Some |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/world/middleeast/doha-qatar-blockade.html?_r=0&module=inline |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909030247/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/world/middleeast/doha-qatar-blockade.html?_r=0&module=inline |archive-date=9 September 2021 |access-date=9 September 2021 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Diplomatic missions to Qatar are based in its capital, Doha.

Since 2022, it has been a major non-NATO ally of the United States.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shear |first1=Michael D. |author-link=Michael D. Shear |date=31 January 2022 |title=Biden Designates Qatar as a Major Non-NATO Ally |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/biden-qatar-nato.html |access-date=14 February 2022 |archive-date=16 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316091302/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/31/us/politics/biden-qatar-nato.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar also has particularly strong ties with France,<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 November 2022 |title=Qatar and France: 50 years of advantageous friendship |newspaper=Le Monde.fr |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2022/11/19/qatar-and-france-fifty-years-of-advantageous-friendship_6004912_117.html |via=Le Monde |access-date=28 December 2022 |archive-date=28 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228032259/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2022/11/19/qatar-and-france-fifty-years-of-advantageous-friendship_6004912_117.html |url-status=live}}</ref> China,<ref>{{cite news |date=11 July 2018 |title=Qatar, China enjoy strong ties based on respect |language=ar |work=Gulf-Times |url=https://www.gulf-times.com/story/599134/Qatar-China-enjoy-strong-ties-based-on-respect |access-date=23 August 2018 |archive-date=12 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112201309/https://www.gulf-times.com/story/599134/Qatar-China-enjoy-strong-ties-based-on-respect |url-status=live}}</ref> Iran,<ref>{{cite web |date=25 February 2010 |title=Qatar and Saudi Arabia sign defense agreement |url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=214868 |access-date=2 October 2010 |publisher=Tehrantimes.com |archive-date=8 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408010300/http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=214868 |url-status=live }}</ref> Turkey,<ref>{{cite web |date=21 January 2021 |title=How Qatar and Turkey came together |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/01/21/how-qatar-and-turkey-came-together |publisher=The Economist |access-date=9 September 2021 |archive-date=9 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210909093739/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/01/21/how-qatar-and-turkey-came-together |url-status=live }}</ref> as well as a number of Islamist movements in the Middle East such as the Muslim Brotherhood.<ref name="nyt20130630">{{cite news |author1=Mark Mazzetti |author2=C.J. Chivers |author3=Eric Schmitt |date=30 June 2013 |title=Taking Outsize Role in Syria, Qatar Funnels Arms to Rebels |newspaper=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/world/middleeast/sending-missiles-to-syrian-rebels-qatar-muscles-in.html |access-date=21 January 2014 |archive-date=30 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430100859/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/30/world/middleeast/sending-missiles-to-syrian-rebels-qatar-muscles-in.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Boghardt" /><ref>{{cite news |author=Jay Solomon |date=10 October 2014 |title=U.S.-Qatar Alliance Strains Coalition Against Islamic State |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> The country is an early member of OPEC and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as a member of the Arab League.<ref name="CIA" /> The country has led numerous investments and economic cooperations with Iraq, Syria and Palestine.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2025 |title=Qatar's funding of Syrian salaries: A strategic move in regional politics – analysis |url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-853231 |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en |issn=0792-822X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Building Bridges: Qatar's Strategic Investments in Iraq |url=https://mecouncil.org/publication/building-bridges-qatars-strategic-investments-in-iraq/ |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=Middle East Council on Global Affairs |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar deal expected to boost Palestinian trade – AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012 |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2018/12/qatar-palestine-aid-economic-support-cooperation-agreement.html |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=www.al-monitor.com |language=en}}</ref> Qatar supported opposition groups in Libya and Syria and participated in Saudi-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Libyan Civil War: Qatar Involvement |url=https://greydynamics.com/libyan-civil-war-qatar-involvement/ |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=Grey Dynamics |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=26 March 2015 |title=Houthis reject Doha peace talks – Yemen {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/houthis-reject-doha-peace-talks |access-date=12 May 2025 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Cafiero |first=Giorgio |date=21 December 2024 |title=Qatar's position in post-Assad Syria : Peoples Dispatch |url=https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/12/21/qatars-position-in-post-assad-syria/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209083331/https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/12/21/qatars-position-in-post-assad-syria/ |archive-date=9 February 2025 |access-date=12 May 2025 |work=Peoples Dispatch |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, four people were arrested because of corruption. This came to be known as the Qatar corruption scandal at the European Parliament.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-63941509 |title=EU corruption scandal puts democracy under attack – European Parliament head |publisher=BBC News |date=12 December 2022 }}</ref>

Since the 2000s, Qatar increasingly emerged on a wider foreign policy stage especially as a mediator for Middle Eastern conflicts.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barakat |first=Sultan |date=July 2012 |title=The Qatari Spring: Qatar's emerging role in peacemaking |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/35432932.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127014846/https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/35432932.pdf |archive-date=27 November 2022 |access-date=24 December 2022}}</ref> Qatar mediated between the rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas in 2006 and helped unite Lebanese leaders into forming a political agreement during the 2008 crisis.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 May 2008 |title=Qatar pulls off mediation coup in Lebanon crisis |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-lebanon-qatar-analysis-idUKL2274043520080522 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120152304/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-lebanon-qatar-analysis-idUKL2274043520080522 |archive-date=20 November 2022 |access-date=20 November 2022 |work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Myre |first=Greg |date=10 October 2006 |title=Qatar Emerges as a Mediator Between Fatah and Hamas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/world/middleeast/10mideast.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120152304/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/world/middleeast/10mideast.html |archive-date=20 November 2022 |access-date=20 November 2022 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It has also emerged as mediators in African and Asian affairs, notably holding a peace process for Sudan amid the Darfur conflict and facilitating peace talks for Afghanistan, setting up a political "office" for Taliban to facilitate talks.<ref>{{cite web |last=Reeves |first=Eric |date=9 February 2009 |title=The Qatar "Peace Process": Less Than Meets the Eye |url=https://sudantribune.com/article30017/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123003550/https://sudantribune.com/article30017/ |archive-date=23 November 2022 |access-date=24 December 2022 |work=Sudan Tribune}}</ref> Ahmed Rashid, writing in the ''Financial Times'', stated that through the office Qatar has "facilitated meetings between the Taliban and many countries and organisations, including the U.S state department, the UN, Japan, several European governments and non-governmental organisations, all of whom have been trying to push forward the idea of peace talks."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rashid |first1=Ahmed |date=4 October 2017 |title=Why closing the Taliban's Qatar office would be an error |url=https://www.ft.com/content/7bcd4e5e-a832-11e7-ab66-21cc87a2edde |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210821221457/https://www.ft.com/content/7bcd4e5e-a832-11e7-ab66-21cc87a2edde |archive-date=21 August 2021 |access-date=30 October 2017 |newspaper=Financial Times}}</ref> It played a major role in establishing the first ceasefire in the Gaza war and the concurrent initial hostage exchange. These high-risk diplomatic middle man endeavours (and its own rigorous defence stance) have thus earned it a reputation as "a prickly Switzerland".<ref>{{cite web |last=Kalin |first=Stephen |date=25 November 2023 |title=Gaza Diplomacy Cements Qatar's Global Mediator Role |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-diplomacy-cements-qatars-global-mediator-role-29e0ffb7 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205160405/https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/gaza-diplomacy-cements-qatars-global-mediator-role-29e0ffb7 |archive-date=5 December 2023 |access-date=7 December 2023 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref>

On 2 October 2020, Qatari authorities strip-searched 13 Australian women on a plane at Hamad International Airport over a premature baby found in a bathroom at the terminal. This caused an international incident with Australia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carla Mascarenhas |date=26 May 2023 |title='Terrified, humiliated': Invasive strip search lawsuit against Qatar Airlines gains momentum |url=http://www.news.com.au/travel/terrified-humiliated-invasive-strip-search-lawsuit-against-qatar-airlines-gains-momentum/news-story/c1c1fb598202cdb5bcb10ac5976d822e |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525214403/https://www.news.com.au/travel/terrified-humiliated-invasive-strip-search-lawsuit-against-qatar-airlines-gains-momentum/news-story/c1c1fb598202cdb5bcb10ac5976d822e |archive-date=25 May 2023 |access-date=19 October 2023 |work=news.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Victoria Pengilly |author2=Jack Snape |author3=Riley Stuart |date=26 October 2020 |title=Qatar airport incident in which women were invasively searched reported to Australian Federal Police |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-26/qatar-airport-baby-women-invasive-search/12812364 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906090154/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-26/qatar-airport-baby-women-invasive-search/12812364 |archive-date=6 September 2023 |access-date=6 September 2023 |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation}}</ref> In September 2023, Qatar mediated the US-Iran prisoners swap deal. Iran freed five Americans in exchange for five Iranians held in the US and transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 September 2023 |title=Five Americans head home in $6bn US-Iran prisoner swap deal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/18/five-americans-fly-out-of-iran-in-6bn-oil-money-prisoner-swap |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231008231244/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/18/five-americans-fly-out-of-iran-in-6bn-oil-money-prisoner-swap |archive-date=8 October 2023 |access-date=10 October 2023 |website=TheGuardian.com}}</ref> In October 2023 United States President Joe Biden thanked the Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for his help in mediating a landmark prisoner swap deal with Iran.<ref>{{cite web |date=3 October 2023 |title=Biden thanks Qatar's emir for mediation in freeing Americans from Iran |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-thanks-qatars-emir-mediation-freeing-americans-iran-amiri-diwan-2023-10-03/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009075900/https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-thanks-qatars-emir-mediation-freeing-americans-iran-amiri-diwan-2023-10-03/ |archive-date=9 October 2023 |access-date=10 October 2023 |website=Reuters}}</ref> On 24 September 2024, Qatar was designated as the first Gulf country to join the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), allowing its citizens to travel to the United States for up to 90 days for business or tourism without a visa. The inclusion strengthens security cooperation between the two nations and eases travel for Qatari citizens. U.S. citizens are now permitted to stay in Qatar for up to 90 days without a visa, an increase from the previous 30-day limit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=missionqa |date=24 September 2024 |title=Designation of Qatar into the Visa Waiver Program |url=https://qa.usembassy.gov/designation-of-qatar-into-visa-waiver-program/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |website=U.S. Embassy in Qatar |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=24 September 2024 |title=US admits Qatar into visa waiver program |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-admits-qatar-into-visa-waiver-program-2024-09-24/ |work=Reuters}}</ref>

=== Military === {{Main|Qatar Armed Forces}}

{{Multiple image | direction = vertical | caption_align = center | image2 = AMX-10 RC of Qatar, Eagle Resolve 2013.jpg | caption2 = AMX-10 RC of the Qatari Emiri Land Force | image3 = Qatar Emiri Air Force Rafale fighter aircraft flies above after receiving fuel from a U.S. Air Force KC-135.jpg | caption3 = Dassault Rafale of the Qatar Emiri Air Force }}

The Qatar Armed Forces consist of 12,000 personnel in the Qatari Emiri Land Forces, 2,500 in the Navy, 2,000 in the Air Force, and 5,000 in the Internal Security Forces.<ref name="iiss2023">{{Cite book |author=IISS |author-link=International Institute for Strategic Studies |date=2023 |title=The Military Balance 2023 |publisher=International Institute for Strategic Studies |pages=349–350 }}</ref> After the Arab spring events in 2011 and a diplomatic incident with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries in 2014, Qatar started expanding its armed forces.<ref name="aljazeera2021">{{cite web |author=Gatopolous, Alex |title=How the Gulf crisis spurred Qatar to expand its military |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/5/the-dramatic-expansion-of-qatars-military |work=Al Jazeera |date=5 January 2021 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=20 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120140034/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/5/the-dramatic-expansion-of-qatars-military |url-status=live }}</ref> The country introduced conscription in 2013, the first Gulf state to do so in recent years, and extended the service term in 2018, requiring male Qatari citizens who are called up to serve one year. About 2,000 conscripts pass through the Qatar Armed Forces annually.<ref>{{cite web |author=Ardemagni, Eleonora |title=Building New Gulf States Through Conscription |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/76178 |work=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |date=25 April 2018 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=1 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201115720/https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/76178 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Barany, Zoltan |title=National Service in the Gulf: Unsurprising Disparities |url=https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/national-service-in-the-gulf-unsurprising-disparities-130654 |work=Italian Institute for International Political Studies |date=5 June 2023 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204234922/https://www.ispionline.it/en/publication/national-service-in-the-gulf-unsurprising-disparities-130654 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2008 Qatar spent US$2.6 billion on its military, which was 2% of the GDP,<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex |title=The SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=21 January 2025}}</ref> and its military spending increased to US$7.49 billion as of 2022.<ref name="iiss2023" /> The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that in 2010–2014 Qatar was the 46th-largest arms importer in the world. SIPRI writes that Qatar's plans to transform and significantly enlarge its armed forces have accelerated.<ref>{{cite web|title=Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2014|url=http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=495|website=www.sipri.org|publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute|access-date=18 March 2015|ref=SIPRI Fact Sheet, March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150319023856/http://books.sipri.org/product_info?c_product_id=495|archive-date=19 March 2015}}</ref> In 2015, Qatar was the 16th largest arms importer in the world, and in 2016, it was the 11th largest, according to SIPRI.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php|title=TIV of arms imports to the top 50 largest importers, 2016-2016|work=SIPRI|access-date=22 June 2017|archive-date=14 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214003447/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since 2017, Qatar has purchased large quantities of equipment from European countries and the United States, making its air force one of the largest among the Gulf states.<ref name="iiss2023" /><ref name="aljazeera2021" /> According to research published in November 2024, Qatar has dramatically increased its military power, as its expenditure grew by 434%. Corruption in arms trading, especially bribery, has been one consequence.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rohde |first=Ruth |date=2024 |title=Raytheon's Dirty Business in Qatar (Sham Contracts) |url=https://corruption-tracker.org/case/raytheons-dirty-business-in-qatar}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arms trade corruption – what do we know? |url=https://worldpeacefoundation.org/blog/arms-trade-corruption-what-do-we-know/ |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=World Peace Foundation |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 October 2024 |title=Defense contractor to pay $252M penalty to resolve Qatar bribery charges |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/defense-contractor-to-pay-252m-penalty-to-resolve-qatar-bribery-charges/7824918.html |access-date=2 December 2024 |website=Voice of America |language=en}}</ref>

