Qatar's population doubles since '04

POPULATION RISE: Both local and foreign residents rose 90% since 2004 according to reliable source. (Getty Images)

Qatar, which hosts hundreds of thousands of guest workers, said on Thursday its population had almost doubled since 2004 to more than 1.4 million.

The population of both Qataris and foreign residents rose 90% since 2004 and 18% over the last year, according to estimates published on Thursday by the General Secretariat for Development Planning.

It did not give a reason for the surge or a breakdown in nationality.

Qatar, like fellow Gulf Arab nations, relies heavily on foreign labourers to power a construction boom and energy industry expansions.

Men accounted for almost 76% of the population, according to the data.

The economy of Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, like in other Gulf oil exporting nations, is booming on a sixfold increase in crude oil prices since 2002.

Qatar relies heavily on foreign workers mainly from the Indian subcontinent and Arab countries such as Egypt. (Reuters)

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