Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Qatar: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MBA, ranked #22 of 195).
Qatar — in Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Political status: absolute monarchy. The country's capital is Doha; it covers 11,586 sq km. Independence: 3 September 1971 (from the UK). Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert. Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers. Population: 2.6 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +0.57% per year. Median age: 34.4 years. Life expectancy: 80.3 years (2024 est.). Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language Religions: Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.) Urban population: …
| Capital | Doha |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,568,426 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $317.064 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $110,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 2.8% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.3% |
| Unemployment | 0.2% |
| Public debt | 46.7% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $125.216 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $69.692 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 80.3 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 34.4 |
| Urbanization | 99.4% of total population (2023) |
| Government | absolute monarchy |
| Independence | 3 September 1971 (from the UK) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language |
MBA · 67/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A calm quarter for Doha: mediation capital spent quietly, energy revenues steady, no headline event to move the score either way.
Qatar's trajectory remains set by long-cycle gas and diplomacy — Jul–Sep 2026 simply confirmed the course.
Oil, Natural gas.
None. Amir TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani (since 25 June 2013)
Qatar maintains 107 embassies and 15 consulates abroad, holds permanent missions to EU Brussels, UN Geneva, UN New York. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 107 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 15 |
| Multilateral missions | EU Brussels, UN Geneva, UN New York |
Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, March 2026 report (Zenodo). Multilateral: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Qatar' (crawled 2026-10-01).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 563 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 8 + 12 heliports (registration prefix A7) |
| Major seaports | Al Rayyan Terminal, Al Shaheen Terminal, Doha, Jazirat Halul, Ras Laffan, Umm Said |
| Pipelines | 288 km condensate, 221 km condensate/gas, 2,383 km gas, 90 km liquid petroleum gas, 745 km oil, 103 km refined products (2013) |
Doha International Airport (DIA) — Doha; Hamad International Airport (DOH) — Doha.
| LNG export terminals | Ras Laffan |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | absolute monarchy |
|---|---|
| Last election | 2021 — Shura Council (advisory); 2021-10-02; winner: n/a — no parties permitted (n/a); Advisory body only; Emir retains ultimate authority AP News / Reuters |
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MBA · 67 Ranked #22 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Qatar.