Qatar has signed defence pacts with the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.<ref>{{cite web |title=Background Notes: Qatar, November 1997 |url=https://1997-2001.state.gov/background_notes/qatar_9711_bgn.html |work=U.S. State Department |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204221919/https://1997-2001.state.gov/background_notes/qatar_9711_bgn.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The forward headquarters of United States Central Command, Al Udeid Air Base, is located in Qatar and houses about 10,000 American military personnel.<ref name="aljazeera2021" /> During the 2011 military intervention in Libya, Qatar deployed six Mirage 2000 fighter jets to assist the NATO air campaign against the Libyan government and special forces to provide training to Libyan rebels.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Roberts, David |title=Behind Qatar's Intervention In Libya |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/libya/2011-09-28/behind-qatars-intervention-libya |journal=Foreign Affairs |date=28 September 2011 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=2 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202134933/https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/libya/2011-09-28/behind-qatars-intervention-libya |url-status=live }}</ref> During the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war from 2015, Qatar sent 1,000 troops, 200 armoured vehicles, and 30 Apache helicopters to assist with Saudi military operations.<ref>{{cite web |title=Qatar deploys 1,000 ground troops to fight in Yemen |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/9/7/qatar-deploys-1000-ground-troops-to-fight-in-yemen |work=Al Jazeera |date=7 September 2015 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205122755/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/9/7/qatar-deploys-1000-ground-troops-to-fight-in-yemen |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Almeida |first1=Alex |last2=Knights |first2=Michael |title=Gulf Coalition Operations in Yemen (Part 1): The Ground War |url=https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/gulf-coalition-operations-yemen-part-1-ground-war |work=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy |date=25 March 2016 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206195626/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/view/gulf-coalition-operations-in-yemen-part-1-the-ground-war |url-status=live }}</ref> Qatar withdrew its forces from Yemen due to the diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia in 2017.<ref>{{cite web |title=Qatar-Gulf crisis: How it all got started on June 5 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/26/qatar-gulf-crisis-how-it-all-got-started-on-june-5 |work=Al Jazeera |date=26 November 2017 |access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204223556/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/26/qatar-gulf-crisis-how-it-all-got-started-on-june-5 |url-status=live }}</ref> Qatar is the 29th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024 Global Peace Index.

===Human rights=== thumb|Migrant workers in Doha, 2014 Qatar's human rights record has been regarded by academics and non-governmental organisations as being generally poor, with restrictions on civil liberties such as the freedoms of association, expression and the press, as well as its treatment of thousands of migrant workers amounting to forced labour for projects in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Qatar |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/ |access-date=19 June 2022 |website=Amnesty International |language=en |archive-date=14 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614203530/https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/qatar/report-qatar/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=13 January 2022 |title=Qatar |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/qatar |access-date=19 June 2022 |website=Human Rights Watch |language=en |archive-date=19 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619080048/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/qatar |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2012, Qatari officials declared their intention to allow the establishment of an independent trade union.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/01/211482 |title=Qatar to allow trade union, scrap 'sponsor' system |publisher=Al Arabiya News |date=1 May 2012 |access-date=17 April 2024 |archive-date=17 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717093131/https://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/01/211482 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, Qatar commissioned international law firm DLA Piper to produce a report investigating the immigrant labour system. In May 2014, DLA Piper released more than 60 recommendations for reforming the kafala system including the abolition of exit visas and the introduction of a minimum wage, which Qatar has pledged to implement. Qatar also announced it would scrap its sponsor system for foreign labour, which requires that all foreign workers be sponsored by local employers.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gibson |first=Owen |date=14 May 2014 |title=Qatar government admits almost 1,000 fatalities among migrants |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/14/qatar-admits-deaths-in-migrant-workers |access-date=9 January 2024 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=17 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517100024/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/14/qatar-admits-deaths-in-migrant-workers |url-status=live }}</ref>

The UN Committee Against Torture found that the provisions for flogging and stoning within the Qatari criminal code constituted a breach of the obligations imposed by the UN Convention Against Torture.<ref>{{cite journal|last1= Kelly|first1= Tobias|year= 2009|title= The UN Committee against Torture: Human Rights Monitoring and the Legal Recognition of Cruelty|journal= Human Rights Quarterly|volume= 313|issue= 3|pages= 777–800|doi= 10.1353/hrq.0.0094|hdl= 20.500.11820/3b940ee1-e99f-4ab6-bbb1-37face2fae2c|s2cid= 145632406|url= https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-un-committee-against-torture-human-rights-monitoring-and-the-legal-recognition-of-cruelty(3b940ee1-e99f-4ab6-bbb1-37face2fae2c).html|hdl-access= free|access-date= 4 July 2019|archive-date= 23 October 2019|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191023201703/https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-un-committee-against-torture-human-rights-monitoring-and-the-legal-recognition-of-cruelty(3b940ee1-e99f-4ab6-bbb1-37face2fae2c).html|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite report | date = 25 July 2006 | title = Conclusions and Recommendations: Qatar | url = http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?docid=453776c75 | publisher = UN Committee Against Torture | docket = U.N. Doc. CAT/C/QAT/CO/1 | access-date = 9 January 2012 | quote = Certain provisions of the Criminal Code allow punishments such as flogging and stoning to be imposed as criminal sanctions by judicial and administrative authorities. These practices constitute a breach of the obligations imposed by the Convention. The Committee notes with interest that authorities are presently considering amendments to the Prison Act that would abolish flogging. |at=para. 12 | archive-date = 20 November 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121120181119/https://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?docid=453776c75 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Homosexual acts are illegal and can be punished by death.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/gay-lesbian-bisexual-relationships-illegal-in-74-countries-a7033666.html |title= LGBT relationships are illegal in 74 countries, research finds |work= The Independent |date= 17 May 2016 |access-date= 10 September 2017 |archive-date= 27 August 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170827151517/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/gay-lesbian-bisexual-relationships-illegal-in-74-countries-a7033666.html |url-status= live }}</ref> However, there is no such evidence that the death penalty has been given for same-sex relations due to homosexual acts.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Bearak |first1=Max |last2=Cameron |first2=Darla |date=1 December 2021 |title=Analysis {{!}} Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/ |access-date=22 November 2023 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010234107/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/13/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Under the provisions of Qatar's sponsorship law, sponsors had the unilateral power to cancel workers' residency permits, deny workers' ability to change employers, report a worker as "absconded" to police authorities, and deny permission to leave the country.<ref name="2011narrq">{{cite book |title=Human Trafficking Report 2011 |date=June 2011 |publisher=Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, United States Department of State |chapter=Country Narratives |access-date=21 January 2012 |chapter-url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164233.htm |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112020416/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164233.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> As a result, sponsors may restrict workers' movements, and workers may be afraid to report abuses or claim their rights.<ref name="2011narrq" /> According to the ITUC, the visa sponsorship system allows the exaction of forced labour by making it difficult for a migrant worker to leave an abusive employer or travel overseas without permission.<ref>{{cite web|title=International unions warn Qatar's work visa system allows employers to use forced labour|date=18 January 2013|url=http://www.ituc-csi.org/international-unions-warn-qatar-s?lang=en|publisher=ITUC-CSI-IGB|access-date=7 February 2013|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202038/http://www.ituc-csi.org/international-unions-warn-qatar-s?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar also did not maintain wage standards for its immigrant labourers. Additional changes to labour laws include a provision guaranteeing that all workers' salaries are paid directly into their bank accounts and new restrictions on working outdoors in the hottest hours during the summer.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/qatar-announces-new-labour-law-reforms-amid-workers-rights-outcry-1457587|title=Qatar Announces New Labour Law Reforms Amid Workers' Rights Outcry|newspaper=International Business Times|last=Wilson|first=Nigel|date=21 July 2014|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402145823/http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/qatar-announces-new-labour-law-reforms-amid-workers-rights-outcry-1457587|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2016 laws were reformed to mandate that companies that fail to pay workers' wages on time could temporarily lose their ability to hire more employees.<ref>{{cite web |last=Walker |first=Lesley |date=15 January 2015 |title=Firms in Qatar who fail to pay workers on time could face suspensions |url=http://dohanews.co/firms-qatar-fail-pay-workers-time-face-suspensions |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092223/http://dohanews.co/firms-qatar-fail-pay-workers-time-face-suspensions/ |archive-date=2 April 2015 |access-date=12 March 2015 |publisher=Doha News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Doha News|url=http://dohanews.co/qatars-emir-approves-kafala-reforms-changes-more-than-one-year-away|title=Qatar's Emir signs into law kafala changes (updated)|date=27 October 2015|author=Peter Kovessy|access-date=17 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528211753/http://dohanews.co/qatars-emir-approves-kafala-reforms-changes-more-than-one-year-away/|archive-date=28 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Human Rights Watch claimed that the changes might fail to address some labour rights issues.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/08/qatar-new-reforms-wont-protect-migrant-workers|date=8 November 2015|publisher=Human Rights Watch|title=Qatar: New reforms Won't Protect Migrant Workers|access-date=17 December 2015|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010131712/https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/08/qatar-new-reforms-wont-protect-migrant-workers|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Qatar complicit in 'modern slavery' despite reforms – unions|url=http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL8N12S5MU20151028|author=Chris Arsenault|date=28 October 2015|work=Reuters|access-date=18 December 2015|archive-date=22 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222121348/http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSL8N12S5MU20151028|url-status=live}}</ref> A minimum wage was instituted in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ilo.org/beirut/projects/qatar-office/WCMS_775981/lang--en/index.htm |title=Qatar's new minimum wage enters into force |date=19 March 2021 |website=International Labour Organization (ILO) |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429132317/http://www.ilo.org/beirut/projects/qatar-office/WCMS_775981/lang--en/index.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The country enfranchised women at the same time as men in connection with the 1999 elections for a Central Municipal Council.<ref name="Lambert2011a" /><ref>{{cite web |first=Hugh |last=Miles |title=Al-Jazeera |newspaper=The New York Times |year=2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/books/chapters/0306-1st-miles.html?pagewanted=all&position= |access-date=20 February 2017 |archive-date=28 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150428005402/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/06/books/chapters/0306-1st-miles.html?pagewanted=all&position= |url-status=live}}</ref> These elections—the first-ever in Qatar—were intentionally held on 8 March 1999, International Women's Day.<ref name="Lambert2011a" />

As of 2024 Qatar is still ranked 40 out of 180 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 January 2024 |title=2023 Corruption Perceptions Index: Explore the results |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2023?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6oi4BhD1ARIsAL6pox06QzME5skEOe_B3LAASNOINBdN94eQbV5-tAqq53U5a_ZrB4K9jAgaAqUsEALw_wcB |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=Transparency.org |language=en}}</ref> As of 2025 Qatar continues to face global criticism for ongoing labour abuses. Many migrant employees still suffer wage theft and harsh work, and they cannot form unions. Women and LGBTQ+ people face legal and social discrimination. The United Nations has issued hundreds of human rights recommendations to Qatar. The country also limits free speech and peaceful assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar faces international scrutiny over human rights violations |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/qatar-faces-international-scrutiny-over-human-rights-violations/3524651 |access-date=12 October 2025 |website=Anadolu Agency}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Human rights in Qatar |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/middle-east-and-north-africa/middle-east/qatar/report-qatar/ |access-date=12 October 2025 |website=Amnesty International |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Human Rights Watch |title=Qatar: Events of 2024 |date=16 January 2025 |work=Share this via Facebook |url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/qatar |access-date=12 October 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

