According to March of Dimes's global report on birth defects published in 2006, Qatar ranked in the top 20 countries globally for the number of birth defects per 1,000 births. The rate stands at 73.4 per 10,000 live births. According to March of Dimes, Qatar ranked 16th globally for the number of birth defects per 1,000 births; this is due to the high degree of consanguinity in marriages.
