Qatar's population fell marginally 0.8% at the end of January compared to the previous month, according to the Ministry of Development Planning & Statistics (MDPS).
However, the figure is still 6.3% higher than the population for the corresponding period last year, it said.
Usually, the population shows a slight increase every January compared to December, when a large number of residents, mainly expatriates, go on vacation and return to the country in January.
While the population was 2,597,000 at the end of December 2016, it declined to 2,576,000 in January. The latest figures were released on Wednesday by the MDPS based on the movement of people to and from the country in January.
Qatar had an all-time high population of 2,637,000 in November last year.
The months between May and September last year, as usual, showed a decline in the population as many residents remain outside the country due to vacation or adverse weather conditions.
The latest population is a little less than the figures of May 2016 when the country had 2,587,000 residents.
The lowest population of the recent times was in July 2016 (2,326,000) when a large number of residents were apparently on holidays. Although there was an increase in August (2,402,000) and September (2,553,000), it was still lower than the previous high in May.
The population surpassed the May figures only in October when it crossed the 2.6mn (2,611,000) mark for the first time.
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