==== Labour rights and reforms ==== Qatar has made a lot of changes to improve workers' rights, especially for foreign workers, who make up most of the workforce. In the past few years, the country got rid of the controversial kafala system, set a minimum wage for 2021, and put in place steps to make sure workers got paid on time. These changes are in line with Qatar's National Vision 2030 and are meant to make working conditions better as the country becomes more famous around the world. Reforms have been praised at international events like the UN Least Developed Countries 5 meeting (LDC5), showing that Qatar is serious about fixing labour problems and improving its economy at the same time.<ref name="LDC5">{{Cite web |title=About Doha {{!}} 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) |url=https://www.un.org/ldc5/participate/info-note/about-doha |access-date=12 February 2025 |website=www.un.org}}</ref>

==Economy== {{main|Economy of Qatar}}

[[File:P1000015 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|High-rise buildings in Doha]] Before the discovery of oil, the economy focused on fishing and pearl hunting. A report prepared by local governors of the Ottoman Empire in 1892 states that income from pearl hunting in 1892 is 2,450,000 kran.<ref name="Fromhertz2012" /> After the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearling industry crashed. Oil was discovered in Qatar in 1940, in Dukhan Field.<ref name=emboil>{{Cite magazine |title=The Qatar Oil Discoveries |author=Rasoul Sorkhabi |magazine=GEO ExPro Magazine |volume=7 |issue=1 |date=2010 |url=http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2010/01/the-qatar-oil-discoveries |access-date=15 June 2014 |archive-date=5 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205055046/https://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2010/01/the-qatar-oil-discoveries |url-status=live }}</ref> The discovery transformed the state's economy. Now, the country has a high standard of living for its legal citizens. With no income tax, Qatar has one of the lowest tax rates in the world. The unemployment rate in June 2013 was 0.1%.<ref name=newhopenyt>{{cite news|title=New Hope for Democracy in a Dynastic Land|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/world/middleeast/emir-of-qatar-abdicates-handing-power-to-his-son.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|newspaper=NYTimes.com|access-date=26 June 2013|first=Rod|last=Nordland|date=25 June 2013|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502065154/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/world/middleeast/emir-of-qatar-abdicates-handing-power-to-his-son.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref> Corporate law mandates that Qatari nationals must hold 51% of any venture in the emirate.<ref name=nobs/> Trade and industry is overseen by the Ministry of Business and Trade.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ar:وزير التجارة و الصناعة|url=https://www.gco.gov.qa/ar/ministries/minister-of-commerce-and-industry/|script-website=ar:مكتب الاتصال الحكومي|language=ar|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417193049/https://www.gco.gov.qa/ar/ministries/minister-of-commerce-and-industry/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2016}}, Qatar has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund.<ref name="imfoct">{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=34&pr.y=13&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C672%2C914%2C946%2C612%2C137%2C614%2C546%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C199%2C646%2C733%2C648%2C184%2C915%2C524%2C134%2C361%2C652%2C362%2C174%2C364%2C328%2C732%2C258%2C366%2C656%2C734%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698%2C668&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a=|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects (PPP valuation of country GDP)|publisher=IMF|date=October 2016|access-date=4 January 2017|archive-date=10 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110023135/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=34&pr.y=13&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C672%2C914%2C946%2C612%2C137%2C614%2C546%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C199%2C646%2C733%2C648%2C184%2C915%2C524%2C134%2C361%2C652%2C362%2C174%2C364%2C328%2C732%2C258%2C366%2C656%2C734%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698%2C668&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a=|url-status=live}}</ref> It relies heavily on foreign labour to grow its economy, to the extent that migrant workers compose 86% of the population and 94% of the workforce.<ref>Bill Crane (20 April 2015). [https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/04/gulf-states-slave-labor-migrant-workers/ Gravediggers of the Gulf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010092113/https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/04/gulf-states-slave-labor-migrant-workers/ |date=10 October 2017 }}. ''Jacobin''. Retrieved 20 April 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar: Migrant Construction Workers Face Abuse|date=12 June 2012|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/12/qatar-migrant-construction-workers-face-abuse|publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=4 December 2016|archive-date=16 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016072824/https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/06/12/qatar-migrant-construction-workers-face-abuse|url-status=live}}</ref> Economic growth has been almost exclusively based on its petroleum and natural gas industries, which began in 1940.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.onlineqatar.com/info/tourist-info.aspx |title=Qatar tourist guide |access-date=14 February 2012 |archive-date=16 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616153325/https://www.onlineqatar.com/info/tourist-info.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Qatar is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas.<ref name="strangepow">{{cite magazine|title=The Strange Power of Qatar by Hugh Eakin|url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/oct/27/strange-power-qatar/?pagination=false|magazine=The New York Review of Books|access-date=16 June 2013|archive-date=6 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906071533/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/oct/27/strange-power-qatar/?pagination=false|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, it was estimated that Qatar would invest over $120 billion in the energy sector in the next 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://export.gov/qatar/static/2012%20CCG%20Qatar%20Final_Latest_eg_qa_050999.pdf |title=Doing Business in Qatar: 2012 Country Commercial Guide for U.S. Companies |publisher=US & Foreign Commercial Service And US Department of State |access-date=7 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235824/http://export.gov/qatar/static/2012%20CCG%20Qatar%20Final_Latest_eg_qa_050999.pdf |archive-date=16 January 2013 }}</ref> The country was a member state of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), having joined in 1961, and having left in January 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=OPEC Member Countries |url=https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm |publisher=Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries |access-date=20 January 2019 |archive-date=8 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190208202051/https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:QatarCentralBankOffice.jpg|left|thumb|Qatar Central Bank's office in Doha]]

In 2012, Qatar retained its title of richest country in the world (according to per capita income) for the third time in a row, having first overtaken Luxembourg in 2010. According to the study published by the Washington-based Institute of International Finance, the per capita GDP at purchasing power parity (PPP) was $106,000 (QR387,000) in 2012, helping the country retain its ranking as the world's wealthiest nation. Luxembourg came a distant second with nearly $80,000 and Singapore third with per capita income of about $61,000.The research put Qatar's GDP at $182bn in 2012 and said it had climbed to an all-time high due to soaring gas exports and high oil prices. Its population stood at 1.8 million in 2012.

[[File:Doha City, UNCTAD XIII (7115124733).jpg|thumb|Business district in Doha]]

Established in 2005, Qatar Investment Authority is the country's sovereign wealth fund, specialising in foreign investment.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kortekaas |first=Vanessa |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/90b2885a-3d85-11e3-9928-00144feab7de.html#axzz2kYginHGM |title=New Qatar emir shakes up sovereign wealth fund |work=Financial Times |date=28 October 2013 |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> In 2012, with assets of $115bn, QIA was ranked 12th among the richest sovereign wealth funds in the world.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenfield |first1=Beth |title=The World's Richest Countries |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethgreenfield/2012/02/22/the-worlds-richest-countries/ |work=Forbes |access-date=10 September 2017 |archive-date=31 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131151855/https://www.forbes.com/sites/bethgreenfield/2012/02/22/the-worlds-richest-countries/ |url-status=live }}</ref> With billions of dollars in surpluses from the oil and gas industry, the Qatari government has directed investments into United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Qatar Holding is the international investment arm of QIA. Since 2009, Qatar Holding has received $30–40bn per year from the state. {{As of|2014}}, it has investments around the world in Valentino, Siemens, Printemps, Harrods, The Shard, Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Bank of America, Tiffany, Agricultural Bank of China, Sainsbury's, BlackBerry,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.berryreview.com/2013/11/06/quatar-holding-llc-among-investors-in-blackberrys-1-billion-convertible-debt/ |title=Qatar Holding LLC Among Investors in BlackBerrys $1 Billion Convertible Debt |publisher=Berryreview.com |date=6 November 2013 |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=10 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010092113/http://www.berryreview.com/2013/11/06/quatar-holding-llc-among-investors-in-blackberrys-1-billion-convertible-debt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and Santander Brasil.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hall |first=Camilla |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/2b1628f4-40b3-11e3-ae19-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2kYkTnRz9 |title=Qatar fund quietly builds $1bn Bank of America stake |work=Financial Times |date=30 October 2013 |access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Hall |first=Camilla |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/dc99ef1e-de45-11e2-9b47-00144feab7de.html#slide0 |title=Qatar: what's next for the world's most aggressive deal hunter? |work=Financial Times |date=4 July 2013 |access-date=30 December 2013 |archive-date=19 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619043411/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/dc99ef1e-de45-11e2-9b47-00144feab7de.html#slide0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The country has no taxes on non-companies,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Business+and+Finance/taxsystem |title=Information About Education, Economy, Health, IT and Tourism in Qatar |publisher=Portal.www.gov.qa |access-date=24 May 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806162658/https://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Business+and+Finance/taxsystem |url-status=live }}</ref> but authorities have announced plans to levy taxes on junk food and luxury items. The taxes would be implemented on goods that harm the human body—for example, fast food, tobacco products, and soft drinks. The rollout of these initial taxes is believed to be the result of the fall in oil prices and a deficit that the country faced in 2016. Additionally, the country saw job cuts in 2016 from its petroleum companies and other sectors in the government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dohanews.co/taxes-on-junk-food-luxury-items-to-be-rolled-out-in-qatar-soon/|title=Taxes on junk food, luxury items to be rolled out in Qatar soon|date=16 February 2017|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519042210/https://dohanews.co/taxes-on-junk-food-luxury-items-to-be-rolled-out-in-qatar-soon/|archive-date=19 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://dohanews.co/tag/layoffs/|title=layoffs Archives – Doha News|website=Doha News|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519071058/https://dohanews.co/tag/layoffs/|archive-date=19 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As part of Qatar National Vision 2030, the country is making its economy less dependent on oil and gas by expanding its range of industries. Funds are being put into projects related to schooling, tourism, and green energy. Qatar is putting a lot of effort into green energy. By 2030, they want 20% of their energy to come from solar power. As part of the economic transformation, the tourist industry is growing, which helps the GDP grow and makes the country less reliant on oil exports.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Doha | title=Doha | City, Qatar, Map, & History | Britannica }}</ref><ref name="MOFA"/>

===Energy=== {{main|Energy in Qatar}}

As of 2016, Qatar's proven oil reserves were estimated at 25.2 billion barrels, positioning it as the 13th largest globally, accounting for approximately 1.53% of the world's total reserves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar Oil Reserves, Production and Consumption Statistics |url=https://www.worldometers.info/oil/qatar-oil/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=Worldometer |language=en}}</ref>

Qatar's proven reserves of gas are the third-largest in the world, exceeding 250 trillion cubic feet (7,000 km3). The economy was boosted in 1991 by completion of the $1.5-billion Phase I of North Field gas development. In 1996, the Qatargas project began exporting liquefied natural gas to Japan.

