Qatar feels the pressure
The football World Cup is coming to Qatar and bringing with it an even greater demographic imbalance. Only around 15% of the roughly 2 million population in Qatar are nationals and the bulk of the rest are foreign males aged between 20-49 years. The build up to the World Cup in 2022 will see major development projects intensify and exacerbate the demographic imbalance, already something of a sore spot for locals. The authorities are not too concerned about rumblings of public discontent in the short-term, and instead are focussed on longer-term development plans by spending huge amounts on preparing its nationals and the economy for a life not only after the World cup but after hydro-carbons.