The population of the six-nation GCC grew by nearly nine million over the past decade to reach around 31 million at the end of 2000, an annual increase of about one million people, according to official estimates.

The high growth of around four per cent was a result of a continued influx of expatriate workers and long-standing policies in the 21-year-old Gulf group of encouraging nationals to have more children so that they become a majority in their home country.

The combined GCC population stood at 21.89 million in 1990 and recorded a high growth over the following years to reach 25.99 million in 1995. It increased by an average of one million annually in the ensuing years and most of the growth was in the local population.

Saudi Arabia, by far the biggest GCC nation, accounted for around 71 per cent of the population at the end of 2000, with an estimated 22 million, according to the annual report by the Riyadh-based GCC secretariat.

The UAE was the second most populated GCC state, accounting for around 10 per cent or nearly 3.1 million. The population was estimated at 2.42 million in Oman, 2.22 million in Kuwait, 675,000 in Bahrain and 585,000 in Qatar.

The report on the GCC economic and social conditions gave no figures for 2001, but the population is believed to have topped 32 million. Foreigners formed a majority in most member states but they were below 30 per cent in Saudi Arabia.

The report estimated the combined GCC work force at the end of 1997 at around 10.85 million and said expatriates dominated the labour market in most member countries.

"The bulk of the labour in most of the GCC countries is foreigners, mainly Asians, who started to stream into the region after the discovery of oil," it said.

Independent figures obtained by Gulf News showed the work force grew to around 11.6 million at the end of 2000 and it could have topped 12 million last year.

Saudi Arabia had around 7.4 million workers while they stood at 1.77 million in the UAE, 1.2 million in Kuwait, 660,000 in Oman, 321,000 in Qatar and 319,000 in Bahrain.

The figures showed the GCC population was growing faster than the economy in real terms, resulting in a decline in the per capita income and an aggravation of unemployment.

In 2000, the per capita income stood at around $10,300 for a gross domestic product of nearly $320 billion. The income is believed to have slipped last year because of an increase in the population and a drop in oil prices.

Individually, Qatar had the highest per capita income in the GCC, standing at around $29,000. It was followed by the UAE with a per capita income of around $21,500.