The Scale of Foreign Labor in the Gulf

Over half the people in Gulf countries are foreign workers – that's 35 million people! Most are from South Asia and they fill roles from construction and domestic work to finance and medicine, building the region's modern economies. In places like the UAE and Qatar, foreigners make up nearly 90% of the population. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/9/where-do-the-35-million-foreigners-living-in-the-gcc-come-from