Qatar's heavy industrial projects, all based in Umm Said, include a refinery with a 50,000 barrels (8,000 m3) per day capacity, a fertiliser plant for urea and ammonia, a steel plant, and a petrochemical plant. All these industries use gas for fuel. Most are joint ventures between European and Japanese firms and the state-owned QatarEnergy. The US is the major equipment supplier for Qatar's oil and gas industry, and US companies are playing a major role in North Field gas development.<ref name="bdlive.co.za">{{cite web |author=Simon Lincoln Reader |date=12 November 2013 |title=Qatar shows how money can solve most problems |url=http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2013/11/12/qatar-shows-how-money-can-solve-most-problems |access-date=30 December 2013 |publisher=Bdlive.co.za |archive-date=9 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181209192146/http://www.bdlive.co.za/opinion/columnists/2013/11/12/qatar-shows-how-money-can-solve-most-problems |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Mesaieed Industrial Area panoramic view at night.png|thumb|Mesaieed Industrial Area]]

In 2008 Qatar launched its National Vision 2030 which highlights environmental development as one of the four main goals for Qatar over the next two decades.<ref name="Qatar National Vision 2030" /> The National Vision pledges to develop sustainable alternatives to oil-based energy to preserve the local and global environment.<ref name="Qatar National Vision 2030">{{cite web|title=Qatar National Vision 2030 |url=http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/qatar_national_vision |publisher=Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113150935/http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/qatar_national_vision |archive-date=13 November 2012 }}</ref> Qatar has made investment in renewable resources a major goal for the country over the next two decades. By 2030, Qatar has set the goal of attaining 20% of its energy from solar power.<ref name="oxford1">{{cite web|url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/qatar-gets-serious-about-solar|title=Qatar gets serious about solar|publisher=Oxford Business Group|date=21 April 2017|access-date=6 July 2018|archive-date=19 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119233210/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/qatar-gets-serious-about-solar|url-status=live}}</ref> The country is well-positioned to capitalise on photovoltaic systems, as it has a global horizontal irradiance value of approximately 2,140 kWh per square metre annually. Furthermore, the direct irradiance parameter is roughly 2,008 kWh per square metre annually, implying that it would be able to benefit from concentrated solar power as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.marhaba.qa/qatars-solar-energy-ambitions/|title=Qatar's Solar Energy Ambitions|publisher=Marhaba|date=10 November 2016|access-date=6 July 2018|archive-date=7 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707062546/https://www.marhaba.qa/qatars-solar-energy-ambitions/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Qatar Foundation has been active in helping the solar power goals. It established Qatar Solar, which, together with Qatar Development Bank and German company SolarWorld, embarked on a joint venture resulting in the creation of Qatar Solar Technologies (QSTec). In 2017, QSTec commissioned its polysilicon plant in Ras Laffan. This plant has a capacity of 1.1 MW of solar power.<ref name="oxford1" />

Qatar pursues a vigorous programme of "Qatarisation", under which all joint venture industries and government departments strive to move Qatari nationals into positions of greater authority. Growing numbers of foreign-educated Qataris, including many educated in the US, are returning home to assume key positions formerly occupied by expatriates. To control the influx of expatriate workers, Qatar has tightened the administration of its foreign manpower programmes over the past several years. Security is the principal basis for Qatar's strict entry and immigration rules and regulations.<ref name="bdlive.co.za" />

On March 2, 2026, on the third day of the Iran war, the Qatari Ministry of Defence announced that Ras Laffan Industrial City and Mesaieed Industrial Area were struck by two Iranian drones. QatarEnergy soon announced that it has ceased all production of natural gas and its associated products, reportedly on order by Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stapczynski|first=Stephen|last2=Liao|first2=Ruth|last3=El Wardany|first3=Salma|date=2026-03-04|title=Qatar's Hard-Won Reputation as Safest Gas Supplier Lost in Days|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-04/iran-war-dents-qatar-s-reputation-as-lng-s-safest-bet|website=Bloomberg}}</ref> It later announced that it was declaring Force Majeure on its contracts with buyers, and internal sources speaking to Reuters said that it would soon be shutting down gas liquefication, and that restarting it would take weeks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rashad|first=Marwa|date=2026-03-04|title=Exclusive: Qatar shuts gas liquefaction, will take weeks to restart, sources say|url=https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/qatarenergy-declares-force-majeure-lng-shipments-2026-03-04/|website=Reuters}}</ref> These announcements caused increases in world gas prices, which analysts said was a part of the Iranian government's plan to apply pressure on the world to stop the war.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farchy|first=Jack|last2=Longley|first2=Alex|last3=Azevedo Rocha|first3=Priscila|last4=Gorrivan|first4=Charles|last5=Lee|first5=Julian|date=2026-03-03|title=Trump’s War on Iran Has Traders Staring Down an Energy Crisis|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2026-03-03/why-oil-price-surge-is-limited-after-trump-s-iran-strikes|website=Bloomberg}}</ref> On March 6, al-Kaabi warned that if the war continues other Gulf energy producers may be forced to halt exports and declare Force Majeure, and that "this will bring down economies of the world".<ref>{{Cite news |last=England |first=Andrew |last2=Moore |first2=Malcolm |date=2026-03-06 |title=Qatar warns war will force Gulf to stop energy exports ‘within days’ |url=https://www.ft.com/content/be122b17-e667-478d-be19-89d605e978ea |access-date=2026-03-06 |work=Financial Times}}</ref> This announcement caused a jump in global oil prices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-06 |title=Oil price jumps after Qatar minister warns all Gulf production could stop |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy031ylgepro |access-date=2026-03-06 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On March 6, it was reported that according to satellite imagery analysis by both Bloomberg and the Energy Economics and Society Research Institute in Tokyo, Ras Laffan, the main gas facility in Qatar, appears to have not been damaged before the "unprecedented shutdown" which sent fuel prices higher.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Liao |first=Ruth |last2=Stapczynski |first2=Stephen |date=2026-03-07 |title=Qatar’s Main LNG Equipment Intact, Satellite Analysis Shows |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-06/qatar-s-main-lng-equipment-intact-satellite-analysis-shows |website=Bloomberg News}}</ref>

===Tourism=== {{main|List of tourist attractions in Qatar}}

{{Multiple image | total_width = 200 | align = left | direction = vertical | width = tt | image1 = Grid Qatar Aerials Day 01 N1A4476 Wip 4.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = Tourist resort at Banana Island in Qatar | image2 = Doha Qatar - Katara Towers Lusail.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = Katara Towers, part of the new hospitality at Lusail Qatar }}

Qatar is one of the fastest growing countries in the field of tourism. According to the World Tourism rankings, more than 2.3 million international tourists visited in 2017. Qatar has become one of the most open countries in the Middle East due to its recent visa facilitation improvements, including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter visa-free and free-of charge.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420896|title=Tourism in the MENA Region|access-date=7 March 2019|journal=World Tourism Organization|year=2019|doi=10.18111/9789284420896|isbn=9789284420896|s2cid=242610756|archive-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510100056/https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420896|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Qatar was recently put in the top eight in market climate in the Middle East by the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Survey 2019 of the World Economic Forum.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/qatar-travel-and-tourism|title=Qatar Travel and Tourism|website=www.trade.gov|date=7 September 2022|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228064946/https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/qatar-travel-and-tourism|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://worldtourismforum.net/tourism-in-qatar/|title=Tourism in Qatar|work=World Tourism Forum Institute |date=3 November 2020|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228064950/https://worldtourismforum.net/tourism-in-qatar/|url-status=live |author1=Admin }}</ref>

Doha is one of the fastest-growing hotel and hospitality markets in the world. The $220 billion spent on infrastructure since the successful World Cup bid of 2010 has helped boost the industry. Hotels have also been helped by the country’s geographic location. The tourism sector continues to witness a strong recovery with more than 729,000 international visitors in the first half of 2022, marking a 19% increase compared to the full year of 2021, and the aim is to raise tourism to 12% of GDP by 2030.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/11/23/qatars-220-billion-tourism-boost-will-it-pay-off|title=Qatar's $220 billion tourism boost, will it pay off?|date=23 November 2022|website=euronews|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228064947/https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/11/23/qatars-220-billion-tourism-boost-will-it-pay-off|url-status=live}}</ref> The tourist industry in Doha has grown rapidly, making it a hub for international tourists. The Museum of Islamic Art, Souq Waqif, and the Katara Cultural Village are among the most popular places to visit. Nationals of 88 countries are able to enter Qatar without a visa, making it one of the most accessible destinations in the Middle East. The government has set goals to increase the share of tourism towards its GDP to 12% by 2030, contributed to by its hosting of major sporting events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the upcoming 2030 Asian Games.<ref name="visitqatar">{{Cite web|url=https://visitqatar.com|title=Visit Qatar – Official Website|website=visitqatar.com}}</ref>

The nation is also on course to experience a major jump in athletic and corporate tourism with hosting world-class tournaments such as the 2030 Asian Games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.invest.qa/en/sectors-and-opportunities/tourism|title=Tourism|website=www.invest.qa|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228064947/https://www.invest.qa/en/sectors-and-opportunities/tourism|url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar Airways, as well as Hamad International Airport, provide travellers with one of the best transportation services in the world, and this has increased tourism in Qatar. Gulf News, a research centre in Qatar, by examining the statistics of recent years and upcoming events, has predicted that the country will earn 11 billion and 900 million dollars from attracting foreign travellers by 2020. The reason for this upward trend is the increase in hospitality and attention to the country's culture in Qatar.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gulfnews.com/qatar-world-cup-2022/things-to-do/visiting-qatar-during-the-fifa-world-cup-here-are-eleven-wonderful-things-to-see-1.1664895146718|title=Visiting Qatar during the FIFA World Cup? Here are eleven wonderful things to see|date=4 October 2022|website=gulfnews.com|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228064947/https://gulfnews.com/qatar-world-cup-2022/things-to-do/visiting-qatar-during-the-fifa-world-cup-here-are-eleven-wonderful-things-to-see-1.1664895146718|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Transport=== {{Main|Transport in Qatar|Geography of Qatar}}

{{multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = Hamad International Airport Doha Qatar 6.jpg | caption1 = Hamad International Airport | width1 = 215 | image2 = QTR A7-APA A380!137 EDHI 16-04-14.jpg | caption2 = Qatar Airways Airbus A380. Qatar Airways, one of the world's largest airlines, links over 150 international destinations from its base in Doha. | width2 = 215 }}

Qatar has significantly developed its transportation infrastructure to enhance global connectivity and support economic growth. Key developments include expansions of Hamad International Airport (HIA), enhancements to Qatar Airways' fleet, and the development of Hamad Port.

HIA has undergone substantial expansions to accommodate increasing passenger traffic. The first phase, launched in 2022, introduced a new terminal, hotel, and the ORCHARD tropical garden. The subsequent phase aims to boost capacity to 70 million passengers and includes a new cargo terminal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=#FutureQatar: A hub for connectivity in a globalised world |url=https://imo.gov.qa/media-centre/insights/futureqatar--a-hub-for-connectivity-in-a-globalised-world |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=imo.gov.qa |language=en}}</ref> It has won Airline of the Year in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017 and 2019 and employs more than 46,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Qatar Airways |url=https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/about-qatar-airways.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209004150/https://www.qatarairways.com/en-us/about-qatar-airways.html |archive-date=9 December 2019 |access-date=17 November 2019 |website=www.qatarairways.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=9 October 2019 |title=Qatar Airways Business Class Review: Food, Seats, Fare and More |url=https://gulf.asia/qatar-airways-business-class/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191117055458/https://gulf.asia/qatar-airways-business-class/ |archive-date=17 November 2019 |access-date=17 November 2019 |website=Gulf Guide |language=en-US}}</ref>

Qatar Airways plans to place a significant aircraft order to increase annual passenger numbers from 50 million to 80 million over the next five to six years. This expansion is expected to enhance the airline's global network and services.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cornish |first1=Chloe |last2=Georgiadis |first2=Philip |date=9 March 2025 |title=Qatar Airways' breakneck growth will slow after next big plane order, says CEO |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ed886915-7548-4856-bb95-3fead41f2190 |access-date=2 April 2025 |work=Financial Times}}</ref>

[[File:Al Wahda Arches Qatar Architect Erik Behrens Aerial Photo.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Al Wahda Arches over Lusail Expressway]]

Qatar is increasingly activating its logistics and ports in order to participate in trade between Europe and China or Africa.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CG of Qatar in Guangzhou: Belt and Road Initiative will change the world {{!}} GDToday |url=https://www.newsgd.com/node_20ec43c632/75c0c810be.shtml |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=www.newsgd.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Background of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road – Xinhua Silk Road |url=https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/312934.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241008190401/https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/312934.html |archive-date=8 October 2024 |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=en.imsilkroad.com |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> For this purpose, ports such as Hamad Port are rapidly expanded and investments are made in their technology.<ref>{{Cite web |first1=Maddalena |last1=Procopio |first2=Corrado |last2=Čok |date=24 March 2025 |title=Diversification nations: The Gulf way to engage with Africa |url=https://ecfr.eu/publication/diversification-nations-the-gulf-way-to-engage-with-africa/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=European Council on Foreign Relations |language=en-GB}}</ref> The country is historically and currently part of the Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast to the south via the southern tip of India to Mombasa, from there through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean, there to the Upper Adriatic region to the northern Italian hub of Trieste with its rail connections to Central Europe, Eastern Europe and the North Sea.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gulf-times.com/story/646676/Milaha-showcases-its-digital-transformation-at-Qat|title=Milaha showcases its digital transformation at Qatar Silk Road Exhibition|date=5 November 2019|website=Gulf-Times|access-date=27 March 2021|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224041622/https://gulf-times.com/story/646676/Milaha-showcases-its-digital-transformation-at-Qat|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0009445519895612|title=China–Qatar Strategic Partnership and the Realization of One Belt, One Road Initiative|first=Mordechai|last=Chaziza|date=14 February 2020|journal=China Report|volume=56|issue=1|pages=78–102|doi=10.1177/0009445519895612|s2cid=212800716|access-date=14 June 2022|archive-date=11 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211145116/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0009445519895612|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2830706&language=en|title=KUNA : Qatar, Kuwait critical partners in China's Silk Road Initiative – Communications – 03/11/2019|website=www.kuna.net.kw|access-date=27 March 2021|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515153916/https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2830706&language=en|url-status=live}}</ref> Hamad Port is Qatar's main seaport, located south of Doha in the Umm Al Houl area. Construction of the port began in 2010; it became operational in December 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/video/news/2017/09/qatar-emir-officially-inaugurates-hamad-port-170905110351179.html|title=Qatar's emir officially inaugurates Hamad Port|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=5 September 2017|access-date=5 September 2017|archive-date=7 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507005912/https://www.aljazeera.com/video/news/2017/09/qatar-emir-officially-inaugurates-hamad-port-170905110351179.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Capable of handling up to 7.8 million tonnes of products annually, the bulk of trade which passes through the port consists of food and building materials.<ref name="reuters1">{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-gulf-qatar-port-idUKKBN19624H|title=Gulf crisis a "blessing in disguise" for Qatar seaport|author=John Davison|work=Reuters|date=15 June 2017|access-date=23 July 2017|archive-date=16 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016003513/http://www.reuters.com/article/uk-gulf-qatar-port-idUKKBN19624H|url-status=live}}</ref> On the northern coast, Ras Laffan Port serves as the most extensive liquid natural gas export facility in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/sea-change-state%E2%80%99s-port-facilities-capacity-and-transport-links-are-being-strengthened|title=Qatar strengthens port facilities, capacity and transport links|publisher=Oxford Business Group|year=2016|access-date=6 October 2018|archive-date=26 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190226022511/https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/sea-change-state%e2%80%99s-port-facilities-capacity-and-transport-links-are-being-strengthened|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Qatar has made significant progress in public transportation, with the Doha Metro being one of the most important components of the system. The metro system connects important parts of the capital, like Hamad International Airport and major business hubs, providing a convenient method of transportation. More expansions are being planned by Qatar Rail to improve connections across the area.<ref name="QR">{{Cite web|url=https://www.qr.com.qa/home|title=QatarRail|website=www.qr.com.qa|access-date=27 November 2024|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402103811/https://www.qr.com.qa/home|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics== {{main|Demographics of Qatar}}

