Extreme Poverty in Qatar: 1800 to Today (and Tomorrow)

The statistical arc of extreme poverty in Qatar is more than a list of percentages; it represents the changing reality of daily survival across three centuries. Behind these figures lie the individual experiences of families navigating shifting economic landscapes. When the share of people living below the international extreme poverty line of $2.15/day changes, it marks a transition in the fundamental ability to secure basic necessities. Tracking this metric from the 1800s to the 2100s provides a window into the long-term transformation of human welfare within the region.

The historical trajectory shows a slow, incremental decline followed by a rapid acceleration. In the 1800s estimate, 70 percent of the population lived in extreme poverty. This figure drifted downward across the 1800s estimate, 1810s estimate, 1820s estimate, 1830s estimate, 1840s estimate, 1850s estimate, 1860s estimate, 1870s estimate, 1880s estimate, 1890s estimate, and 1900s estimate, where it stood at 60 percent. The subsequent decades saw the rate fall through the 1910s estimate, 1920s estimate, 1930s estimate, 1940s estimate, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, eventually reaching 4 percent in the 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s.

For a person born in Qatar today, the landscape of extreme poverty is vastly different from that of their ancestors. In the 2020s, extreme poverty in Qatar stands at 4 percent—ranking #89 of 157 countries. Looking forward, the 2030s projection of 3 percent, 2040s projection of 2.25 percent, 2050s projection of 1.69 percent, 2060s projection of 1.27 percent, 2070s projection of 0.95 percent, 2080s projection of 0.71 percent, 2090s projection of 0.53 percent, and 2100s projection of 0.4 percent suggest a continued narrowing of this extreme condition. Use our tools to explore where you rank among everyone ever born.