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More than 6,500 migrant workers have died in Qatar since the gulf nation was selected to host the World Cup, according to analysis by the Guardian.
The newspaper said the figure was based on compiled government data from India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which showed there were 5,927 deaths between 2011 and 2020. A further 842 workers from Pakistan died between 2010 and 2020. The Guardian claims the overall total is likely to be far higher because it does not include countries like the Philippines and Kenya, which also have a high number of workers travelling to Qatar for work.
As the death records do not include occupation or place of work, they cannot be definitively linked to the massive construction programme the country has embarked on since its successful bid to host football’s most prestigious tournament. However, the report quotes specialist advocacy group FairSquare Projects director Nick McGeehan, who suggests “a very significant proportion of the migrant workers who have died since 2011 were only in the country because Qatar won the right to host the World Cup.”
It reveals that many of the deaths were classified as “natural deaths” attributed to acute heart or respiratory failure, but points out that many are made without an autopsy and therefore often do not explain the underlying causes of the deaths.
The Qatari Government’s response to the Guardian was that “the mortality rate among these communities is within the expected range for the size and demographics of the population. However, every lost life is a tragedy, and no effort is spared in trying to prevent every death in our country.” Construction News has contacted it for further comment.
After Qatar won the World Cup bid in 2010, many UK construction companies set up joint ventures in the region targeting work in the anticipated £200bn infrastructure building boom. As the UK recovered from the 2008 financial crisis, the UK Trade and Investment government department urged British contractors to bid for projects. At the time, Arup UK-MEA sport business leader Nic Merridew said the Qatari Olympic Committee were “impressed” by the UK construction industry’s handling of the London Olympics games.
One of the successful contractors, Carillion, was rocked by a 2014 BBC Newsnight investigation that claimed migrant workers for its subcontractors in Qatar were being forced to work in unsafe conditions and having wages withheld. The since-liquidated contractor launched a probe in the aftermath of the report, which also alleged that nearly half of the deaths of Nepalese workers on the Qatar World Cup 2022 construction programme had been blamed on heart attacks to avoid compensation payments.
In 2019, a report by international non-profit group, the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, claimed the majority of construction firms working on projects in Qatar and the UAE were “failing” to protect workers’ rights. The report featured survey responses from international businesses working in the region including former Carillion subsidiary Al Futtaim, Interserve, Laing O’Rourke, Multiplex and Vinci QDVC. Kier and Bam International were sent questionnaires but did not participate.