{{wide image|Doha skyline banner.jpg|700px|Skyline of Doha, capital and largest city of Qatar}}{{Historical populations|1950|25,000|1960|47,000|1970|110,000|1980|224,000|1990|476,000|2000|592,000|2010|1,856,000|2019|2,832,000|align=right|footnote=source:{{UN_Population|ref}}}}The number of people in Qatar fluctuates considerably depending on the season, since the country relies heavily on migrant labour. In 2020, the population was over 2.8 million, with foreigners making up a vast majority. Only around 340,000 (12%) were Qatari citizens, while the remaining 2.5 million were expatriates.<ref>Gulf Labour Markets and Migration (5 June 2025). [https://gulfmigration.grc.net/qatar-population-by-nationality-qatari-non-qatari-at-dates-of-censuses-1970-2020/ "Qatar: Population by nationality (Qatari/ non-Qatari) at dates of censuses (1970-2020)"]. ''gulfmigration.grc.net''. Retrieved 5 November 2025.</ref>

[[File:Pearl-Qatar Doha Qatar 11Nov2017 SkySat.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Residential buildings at the Pearl]]According to a report from 2017, the combined number of South Asians (from the countries of the Indian subcontinent including Sri Lanka) represented over 1.5 million people (60%). Among these, Indians were the largest community, numbering 650,000 in 2017, followed by 350,000 Nepalese, 280,000 Bangladeshis, 145,000 Sri Lankans, and 125,000 Pakistanis. The contingent of expatriates who were not of South Asian origin represented around 28% of Qatar's population, of which the largest group is 260,000 Filipinos and 200,000 Egyptians, plus many other nationalities (including nationals of other Arab countries, Europeans, etc.).<ref name="pop" />

Qatar's first demographic records date back to 1892, conducted by Ottoman governors in the region. Based on this census, which includes only the residents in cities, the population in 1892 was 9,830.<ref name="Fromhertz2012" /> At the time of the first census, held in 1970, the population was 111,133.<ref name="qsahist">{{cite web|title=History of Census in Qatar|url=http://www.qsa.gov.qa/QatarCensus/HistoryOfCensus.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420182258/http://www.qsa.gov.qa/QatarCensus/HistoryOfCensus.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 April 2010|publisher=Qatar Statistics Authority|access-date=16 June 2013}}</ref> The 2020 census recorded the total population at 2,846,118, of which 2,034,518 were males and 811,600 females.<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Planning Council |first=State of Qatar |title=Qatar Census 2020 Detailed Results |url=https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/census2020/Pages/results/default.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426213600/https://www.npc.qa/en/statistics/census2020/Pages/results/default.aspx |archive-date=26 April 2025 |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=www.npc.qa |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> The influx of male labourers has skewed the gender balance, and women are now just one-quarter of the population.

===Languages=== Arabic is the official language, with Qatari Arabic being the local dialect. Qatari Sign Language is the language of the native Qatari deaf community. English is commonly used as a second language,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baker|first1=Colin|last2=Jones|first2=Sylvia Prys|title=Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC|publisher=Multilingual Matters|year=1998|page=429|isbn=978-1853593628|access-date=13 March 2015|archive-date=11 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211035950/https://books.google.com/books?id=YgtSqB9oqDIC|url-status=live}}</ref> and a rising lingua franca, especially in commerce, to the extent that steps are being taken to try to preserve Arabic from English's encroachment.<ref>{{cite news|last=Guttenplan|first=D. D.|title=Battling to Preserve Arabic From English's Onslaught|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/world/middleeast/11iht-educlede11.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 November 2013|date=11 June 2012|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120045411/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/11/world/middleeast/11iht-educlede11.html|url-status=live}}</ref> English is particularly useful for communication with Qatar's large expatriate community. In the medical community, and in situations such as the training of nurses to work in Qatar, English acts as a lingua franca.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bild-lida.ca/journal/volume_2_1_2018/tweedie_johnson/|title=Listening instruction and patient safety: Exploring medical English as a lingua franca (MELF) for nursing education|first1=Gregory|last1=Tweedie|first2=Robert|last2=Johnson|access-date=6 January 2018|archive-date=3 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803074912/http://bild-lida.ca/journal/volume_2_1_2018/tweedie_johnson/|url-status=live}}</ref> Reflecting the multicultural make-up of the country, many other languages are also spoken, including Malayalam, Persian, Baluchi, Brahui, Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali, Sinhalese, Bengali, Tagalog, Tulu and Indonesian.<ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar Facts|url=http://fqoc.hamad.qa/en/venue/about_qatar/about_qatar.aspx|publisher=First Qatar Orthodontic Conference|access-date=23 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712062300/http://fqoc.hamad.qa/en/venue/about_qatar/about_qatar.aspx|archive-date=12 July 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Religion=== {{main|Religion in Qatar|Freedom of religion in Qatar}}

thumb|Mosque in Qatar Islam is predominant and is the state religion, although it is not the only religion practiced in the country,<ref>{{cite web|title=Report on International Religious Freedom – Qatar|url=http://m.state.gov/md14011.htm|publisher=US Department of State|quote=The official state religion follows the conservative Wahhabi tradition of the Hanbali school of Islam|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821170612/http://m.state.gov/md14011.htm|archive-date=21 August 2014}}</ref> and the constitution guarantees freedom to practise any faith within "moral" bounds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qatar |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/qatar/ |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120150503/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/qatar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Most citizens belong to the Salafi Muslim movement of Wahhabism,<ref name=wahh>{{cite web|title=Tiny Qatar's growing global clout|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13229852|publisher=BBC|date=30 April 2011|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=4 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504024932/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-13229852|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=insom>{{cite news|title=Qatar's modern future rubs up against conservative traditions|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-qatar-modernism-idUSLNE88Q00D20120927|work=Reuters|date=27 September 2012|access-date=6 July 2021|archive-date=3 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203001518/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-qatar-modernism-idUSLNE88Q00D20120927|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=risingreuters>{{cite news|title=Rising power Qatar stirs unease among some Mideast neighbors|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-qatar-neighbours-idUSBRE91B0R920130212|work=Reuters|access-date=13 June 2013|date=12 February 2013|archive-date=18 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118142355/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-qatar-neighbours-idUSBRE91B0R920130212|url-status=live}}</ref> and 5–15% of Muslims follow Shia Islam with other Islamic sects being very small in number.<ref>{{cite web|title=2011 Report on International Religious Freedom – Qatar|url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/50210591c.html|publisher=US Department of State|access-date=19 January 2014|archive-date=26 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126141320/https://www.refworld.org/docid/50210591c.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, Qatar's total population (citizens and non-citizens alike) was 75.9% Muslim, 12.5% Christian and 10.6% Hindu; while other religions and religiously unaffiliated people accounted for the remaining 0.9%.<ref>Hackett, Conrad; Stonawski, Marcin; Tong, Yunping; Kramer, Stephanie; Fengyan Shi, Anne; Zanetti, Nick (9 June 2025). [https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/feature/religious-composition-by-country-2010-2020/ "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2020"]. ''Pew Research Center''. Retrieved 5 November 2025.</ref>

Sharia is the main source of legislation according to the constitution.<ref name="con" /><ref name="qat1" /> Qatar's interpretation of Sharia is said to be not as "strict" as neighbouring Saudi Arabia but not as "liberal" as Dubai.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dr.Adnan |title=Qatar has edge in European hotel acquisitions |url=https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=1498 |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=www.arabisklondon.com |date=6 October 2016 |language=en-GB |archive-date=20 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120131905/https://www.arabisklondon.com/?p=1498 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=11 November 2022 |title=Islam in Qatar explained ahead of 2022 World Cup |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/islam-qatar-world-cup-2022-b2222975.html |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=19 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221119120053/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/islam-qatar-world-cup-2022-b2222975.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The vision of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs is "to build a contemporary Islamic society along with fostering the Sharee’ah [Sharia] and cultural heritage".<ref name = "Contempory Sharee’ah">{{cite web |url=https://www.afreno.com/blog/the-ministry-of-awqaf-and-islamic-affairs |title=The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs |work=Afreno |date=25 November 2019 |access-date=4 April 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806155422/https://www.afreno.com/blog/the-ministry-of-awqaf-and-islamic-affairs |url-status=live }}</ref>

The non-Muslim population is composed almost entirely of non-citizens. Since 2008, Christians have been allowed to build churches on ground donated by the government.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-to-welcome-qatars-first-christian-church-31302/ |title=Christians to Welcome Qatar's First Christian Church |publisher=Christianpost.com |date=24 February 2008 |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-date=21 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121015057/https://www.christianpost.com/news/christians-to-welcome-qatars-first-christian-church-31302/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90219.htm |title=CIA The World Fact Book |publisher=State.gov |date=29 June 2006 |access-date=28 March 2010 |archive-date=10 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110022107/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90219.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Active churches include the Mar Thoma Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Anglican Church of the Epiphany.<ref name="Report on Qatar">{{cite web|url=http://www.cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_country_reports&story_id=90|title=Report on Qatar|publisher=Cumorah Project|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=23 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221123180431/https://www.cumorah.com/index.php?target=view_country_reports&story_id=90|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Anglican Centre in Qatar">{{cite web|url=http://www.epiphany-qatar.org/buildingproject.html |title=The Anglican Centre in Qatar |publisher=Epiphany-qatar.org |access-date=22 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235828/http://www.epiphany-qatar.org/buildingproject.html |archive-date=16 January 2013 }}</ref><ref name="Oxford University Press">{{cite book|author1=David B. Barrett|author2=George Thomas Kurian|author3=Todd M. Johnson|title=World Christian encyclopedia: a comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world|volume=1|year=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-510318-2|page=617}}</ref> There are also two Mormon wards<ref name="Report on Qatar"/><ref name="The Anglican Centre in Qatar"/><ref name="Oxford University Press"/> and a Baháʼí Faith community.<ref name="Guardian20221109">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/09/qatars-claims-of-diversity-are-undermined-by-its-treatment-of-bahais|title=Qatar's claims of diversity are undermined by its treatment of Bahá'ís|work=The Guardian|date=9 November 2022|access-date=9 November 2022|archive-date=9 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109170928/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/09/qatars-claims-of-diversity-are-undermined-by-its-treatment-of-bahais|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Education=== {{main|Education in Qatar}}

[[File:Entrance to Student Center in Education City.jpg|thumb|right|Student Center in Education City. Education City houses various educational facilities, including the satellite campuses of eight international universities.]] Qatar hired the RAND Corporation to reform its K–12 education system.<ref name=strangepow /> Through the Qatar Foundation, the country has built Education City, a campus that hosts local branches of the Weill Cornell Medical College, Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Texas A&M's School of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts and other Western institutions.<ref name=strangepow /><ref name=wapo>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/12/06/the-education-city-contracts-a-case-study-from-vcu-in-qatar/|title=The Education City contracts: A case study from VCU in Qatar|last=Anderson|first=Nick|date=6 December 2015|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=14 March 2018}}</ref>

