Today's Edition
MUSCAT (WAM)
The population of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states increased from 56.6 million in 2022 to 59.1 million in 2023 and 61.5 million in 2024, before reaching around 62.8 million in 2025.
This represented an increase of 6.2 million people during the 2022-2025 period and an average annual growth rate of 3.5%, according to data issued by the GCC Statistical Centre (GCC-Stat).
The centre issued its Weekly Bulletin No. 338 to mark World Population Day, observed annually on July 11, under the theme, “Empowering Young People to Realise Their Hopes and Future Aspirations".
The bulletin reviewed key population indicators across the GCC states, highlighting continued population growth and the region’s youthful demographic structure, which offers significant opportunities for sustainable development.
The data showed that the GCC states account for around 0.8% of the world’s population. Projections indicate that the region’s population will continue to grow, reaching around 83.6 million by 2050, an increase of approximately 33.61% compared with 2025.
The bulletin noted that the GCC states continue to have a youthful demographic structure. In 2024, the region’s population stood at around 61.5 million, including 23.5 million young people aged 15-34, representing 38.2% of the total population.
The working-age population, aged 15-64, accounted for 76.7% of the total population, compared with 20.6% for children under the age of 15. Older persons aged 65 and above represented only 2.6%, reflecting the continued youthful nature of the GCC’s demographic structure.
The indicators also showed that the sex ratio across the GCC states stood at 168 males for every 100 females in 2024, while population density reached around 25.5 people per square kilometre.
Regarding the demographic dependency ratio, the bulletin showed that the total dependency ratio stood at 30.4 dependants for every 100 working-age people in 2024. This comprised 27.0 child dependants and 3.4 older dependants for every 100 working-age people.
The figures indicate that children account for a significantly larger share of the dependency burden than older persons, reflecting the region’s youthful population structure. However, the old-age dependency ratio is expected to rise gradually in the future amid anticipated demographic changes.
The bulletin added that the continued high proportion of working-age people, who represent more than three-quarters of the population, provides an important foundation for supporting economic growth and enhancing productivity.
It also underlined the importance of investing in young people and empowering them as the principal drivers of development across the GCC states.
