Qatar

State of Qatar
دولة قطر (Arabic)
*Dawlat Qaṭar*
State of Qatar دولة قطر (Arabic); Dawlat Qaṭar
	Flag Emblem
	Motto: الله، الوطن، الأمير; Allāh, al-Waṭan, al-Amir; "God, Nation, Emir"
	Anthem: السلام الأميري; As-Salām al-Amīrī; "Peace to the Emir"
Capital and largest city	Doha; 25°18′N 51°31′E / 25.300°N 51.517°E
Official languages	Arabic
Ethnic groups (2019)	49% Arab; 43% South Asian 21.8% Indian; 12.5% Bangladeshi; 4.7% Pakistani; 4.35% Sri Lankan; ; ; 7% other;
Religion (2020)	65.5% Islam (official); 15.1% Hinduism; 14.2% Christianity; 3.3% Buddhism; 1.9% other;
Demonym	Qatari
Government	Unitary authoritarian semi-constitutional monarchy
• Emir	Tamim bin Hamad
• Deputy Emir	Abdullah bin Hamad
• Prime Minister	Mohammed bin Abdulrahman
• Deputy Prime Minister	Saoud bin Abdulrahman
Legislature	Shura Council
Establishment
• Qatar National Day	18 December 1878
• Declared independence	1 September 1971
• Independence from the United Kingdom	3 September 1971
Area
• Total	11,581 km2 (4,471 sq mi) (158th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2025 estimate	3,214,609 (134th)
• 2020 census	2,846,118
• Density	264/km2 (683.8/sq mi) (52nd)
GDP (PPP)	2025 estimate
• Total	$378.080 billion (60th)
• Per capita	$121,610 (4th)
GDP (nominal)	2025 estimate
• Total	$222.780 billion (54th)
• Per capita	$71,650 (9th)
Gini (2017)	35.1; medium inequality
HDI (2023)	0.886; very high (43rd)
Currency	Qatari riyal (QAR)
Time zone	UTC+3:00 (AST)
Calling code	+974
ISO 3166 code	QA
Internet TLD	.qa; قطر.;

Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, 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, which officially 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. He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The Shura Council (also known as the "Consultative Assembly") has a limited ability to block legislation and dismiss ministers, but is fully appointed by the emir, who also has the last say on these decisions. 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 Council.

On 21 June 2026, the population of Qatar was 3,180,059, although 3.02 million are foreign expatriates and migrant workers. Its official religion is Islam. The country has the fourth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world and the eleventh-highest GNI per capita (Atlas method). It ranks 42nd in the Human Development Index, the third-highest HDI in the Arab world. It is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves. Qatar is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.

In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as both a 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, 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. Qatar also forms part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.