The illiteracy rate was 3.1% for males and 4.2% for females in 2012, the lowest in the Arabic-speaking world and 86th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=In the occasion of Literacy Arab Day, Qatar has the Lowest Illiteracy Rates in 2012|url=http://www.qsa.gov.qa/eng/News/2012/Article/72.htm|publisher=Qatar Statistics Authority|date=8 January 2013|access-date=26 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924083746/http://www.qsa.gov.qa/eng/News/2012/Article/72.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Citizens are required to attend government-provided education from kindergarten through high school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80 |title=Qatar constitution |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130918053402/http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80 |archive-date=18 September 2013 }}</ref> Qatar University, founded in 1973, is the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qu.edu.qa/theuniversity/history.php|title=Our history|publisher=Qatar University|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225121300/http://www.qu.edu.qa/theuniversity/history.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/special-reports/article/the-middle-east-university-list_672|title=SPECIAL REPORT: UNIVERSITY STUDIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST|last=Hendengren|first=Adam|publisher=Your Middle East|date=25 June 2013|access-date=12 June 2015|archive-date=6 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506235206/http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/special-reports/article/the-middle-east-university-list_672|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In November 2002, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani created The Supreme Education Council.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Qatar.pdf|title=World Data on Education – Qatar|publisher=UNESCO|access-date=21 July 2015}}</ref> The Council directs and controls education for all ages from the pre-school level through the university level, including the "Education for a New Era" initiative which was established to try to position Qatar as a leader in education reform.<ref>{{cite journal|title=National student research fairs as evidence for progress in Qatar's Education for a New Era|first1=Margery K.|last1=Anderson|last2=Tarfa Nasser Alnaimi|last3=Shaikha Hamad Alhajri|date=1 November 2010|journal=Improving Schools|volume=13|issue=3|pages=235–248|doi=10.1177/1365480210390083|s2cid=144828063}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.english.education.gov.qa |title=Education for a New Era |access-date=25 March 2008 |publisher=Supreme Education Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050913005112/http://www.english.education.gov.qa/ |archive-date=13 September 2005 }}</ref> According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, the top-ranking universities in the country are Qatar University (1,881st worldwide), Texas A&M University at Qatar (3,905th) and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (6,855th).<ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar|url=http://www.webometrics.info/en/aw/Qatar|publisher=Ranking Web of Universities|access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref>

[[File:QatarUniversityEastView.jpg|thumb|right|Qatar University, east view]] In 2009, Qatar established the Qatar Science & Technology Park in Education City to link those universities with industry. Education City is also home to a fully accredited international Baccalaureate school, Qatar Academy. In addition, two Canadian institutions, the College of the North Atlantic (headquarters in Newfoundland and Labrador) and the University of Calgary, have inaugurated campuses in Doha. Other for-profit universities have also established campuses in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhlstenden.com/en/locations/qatar-doha |title=NHL Stenden University Qatar |access-date=22 May 2009 }}</ref>

In 2012, Qatar was ranked third from the bottom of the 65 OECD countries participating in the PISA test of mathematics, reading and skills for 15- and 16-year-olds, despite having the highest per capita income in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|title=PISA 2012 Results in Focus|publisher=OECD|year=2014|page=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Key findings – Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development|url=http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results.htm|publisher=Oecd.org|access-date=30 December 2013}}</ref> Qatar was ranked 48th in the Global Innovation Index in 2025,<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/qatar |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=World Intellectual Property Organization |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref> up from 65th in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2019|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|access-date=2 September 2021|website=www.wipo.int|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=28 October 2013|title=Global Innovation Index|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|access-date=2 September 2021|website=INSEAD Knowledge|language=en|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|url-status=dead}}</ref>

As part of its national development strategy, Qatar has outlined a 10-year strategic plan to improve the level of education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Qatar National Development Strategy 2011~2016|date=March 2011|url=http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/knowledge_center/Tab/Qatar_NDS_reprint_complete_lowres_16May.pdf|access-date=24 March 2015|location=Doha, Qatar|publisher=Gulf Publishing and Printing Company|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402104820/http://www.gsdp.gov.qa/portal/page/portal/gsdp_en/knowledge_center/Tab/Qatar_NDS_reprint_complete_lowres_16May.pdf|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> The government has launched educational outreach programs, such as Al-Bairaq. Al-Bairaq was launched in 2010 aims to provide high school students with an opportunity to experience a research environment in the Center for Advanced Materials in Qatar University. The programme encompasses the STEM fields and languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qu.edu.qa/offices/research/CAM/dmsprogram/index.php |title=Welcome to Al-Bairaq World |publisher=Qu.edu.qa |date=6 March 2014 |access-date=14 July 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419220638/http://www.qu.edu.qa/offices/research/CAM/dmsprogram/index.php |archive-date=19 April 2014 }}</ref>

Launched in 2006 as part of an initiative of the Qatar Foundation, the Qatar National Research Fund was created with the intent of securing public funds for scientific research. The fund functions as a means to diversify its economy from a primarily oil and gas-based one to a knowledge-based economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.qatar.tamu.edu/news-and-events/news/2021/01/26/qf-partner-texas-a-and-m-at-qatar-receives-11-qnrf-grants-for-research-to-benefit-qatar/|title=QF partner Texas A&M at Qatar receives 11 QNRF grants for research to benefit Qatar|publisher=Texas A&M University at Qatar|date=26 January 2021|access-date=2 September 2021|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902194211/https://www.qatar.tamu.edu/news-and-events/news/2021/01/26/qf-partner-texas-a-and-m-at-qatar-receives-11-qnrf-grants-for-research-to-benefit-qatar/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) was established by Qatar Foundation in March 2009 as an attempt to assist the country's transition towards a knowledge economy.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9FBDwAAQBAJ|title=Transitioning Towards a Knowledge Society|first1=Julia |last1=Gremm |first2=Julia |last2=Barth |first3=Kaja J. |last3=Fietkiewicz |first4=Wolfgang G. |last4=Stock|publisher=Springer International Publishing|year=2017|page=49|isbn=9783319711959 }}</ref><ref name="menon">{{cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-foundation-pumps-800-million-into-r-d-hub-65118.html|title=Qatar Foundation pumps $800 million into R&D hub|newspaper=Arabian Business|author=Vineetha Menon|date=23 February 2009|access-date=2 September 2021}}</ref> With a seed capital of $800 million and initially hosting 21 organisations,<ref name="menon" /> the QSTP became Qatar's first free-trade zone.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dohanews.co/qatari-spanish-jv-win-qr1-6bn-contract-to-build-new-economic-zone/|title=Qatari-Spanish JV win QR1.6bn contract to build new economic zone|publisher=Doha News|author=Lesley Walker|date=14 July 2015|access-date=2 September 2021|archive-date=7 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207152024/http://dohanews.co/qatari-spanish-jv-win-qr1-6bn-contract-to-build-new-economic-zone/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Health=== {{main|Health in Qatar}}

{{see also|Healthcare in Qatar}} Healthcare standards are generally high. Qatari citizens are covered by a national health-insurance plan, while expatriates must either receive health insurance from their employers, or in the case of the self-employed, purchase insurance.<ref name="imtj">{{cite web|url=http://www.imtj.com/news/?entryid82=429611|title=QATAR: Compulsory health insurance leaves window for treatment abroad|publisher=International Medical Travel Journal|date=21 October 2013|access-date=23 July 2015|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724073236/http://www.imtj.com/news/?entryid82=429611|url-status=live}}</ref> Government healthcare spending is among the highest in the Middle East, with $4.7 billion being invested in healthcare in 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-s-2015-healthcare-expenditure-worth-5-2bn-599419.html#.VbFeOflViko|title=Qatar's 2015 healthcare expenditure worth $5.2bn|newspaper=Arabian Business|date=13 July 2015|access-date=23 July 2015|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724170030/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-s-2015-healthcare-expenditure-worth-5-2bn-599419.html#.VbFeOflViko|url-status=live}}</ref> This was a $2.1 billion increase from 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-is-mideast-s-biggest-healthcare-spender-467863.html|title=Qatar is MidEast's biggest healthcare spender|newspaper=Arabian Business|author=Shane McGinley|date=30 July 2012|access-date=23 July 2015|archive-date=5 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705022728/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-is-mideast-s-biggest-healthcare-spender-467863.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The premier healthcare provider is Hamad Medical Corporation, established by the government as a non-profit healthcare provider, which runs a network of hospitals, ambulance services, and a home healthcare service, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://hamad.qa/EN/About-Us/Our-Accreditations/Pages/default.aspx |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=hamad.qa |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Newspaper |first=The Peninsula |date=26 August 2022 |title=HMC marks 16 years of accreditation in a row by JCI |url=https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/26/08/2022/hmc-marks-16-years-of-accreditation-in-a-row-by-jci |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=thepeninsulaqatar.com |language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 2.2% of the country's GDP; the highest in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-is-mideast-s-biggest-healthcare-spender-467863.html|title=Qatar is MidEast's biggest healthcare spender|newspaper=Arabian Business|author=Shane McGinley|date=30 July 2012|access-date=3 July 2015|archive-date=5 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705022728/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-is-mideast-s-biggest-healthcare-spender-467863.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2006, there were 23.12 physicians and 61.81 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants.<ref>{{cite web|title=Health report|url=https://www.who.int/countries/qat/en|publisher=World Health Organization|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=29 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329111644/http://www.who.int/countries/qat/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> The life expectancy at birth was 82.08 years in 2014, or 83.27 years for males and 77.95 years for females, rendering it the highest life expectancy in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite web|title=Life expectancy in the Middle East|url=http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/life-expectancy-middle-east|publisher=World Life Expectancy|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=15 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415010118/http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/life-expectancy-middle-east|url-status=live}}</ref> Qatar has a low infant mortality rate of 7 in 100,000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mortality rate, infant (per 1,000 live births)|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?order=wbapi_data_value_2013+wbapi_data_value+wbapi_data_value-last&sort=asc|publisher=The World Bank|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=17 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317155758/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN?order=wbapi_data_value_2013%20wbapi_data_value%20wbapi_data_value-last&sort=asc|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2006, there were 25 beds per 10,000 people, and 27.6 doctors and 73.8 nurses per 10,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allianzworldwidecare.com/healthcare-in-qatar|title=Healthcare in Qatar|publisher=Allianz|access-date=23 July 2015|archive-date=18 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618014351/http://www.allianzworldwidecare.com/healthcare-in-qatar|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2011, the number of beds decreased to 12 per 10,000 people, whereas the number of doctors increased to 28 per 10,000 people. While the country has one of the lowest proportions of hospital beds in the region, the availability of physicians is the highest in the GCC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dohanews.co/report-qatars-healthcare-sector-fastest-growing-region/|title=Report: Qatar's healthcare sector the fastest growing in the region|publisher=Doha News|date=25 April 2014|access-date=23 July 2015|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724072656/http://dohanews.co/report-qatars-healthcare-sector-fastest-growing-region/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Culture== {{Main|Culture of Qatar}}

{{See also|List of festivals in Qatar}} The culture of Qatar is similar to other countries in Eastern Arabia, being significantly influenced by Islam. Qatar National Day, hosted annually on 18 December, has had an important role in developing a sense of national identity.<ref>{{cite book|last=Kamrava|first=Mehran|title=Qatar: Small State, Big Politics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oT_3XpqlgQoC|publisher=Cornell University Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0801452093}}</ref> It is observed in remembrance of Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani's succession to the throne and his subsequent unification of the country's various tribes.<ref>{{cite news|title=Qatar National Day 2011|url=http://www.timeoutdoha.com/gallery/28438-qatar-national-day-2011#.ULXViaysiSo|newspaper=Time Out Doha|date=29 November 2011|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225050318/https://www.timeoutdoha.com/gallery/28438-qatar-national-day-2011#.ULXViaysiSo|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://dohanews.co/everything-you-need-to-know-about-qatar-national-day/|title=Everything you need to know about Qatar National Day 2012|publisher=Doha News|date=10 December 2012|access-date=18 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219051048/http://dohanews.co/everything-you-need-to-know-about-qatar-national-day/|archive-date=19 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Doha Cultural Festival is one of the cultural activities carried out annually by the Qatari Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, which began in 2002 with the aim of spreading Qatari culture inside and outside Qatar.<ref>{{Cite web |date=22 June 2015 |title=State of Qatar |url=https://ich.unesco.org/doc/src/31520.pdf}}</ref>

===Arts=== {{main|Collecting practices of the Al-Thani Family|Qatari art|Public art in Qatar}}

[[File:Old Palace at National Museum of Qatar.jpg|thumb|National Museum of Qatar in Doha]] Qatari officials, especially the Al Thani family and the sister of the Emir of Qatar, Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, pay special attention to art.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artnews.com/art-collectors/top-200-profiles/sheikha-al-mayassa-bint-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani/|title=Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani|date=10 September 2017|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228033432/https://www.artnews.com/art-collectors/top-200-profiles/sheikha-al-mayassa-bint-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.artfortomorrow.org/speakers-moderators/he-sheika-al-mayassa-bint-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani/|title=H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani – Chairperson, Qatar Museums|website=www.artfortomorrow.org|access-date=28 December 2022|archive-date=28 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221228033436/https://www.artfortomorrow.org/speakers-moderators/he-sheika-al-mayassa-bint-hamad-bin-khalifa-al-thani/|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Mayassa leads the Qatar Museums Authority. The Museum of Islamic Art, opened in 2008, is regarded as one of the best museums in the region.<ref name="sandsmith">{{cite news|title=Art in Qatar: A Smithsonian in the sand|url=https://www.economist.com/culture/2010/12/29/a-smithsonian-in-the-sand|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=16 June 2013|date=1 January 2011|archive-date=18 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018120109/http://www.economist.com/node/17797006|url-status=live}}</ref> This and several other Qatari museums, like the Arab Museum of Modern Art, fall under the Qatar Museums Authority,<ref>{{cite web|title=QMA Board of Trustees|url=http://www.qma.org.qa/online/index.php/en/about-us/board-of-trustees|publisher=Qatar Museums Authority|access-date=12 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092712/http://www.qma.org.qa/online/index.php/en/about-us/board-of-trustees|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref> which also sponsors artistic events abroad, such as major exhibitions by Takahashi Murakami in Versailles (2010) and Damien Hirst in London (2012).

