ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 highlighted the closed nature o f the Gulf States: despite their heavy dependence on foreign manpower, and the non-nationals' economic contribution, this 'sub-population' remains socially and demographically distinct and external to them. Chapter 2 showed that better nutrition and the provision o f good medical care has dramatically reduced G ulf nationals’ mortality rates and increased their life expectancies and thereby curbed mortality's effect as a check on population growth. Therefore, while mortality and migration do contribute to the size and structure of Gulf populations, fertility must be the main and most important component underlying Gulf population changes.
