1. Qatar is an absolute monarchy in the Persian Gulf. Geographically, it is about the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut.
2. About 1.2 million foreign workers – mostly poor Asians from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines — make up 94% of the labor force in Qatar.
3. Qatar’s 250,000 citizens are among the world’s richest, with a gross national income (adjusted for relative purchasing power) of $87,478 in 2012.
4. This number is about double the figure in the United States.
From Indentured Servitude in the Persian Gulf by Richard Morin (New York Times)
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