[[File:IslamicArtMuseumDohaSkyline.jpg|thumb|Museum of Islamic Art in Doha]]

Qatar is the world's biggest buyer in the art market by value.<ref name=theart>{{cite news|title=Qatar revealed as the world's biggest contemporary art buyer|url=http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Qatar+revealed+as+the+world%E2%80%99s+biggest+contemporary+art+buyer/24185|newspaper=The Art Newspaper|access-date=16 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307065133/http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Qatar+revealed+as+the+world%E2%80%99s+biggest+contemporary+art+buyer/24185|archive-date=7 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Qatari cultural sector is being developed to enable the country to reach world recognition to contribute to the development of a country that comes mainly from its resources from the gas industry.<ref>{{cite web|last = Bohas|first = Alexander|title = The Political Trump-Cards of Cultural Potency Qatar's Policy of 'Cultural Grandeur'|url = http://www.chaos-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=580%3Athe-political-trump-cards-of-cultural-potency-qatars-policy-of-cultural-grandeur&catid=49%3Alist-of-pac&directory=65&lang=fr&d0be771fd5b4869be0ea91b8cce6b72e=306e651d1e1820724639ce6e92e6acf3|work = Chaos International|access-date = 13 April 2013|archive-date = 25 October 2014|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025103108/http://www.chaos-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=580:the-political-trump-cards-of-cultural-potency-qatars-policy-of-cultural-grandeur&catid=49:list-of-pac&directory=65&lang=fr&d0be771fd5b4869be0ea91b8cce6b72e=306e651d1e1820724639ce6e92e6acf3|url-status = live}}</ref>

===Literature=== Qatari literature traces its origins back to the 19th century. Originally, written poetry was the most common form of expression. Abdul Jalil Al-Tabatabai and Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Uthaymeen, two poets dating back to the early 19th century, formed the corpus of Qatar's earliest written poetry. Poetry later fell out of favour after Qatar began reaping the profits from oil exports in the mid-20th century and many Qataris abandoned their Bedouin traditions in favour of more urban lifestyles.<ref name="tawfiq">{{cite web|url=http://aljasra.org/archive/cms/?p=2727|script-title=ar:الشعر في قطر علي امتداد مائة سنة|publisher=Al Jasra Cultural and Social Club|author=Hassan Tawfiq|language=ar|date=1 May 2015|access-date=29 August 2018|archive-date=27 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827075610/http://aljasra.org/archive/cms/?p=2727|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to the increasing number of Qataris who began receiving formal education during the 1950s and other significant societal changes, 1970 witnessed the introduction of the first short story anthology, and in 1993 the first locally authored novels were published. Poetry, particularly the predominant nabati form, retained some importance but would soon be overshadowed by other literary types.<ref name="tawfiq"/> Unlike most other forms of art in Qatari society, women have been involved in the modern literature movement to a similar extent to men.<ref name="cambridge1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pk5TA0sfERIC&pg=PA448|title=Modern Arabic Literature|author=Muḥammad Muṣṭafá Badawī|author2=Muhammad Mustafa Badawi|author3=M. M. Badawi|author4=María Rosa Menocal|author5=Raymond P. Scheindlin|author6=Michael Sells|name-list-style=amp|publisher=Cambridge University Press|volume=3|page=448|year=1992|isbn=9780521331975}}</ref>

===Media=== [[File:Al Jazeera English Newsdesk.jpg|thumb|The news desk of Al Jazeera English, a Qatari news channel]] {{Main|Mass media in Qatar}}

Qatar's media was classified as "not free" in the 2014 Freedom of the Press report by Freedom House.<ref name="freedomhouse1"/> Television broadcasting started in 1970 with the inauguration of Qatar TV.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Barrie Gunter|author2=Roger Dickinson|title=News Media in the Arab World: A Study of 10 Arab and Muslim Countries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=89pMZd0JhDsC&pg=PA33|access-date=8 February 2014|date=6 June 2013|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-1-4411-0239-3|page=33}}</ref> Al Jazeera is a main television network headquartered in Doha. Al Jazeera initially launched in 1996 as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel of the same name and has since expanded into a global network of several speciality TV channels.

It has been reported that journalists practice self-censorship, particularly in regards to the government and ruling family of Qatar.<ref name="blanchard">{{cite book|last=Blanchard|first=Christopher|title=Qatar: Background and U.S. Relations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y7GCvg2eCx4C|publisher=Congressional Research Service|year=2014|page=17|isbn=9781437987089}}</ref> Criticism of the government, emir, and ruling family in the media is illegal. According to article 46 of the press law "The Emir of the state of Qatar shall not be criticised and no statement can be attributed to him unless under a written permission from the manager of his office."<ref>{{cite news|title=Awaiting a Modern Press Law in Qatar|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/opinion/global/Awaiting-a-Modern-Press-Law-in-Qatar.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=16 June 2013|first=Richard J.|last=Roth|date=8 May 2013|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170310/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/09/opinion/global/Awaiting-a-Modern-Press-Law-in-Qatar.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Journalists are also subject to prosecution for insulting Islam.<ref name="freedomhouse1">{{cite web|url=https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2014/qatar#.VL1KFkfF95a|title=Qatar Freedom of the Press|publisher=Freedom House|access-date=19 January 2015|archive-date=30 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330170221/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-press/2014/qatar#.VL1KFkfF95a|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2014, a Cybercrime Prevention Law was passed. The law is said to restrict press freedom and carries prison sentences and fines for broad reasons such as jeopardising local peace or publishing false news.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpj.org/2014/09/new-cybercrime-law-could-have-serious-consequences.php|title=New cybercrime law could have serious consequences for press freedom in Qatar|publisher=cpj.org|date=27 September 2014|access-date=19 January 2015|archive-date=23 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190423121229/https://cpj.org/2014/09/new-cybercrime-law-could-have-serious-consequences.php|url-status=live}}</ref> The Gulf Centre for Human Rights has stated that the law is a threat to freedom of speech and has called for certain articles of the law to be revoked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/747|title=Qatar: New Cyber Crime Law poses real threat to Freedom of Expression|publisher=gc4hr.org|date=17 September 2014|access-date=19 January 2015|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718022453/https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/747|url-status=live}}</ref>

Press media has undergone expansion in recent years. There are currently seven newspapers in circulation in Qatar, with four being published in Arabic and three being published in English.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Report: Qatar 2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BT1gIeuQq6wC|publisher=Oxford Business Group|year=2010|page=237|isbn=9781907065446}}</ref> There are also newspapers from India, Nepal and Sri Lanka with editions printed from Qatar.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newspaper |first=The Peninsula |date=15 December 2014 |title=Qatar has 122 publications in 8 languages |url=https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/12/2014/qatar-has-122-publications-in-8-languages |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=thepeninsulaqatar.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=South Asian Newspapers (Open Access) |url=https://www.eastview.com/resources/gpa/crl-san/ |access-date=2 April 2025 |website=East View |language=en-US}}</ref>

In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Qatar is the highest-ranked Middle Eastern country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI)—an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Qatar ranked number 23 overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |title=NRI Overall Ranking 2014 |publisher=World Economic Forum |access-date=28 June 2014 |archive-date=25 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161025102647/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GITR/2014/GITR_OverallRanking_2014.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Music=== The music of Qatar is based on Bedouin poetry, song and dance. Traditional dances in Doha are performed on Friday afternoons; one such dance is the Ardah, a stylised martial dance performed by two rows of dancers who are accompanied by an array of percussion instruments, including al-ras (a large drum whose leather is heated by an open fire), tambourines and cymbals with small drums.<ref name="qatarembassy1"/> Other percussion instruments used in folk music include ''galahs'' (a tall clay jar) and tin drinking cups known as ''tus'' or ''tasat'', usually used in conjunction with a ''tabl'', a longitudinal drum beaten with a stick.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Tourism,+Culture+and+Leisure/heritageandcultural|title=Heritage and Culture|publisher=Qatar e-Gov|access-date=26 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304223231/http://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Tourism,+Culture+and+Leisure/heritageandcultural|archive-date=4 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> String instruments, such as the oud and rebaba, are also commonly used.<ref name="qatarembassy1">{{cite web|url=http://www.qatarembassy.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:arts-and-culture&catid=12:tourism-culture-and-leisure&Itemid=4|title=Arts and Culture|publisher=Embassy of Qatar in London|access-date=25 June 2015|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305023616/http://qatarembassy.info/index.php?catid=12:tourism-culture-and-leisure&id=61:arts-and-culture&itemid=4&option=com_content&view=article|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Sport=== [[File:C3a.jpg|thumb|Lusail Sports Arena]] [[File:Education City Stadium.jpg|thumb|Education City Stadium during 2022 FIFA World Cup]] Association football is the most popular sport in Qatar, both in terms of players and spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Healthcare+and+Well-being/qatarasportingnation|title=Qatar – a Sporting Nation|publisher=Qatar e-Government|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020024944/https://portal.www.gov.qa/wps/portal/topics/Healthcare+and+Well-being/qatarasportingnation|url-status=live}}</ref> Shortly after the Qatar Football Association became affiliated with FIFA in 1970, one of the country's earliest international accolades came in 1981 when the Qatar national under-20 team's emerged as runners-up to West Germany in that year's edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship after being defeated 4–0 in the final. At the senior level, Qatar has played host to three editions of the AFC Asian Cup; the first being the ninth edition in 1988, the second being the fifteenth edition held in 2011, and the third being the eighteenth edition held in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/asian-cup/fox-sports-brings-you-everything-you-need-to-know-and-a-few-things-you-dont-about-the-2011-afc-asian-cup/story-e6frf4fu-1225979619978|title=Fox Sports brings you everything you need to know – and a few things you don't – about the Asian Cup|work=Fox Sports|last1=Gibbes|first1=Martin|last2=Schiller|first2=Emma|date=4 January 2011|access-date=12 March 2015|archive-date=15 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015181305/http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/asian-cup/fox-sports-brings-you-everything-you-need-to-know-and-a-few-things-you-dont-about-the-2011-afc-asian-cup/story-e6frf4fu-1225979619978|url-status=live}}</ref> For the first time in the country's history, the Qatar national football team won the AFC Asian Cup in the 2019 edition hosted in the United Arab Emirates, beating Japan 3–1 in the final. They won all seven of their matches, conceding only a single goal throughout the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/01/qatar-stun-japan-with-3-1-win-to-be-crowned-asian-cup-champions|title=Qatar stun Japan with 3–1 win to be crowned Asian Cup champions|date=1 February 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=5 February 2019|archive-date=21 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121184539/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/feb/01/qatar-stun-japan-with-3-1-win-to-be-crowned-asian-cup-champions|url-status=live}}</ref> As hosts and defending champions in the following 2023 edition, Qatar successfully retained their title, defeating Jordan in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/afif_stars_as_qatar_defeat_jordan_to_retain_title.html |title=Afif stars as Qatar defeat Jordan to retain title |date=10 February 2024 |access-date=10 February 2024 |publisher=Asian Football Confederation |archive-date=19 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240219062450/https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/afc_asian_cup/news/afif_stars_as_qatar_defeat_jordan_to_retain_title.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 2 December 2010, Qatar won their bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, despite never previously qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Finals.<ref>{{cite news |title=Russia, Qatar win 2018 and 2022 World Cups|author=Paul Radford|newspaper=Reuters|date=2 December 2010|url=https://af.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idAFJOE6B10FA20101202|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205014106/http://af.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idAFJOE6B10FA20101202|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 December 2010|access-date=2 December 2010}}</ref> Local organisers built seven new stadiums and expanded one existing stadium for this event.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/59868204 "World Cup 2022: A guide to the eight World Cup stadiums in Qatar"] (1 April 2022). ''BBC''. Retrieved 3 April 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 2018 |title=Stadiums |url=https://www.sc.qa/en/stadiums |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171114015238/http://www.sc.qa/en/stadiums |archive-date=14 November 2017 |access-date=8 January 2018 |website=Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy}}</ref> Qatar's winning bid for the 2022 World Cup was greeted enthusiastically in the Persian Gulf region as it was the first time a country in the Middle East had been selected to host the tournament. At the same time, the bid was embroiled in much controversy, including allegations of bribery and interference in the investigation of the alleged bribery. European football associations also objected to the 2022 World Cup being held in Qatar for a variety of reasons, from the impact of warm temperatures on players' fitness, to the disruption it might cause in European domestic league calendars should the event be rescheduled to take place during winter.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.qatarchronicle.com/sports/35752/europes-top-leagues-protest-against-2022-winter-world-cup-in-qatar/ |title= Europe's Top Leagues protest against 2022 winter World Cup in Qatar |work= Qatar Chronicle |date= 12 August 2013 |access-date= 21 August 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130817110819/http://www.qatarchronicle.com/sports/35752/europes-top-leagues-protest-against-2022-winter-world-cup-in-qatar/ |archive-date= 17 August 2013 |url-status=dead |df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url = http://www.qatarchronicle.com/sports/34172/fifa-wants-qatar-2022-postponed-to-winter/|title = Fifa wants Qatar 2022 postponed to Winter|publisher = Qatar Chronicle|date = 20 July 2013|access-date = 21 August 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141110211907/http://www.qatarchronicle.com/sports/34172/fifa-wants-qatar-2022-postponed-to-winter/|archive-date = 10 November 2014|url-status=dead|df = dmy-all}}</ref> In May 2014, Qatari football official Mohammed bin Hammam was accused of making payments totalling £3 million to officials in return for their support for the Qatar bid.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27652181 |title=BBC Sport – Qatar World Cup: '£3m payments to officials' corruption claim |work=BBC Sport |access-date=1 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Ronay|first=Barney|date=8 October 2022 |title=Blatter to Beckham: who was in the room when Qatar got the World Cup |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/08/blatter-to-beckham-who-was-in-the-room-when-qatar-got-the-world-cup |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=The Guardian }}</ref> A FIFA inquiry into the bidding process in November 2014 cleared Qatar of any wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30031405|title=World Cup inquiry clears Qatar but criticises English FA|publisher=BBC|date=13 November 2014|access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ronay|first=Barney|date=8 October 2022 |title=Football corruption and the remarkable road to Qatar's World Cup |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/oct/08/football-corruption-and-the-remarkable-road-to-qatar-world-cup |access-date=29 November 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

