Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar

Qatar: Number of airline passengers per year was 37.71 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
37.71 million
Change on year
up 28.0%
World rank
29th
of 183 countries
All-time high
37.71 million
in 2023
All-time low
127,500
in 1974
Years of data
50
1974–2023

Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar, 1974–2023

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M197419982023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2023, number of airline passengers per year in Qatar stood at 37.71 million. That is the highest value across all 50 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 28.0% on the previous year and up 101.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Qatar peaked at 37.71 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 127,500, in 1974.

That places Qatar 29th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar, year by year

Annual values for Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar, 1974 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1974 127,500 —
1975 173,000 +35.7%
1976 240,100 +38.8%
1977 299,800 +24.9%
1978 374,500 +24.9%
1979 456,500 +21.9%
1980 521,500 +14.2%
1981 577,800 +10.8%
1982 569,800 -1.4%
1983 601,800 +5.6%
1984 674,200 +12.0%
1985 717,500 +6.4%
1986 647,400 -9.8%
1987 621,500 -4.0%
1988 698,400 +12.4%
1989 752,800 +7.8%
1990 770,900 +2.4%
1991 875,500 +13.6%
1992 981,100 +12.1%
1993 1.08 million +10.1%
1994 1.15 million +6.5%
1995 1.07 million -6.8%
1996 1.20 million +11.9%
1997 1.16 million -3.0%
1998 1.21 million +3.6%
1999 2.33 million +92.6%
2000 2.67 million +15.0%
2001 2.78 million +3.9%
2002 3.57 million +28.5%
2003 3.18 million -10.8%
2004 4.45 million +39.9%
2005 6.04 million +35.7%
2006 7.07 million +17.0%
2007 8.88 million +25.6%
2008 9.70 million +9.3%
2009 10.21 million +5.2%
2010 12.39 million +21.4%
2011 14.57 million +17.6%
2012 17.19 million +18.0%
2013 18.74 million +9.0%
2014 21.43 million +14.3%
2015 25.26 million +17.9%
2016 31.21 million +23.5%
2017 29.95 million -4.0%
2018 29.18 million -2.6%
2019 32.95 million +12.9%
2020 10.64 million -67.7%
2021 14.83 million +39.4%
2022 29.47 million +98.7%
2023 37.71 million +28.0%

Qatar compared with similar countries

  • Qatar's 37.71 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.14 million, 4.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Qatar's 37.71 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.44 million, 5.9× the median. (22 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2022 +98.7% 14.83 million 29.47 million
1999 +92.6% 1.21 million 2.33 million
2020 -67.7% 32.95 million 10.64 million

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 278,567 127,500 456,500 6
1980s 638,270 521,500 752,800 10
1990s 1.18 million 770,900 2.33 million 10
2000s 5.86 million 2.67 million 10.21 million 10
2010s 23.29 million 12.39 million 32.95 million 10
2020s 23.16 million 10.64 million 37.71 million 4

Countries ranked near Qatar

  1. 26 Colombia 42.40 million compare
  2. 27 Philippines 41.50 million compare
  3. 28 Netherlands 41.44 million compare
  4. 30 Switzerland 27.73 million compare
  5. 31 Hong Kong 25.70 million compare
  6. 32 Chile 21.32 million compare

See the full ranking of 183 places →

More reference data data for Qatar

All data for Qatar →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of airline passengers per year in Qatar?
Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar was 37.71 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Qatar?
The highest recorded value was 37.71 million in 2023.
What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Qatar?
The lowest recorded value was 127,500 in 1974.
How does Qatar rank for number of airline passengers per year?
Qatar ranks 29th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Qatar?
Over the last ten years it is up 101.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Qatar data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of airline passengers per year in Qatar. Statizoid, drawing on International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-airline-passengers/qatar/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of airline passengers per year
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
183 places, 7,925 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.