Khaberni - A report issued by the Gulf Statistical Center, today, Saturday, expects the continuation of population growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries during the period from 2025 to 2050, with the population reaching about 83.6 million by 2050, along with an expected doubling in the number of elderly people to exceed 5.5 million.
The Population Indicators Report for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries explained that this demographic shift highlights the importance of developing long-term policies in urban planning, healthcare, labor markets, and social protection to ensure sustainable development in the council states, according to the Omani News Agency.
The report also mentioned that the total population of the Gulf Cooperation Council states reached about 61.5 million at the end of the year 2024, recording an increase of 8.5 million compared to 2019, with an average annual growth rate of 2.8%, which is almost three times the global rate, reflecting an acceleration in demographic growth in the region.
Regarding the age composition, the report indicated that the working-age group (15–64 years) constituted the majority of the population at 76.7%, compared to 20.6% for children (0–14 years), and about 2.6% for the elderly (65 years and over), reflecting a young society's character and a surplus in the workforce.
Gulf states recorded a total dependency ratio of approximately 30 children and elderly per 100 working-age individuals.
On the aspect of gender composition, the male percentage was 62.7% compared to 37.3% for females, with a sex ratio reaching 168 males for every 100 females, attributed to the demographic makeup linked to migrant labor in the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
In July last year, the Gulf Statistical Center announced that the population of the Gulf Cooperation Council states reached about 61.2 million by the end of the year 2024, an increase of 2.1 million compared to 2023, representing a growth rate of 36%.
The center also reported that the Gulf population represents 0.7% of the world's population, a figure that reflects the relative demographic weight of the Gulf states in the global context, despite their varying geographical sizes.
