By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter
Qatar had a population of 2,120,129 at the end of last month, a drop of over 224,000 - or nearly 10% - from the 2,344,557 recorded in June, according to new figures released by the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS).
While the fall in population in July is expected as many residents go on annual leave during this time, the drop witnessed this year is less than what was seen in 2014.
While the population at the end of June last year was 2,151,745, it fell by 231,783 - or around 11% - to settle at 1,919,962 on July 31, 2014.
The figure for July 31 this year is similar to the levels seen in February and March 2014, when the country's population was 2,116,400 and 2,144,101, respectively, according to MDPS data.
The highest population ever recorded in Qatar was 2,374,860 in May this year. July was the first time that the population fell below the 2.3mn mark since February this year, when this milestone was first achieved. The population in February was 2,334,029.
The population has been higher every month this year than in the corresponding period in 2014. For instance, the population at the end of this July was some 200,000 higher than in July 2014, statistics show.
The population is expected to increase over the next few months as residents return to the country and schools resume after the summer holidays. Also, large-scale new arrivals take place from the beginning of October, going by trends witnessed in previous years.