''The Guardian'', a British national daily newspaper, produced a short documentary named "Abuse and exploitation of migrant workers preparing emirate for 2022".<ref name="Guardian20130925">{{cite news|last = Pattisson|first = Pete|title = Revealed: Qatar's World Cup 'slaves'|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/25/revealed-qatars-world-cup-slaves|access-date = 26 September 2013|newspaper = The Guardian|date = 25 September 2013|quote = So entrenched is this exploitation that the Nepalese ambassador to Qatar, Maya Kumari Sharma, recently described the emirate as an "open jail".}}</ref> A 2014 investigation by ''The Guardian'' reported that migrant workers who had been constructing luxurious offices for the organisers of the 2022 World Cup had not been paid in over a year, and were now "working illegally from cockroach-infested lodgings".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/jul/28/qatar-world-cup-migrants-not-paid-building-office|title=Qatar World Cup: migrants wait a year to be paid for building offices|newspaper=The Guardian|last1=Booth|first1=Robert|last2=Pattisson|first2=Pete|date=28 July 2014|access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref> For 2014, Nepalese migrants involved in constructing infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup died at a rate of one every two days.<ref>Owen Gibson and Pete Pattisson (23 December 2014). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/dec/23/qatar-nepal-workers-world-cup-2022-death-toll-doha Death toll among Qatar's 2022 World Cup workers revealed]. ''The Guardian.'' Retrieved 29 May 2015.</ref> The Qatar 2022 organising committee responded to various allegations by claiming that hosting the World Cup in Qatar would act as a "catalyst for change" in the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/15/qatar-world-cup-bid-2022|title=Qatar hits back at allegations of bribery over 2022 World Cup|last=Gibson|first=Owen|work=The Guardian|date=14 June 2014|access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref> According to a February 2021 article in ''The Guardian'', some 6,500 migrant construction workers had died.<ref>{{cite news |last=Pattisson |first=Pete |display-authors=etal.|date=23 February 2021 |title=Revealed: 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since World Cup awarded |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/23/revealed-migrant-worker-deaths-qatar-fifa-world-cup-2022 |work=The Guardian |location= |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref> However, the World Cup in Qatar was the most expensive in the competition's history and had many modern technologies, with many expressing their satisfaction with the country's handling of the tournament.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12098/12643330/world-cup-2022-qatar-tournament-to-feature-semi-automated-offside-technology-with-ball-sensors-and-cameras|title=World Cup 2022: Qatar tournament to feature semi-automated offside technology with ball sensors and cameras|website=Sky Sports}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=December 2023}}

Qatar was estimated to host a football fanbase of 1.6 million for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, the construction work in country was expected to only take the available 37,000 hotel rooms to 70,000 by the end of 2021. In December 2019, the Qatari World Cup officials approached the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival in England and the Coachella Festival in the United States, to plan huge desert campsites for thousands of football fans. The World Cup campsites on the outskirts were reported to have licenced bars, restaurants, entertainment and washing facilities. Moreover, two cruise ships were also reserved as temporary floating accommodations for nearly 40,000 people during the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thefloridapost.com/football-fans-to-sleep-in-glastonbury-like-tented-villages-at-qatar-world-cup/|title=Football fans to sleep in Glastonbury-like tented villages at Qatar World Cup|access-date=22 December 2019|website=The Florida Post|archive-date=26 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191226093733/https://thefloridapost.com/football-fans-to-sleep-in-glastonbury-like-tented-villages-at-qatar-world-cup/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Khalifa International Stadium.jpg|thumb|Khalifa International Stadium]]

[[File:17 11 2021 - Visita ao Estádio Lusail (51688270420).jpg|thumb|Lusail Iconic Stadium with capacity of 80,000 seats]] Though football is the most popular sport, other team sports have experienced considerable success at senior level. In 2015, the national handball team emerged as runners-up to France in the World Men's Handball Championship as hosts, however the tournament was marred by numerous controversies regarding the host nation and its team.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/153/pdf/88OMR.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201181403/http://www.ihf.info/files/CompetitionData/153/pdf/88OMR.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 February 2015|title=Match report|publisher=International Handball Federation|access-date=12 March 2015}}</ref> Further, in 2014, Qatar won the world championship in men's 3x3 basketball.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://russia2014.fiba.com/|title=2014 FIBA 3x3 World Championships|publisher=International Basketball Federation|access-date=13 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031210632/http://russia2014.fiba.com/|archive-date=31 October 2015}}</ref>

Cricket is popular amongst the South Asian diaspora in Qatar. Casual street cricket is the most popular format of the game, but the Qatar Cricket Association has been a member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1999 and the men's and women's national teams both play regularly in ICC competitions. The primary cricket ground in Qatar is the West End Park International Cricket Stadium.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2022/8/5/adrenaline-rush-how-street-cricket-has-evolved-in-qatar|title='Adrenaline rush': How street cricket has evolved in Qatar|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=5 August 2022|accessdate=22 November 2022}}</ref>

Basketball is a developed sport amongst Asian people in Qatar. Qatar hosted the 2005 FIBA Asia Championship, 2013 FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship, 2014 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship and 2022 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} Qatar will host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup making this become the first Arab country to host the FIBA Basketball World Cup.<ref name="qatar2027">{{cite web|url=https://www.fiba.basketball/news/qatar-announced-as-host-of-the-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2027|title=Qatar announced as host of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 |publisher=FIBA|access-date=28 April 2023|date=28 April 2023}}</ref>

Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha hosted the WTA Tour Championships in women's tennis between 2008 and 2010. Doha holds the WTA Premier tournament Qatar Ladies Open annually. Since 2002, Qatar has hosted the annual Tour of Qatar, a cycling race in six stages. Every February, riders are racing on the roads across Qatar's flat land for six days. Each stage covers a distance of more than 100 km, though the time trial usually is a shorter distance. Tour of Qatar is organised by the Qatar Cycling Federation for professional riders in the category of Elite Men.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTQA.html |title=The homepage of Tour of Qatar |publisher=Letour.fr |date=1 December 1994 |access-date=22 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116235824/http://www.letour.fr/us/homepage_courseTQA.html |archive-date=16 January 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Qatar Army Skydiving Team has several different skydiving disciplines placing among the top nations in the world. The Qatar National Parachute team performs annually during Qatar's National Day and at other large events, such as the 2015 World Handball Championship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skydivemag.com/article/incredible-demo-at-doha|title=Skydive Mag – Incredible Demo at Doha|first=Chris|last=Gay|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-date=7 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190207015733/http://www.skydivemag.com/article/incredible-demo-at-doha|url-status=dead}}</ref> Doha four times was the host of the official FIVB Volleyball Men's Club World Championship and three times host FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship. Doha also hosted the Asian Volleyball Championship once.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volleyball.qa/en/|title=QVA – Qatar Volleyball Association|website=QVA|access-date=5 June 2017|archive-date=3 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803171632/http://www.volleyball.qa/en/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Countries|Asia|Geography }} * Internet in Qatar * List of Qatar-related topics * Outline of Qatar {{Clear}}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading== * {{cite book |last1=Al-Tamimi |first1=Nawaf |last2=Amin |first2=Azzam |last3=Zarrinabadi |first3=Nourollah |title=Qatar's Nation Branding and Soft Power: Exploring the Effects on National Identity and International Stance |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-24651-7 |year=2023 |isbn=978-3-031-24651-7 |publisher=Springer Nature |doi=10.1007/978-3-031-24651-7 }} * {{cite book |last1=Bantekas |first1=Ilias |last2=Al-Ahmed |first2=Ahmed |title=Contract Law of Qatar |year=2023 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/contract-law-of-qatar/F2DD12EA391FE77B26948ED57D5E185E |isbn=9781009052009 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}} * {{cite book |editor-last1=Cochrane |editor-first1=Logan |editor-last2=Al-Hababi |editor-first2=Reem |title=Sustainable Qatar: Social, Political and Environmental Perspectives |series=Gulf Studies |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-19-7398-7 |year=2023 |volume=9 |isbn=978-981-19-7398-7 |publisher=Springer Nature |doi=10.1007/978-981-19-7398-7 }} * {{cite book |last=Scott-Jackson |first=Julie |title=Qatar: Evidence of the Palaeolithic Earliest People Revealed |url=https://www.archaeopress.com/Archaeopress/Products/9781803270500 |year=2021 |isbn=9781803270517 |publisher=Archaeopress}} * {{cite book |last=Al-Kuwari |first=Maryam |title=Tribal Reawakening and the Future of State-Building in Kuwait and Qatar |series=Gulf Studies |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-97-9663-2 |year=2025 |volume=20 |isbn=978-981-97-9663-2 |publisher=Springer Nature |doi=10.1007/978-981-97-9663-2 }} * {{cite book |editor-last1=Zaidan |editor-first1=Esmat |editor-last2=Tok |editor-first2=Evren |editor-last3=Al-Fadala |editor-first3=Asmaa |editor-last4=Cochrane |editor-first4=Logan |title=The Future of Education Policy in the State of Qatar |series=Gulf Studies |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-97-9667-0 |year=2025 |volume=21 |isbn=978-981-97-9667-0 |publisher=Springer Nature |doi=10.1007/978-981-97-9667-0 }} * {{cite book |editor-last1=Elbanna |editor-first1=Said |editor-last2=Elsharnouby |editor-first2=Tamer |editor-last3=Aljafari |editor-first3=Abdullah |editor-last4=Fatima |editor-first4=Tahniyath |title=The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Unveiling Insights Beyond the Pitch |url=https://link.springer.com/book/9789819784134 |year=2025 |isbn=978-981-97-8414-1 |publisher=Springer Nature}}

==External links== {{Sister project links|voy=Qatar}} * [https://diwan.gov.qa Amiri Diwan] (official government website). * [https://web.archive.org/web/20260113131758/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/qatar/ Qatar]. ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency. * {{GovPubs|qatar}} * [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702226 Qatar] from the BBC News. * {{wikiatlas|Qatar}} * [http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=QA Key Development Forecasts for Qatar] from International Futures.

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