The Council of Ministers has approved “the increase in the wedding advance, which will increase from 100,000 to 300,000 riyals [76 000 euros] for all categories of Qatari employees, in order to encourage young people to marry and provide them with assistance in this direction”, reported the Qatari press on April 20, like the daily Al-Arab.
This is accompanied by other increases in social benefits, such as pensions, in particular that of the military, “so that it is at least 15,000 riyals”, [3 800 euros].
Finances boosted by hydrocarbon prices
“Joy is spreading across the countrycomments the newspaper, after the promulgation of these laws by His Majesty Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the cherished country.”
And to clarify that these decisions have been taken “in light of the annual budget for 2022 which foresees a 22.4% increase in revenue compared to 2021” assuming an average oil price of $55 per barrel.
This budget had initially forecast a deficit, but this will be largely offset by the real prices of hydrocarbons, which were already above 70 dollars a barrel at the start of the year, specified then. The Peninsula, English-language daily from Qatar. And which have settled well above 100 dollars since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Huge wedding expenses
“The cost of marriage is one of the main factors explaining why young people refrain from getting married, explains an expert in a second article published by Al-Arab. Since in some cases the fees can reach three million riyals [environ 760 000 euros] for the only wedding party.”
While denouncing the “lavish spending” and some excessive requirements for the dowry, another specialist welcomes this decision, which “will reduce the proportion of single people and increase the population of Qatar”.
Reducing wedding costs, increasing the number of young couples and encouraging national population growth are the stated goals of a dedicated government committee, in order to remedy a strong demographic imbalance. Qatari citizens are in fact only some 300,000, out of a total population of just under three million.
Earlier this month, the Qatari newspaper Al-Sharq had reported that marriages were rather on the rise in the country, with 376 marriages during the month of February 2022. But at the same time, the number of divorces rose to 212. Which is almost two divorces for every three marriages.