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Countries / Gulf / Qatar

Qatar

High income  ·  Hydrocarbon exporter  ·  Data availability: good

A small, very wealthy state built on the world’s third-largest natural gas reserves and dominant LNG exports. Tiny citizen population, large expatriate workforce, and a sovereign wealth fund that invests globally.

Alerts · what moved recentlyAll signals →
Policy reform

Cabinet approved implementing rules for Law No. 11 of 2026 on owners' associations.

Oct 21, 2026 · Qatar Cabinet
Financing

Cabinet approved the draft 2027 state budget and referred it to the Shura Council.

Oct 21, 2026 · Qatar Cabinet

Vitals

Core figures — the latest value each source holds, the previous reading and the bloc median.

GDP
$215.6B
as of 2025
down from $216.3B (2024)
Gulf median $133.4B
Real GDP growth
2.9%
as of 2025
down from 3.1% (2024)
Gulf median 3.1%
Inflation, year-on-year
0.7%
as of Aug 2025
up from 0.7% (Jul 2025)
Gulf median 0.7%
GDP per person
$72,525
as of 2025
down from $75,685 (2024)
Gulf median $31,454

Dimmed cards hold figures more than a year old. All of this country's data in the Database →

Quarterly report

Written once from the quarter's findings, then frozen.

All reports →
Q3 2026 · Qatar

QAT — Q3 2026 brief

Qatar’s Q3 2026 findings documented a sustained rise in private-sector credit relative to GDP through 2025. Private-sector credit rose for 3 straight years, from 101% of GDP in 2022 to 127% in 2025, an increase of 26 percentage points.

Read the full report
Editions
Q3 2026→
All publications

Signals & patterns

Everything MENACodex detects for this economy — the lead finding charted, the rest filtered by pattern and sector.

Record · Prices & money

Qatar's food price inflation reached 12.7% in June 2026, its highest level in records going back to January 2001.

Food price inflation (% year on year, monthly) [FAOSTAT] (%)12.74
-10-5051015202420252026

Source: FAOSTAT (Food and Agriculture Organization) · data through June 2026

RecordQatar's reserve coverage reached a record 7.45 months of imports in 2025, the highest in records going back to 2011.

updateddata through 2025

TrendQatar's food price inflation has risen for 4 straight months, from 2.05% in February 2026 to 12.7% in June 2026: up 11 points.

data through June 2026

OutlierQatar's goods imports reached $1.6 billion in March 2026, about 39% below their 2016–2025 March average of $2.7 billion. A gap that large has not appeared in the past 11 Marchs.

data through March 2026

DivergenceQatar's goods exports fell 50% between December 2025 and March 2026, while its Gulf peers averaged a 13% fall: a gap this wide has appeared only once in the past 140 months.

data through March 2026

TrendQatar's school enrollment, tertiary has risen for 8 straight years, from 14.8% in 2016 to 43.0% in 2024: up 28 points.

data through 2024

· Signal archive →

Briefs

Analysis pieces on Qatar, every number checked against the source.

All briefs on Qatar →
stock market index, local currency

Qatar’s stock market slides 12% despite lower interest rates

stock market index, local currency (index)146
140150160170202420252026
Nov 2, 2026 · 2 min read

Agenda Watch

Official decisions and what the news is reporting, with the original source named.

DateDecisionTypeSource
Oct 25, 2026The Official Gazette published a labour decision tightening rules for recruiting workers from abroadPolicy reformMinistry of Labour (hukoomi.gov.qa)
Oct 21, 2026Cabinet approved implementing rules for Law No. 11 of 2026 on owners' associations.Policy reformQatar Cabinet (qna.org.qa)
Oct 21, 2026Cabinet approved the draft 2027 state budget and referred it to the Shura Council.FinancingQatar Cabinet (qna.org.qa)
Oct 9, 2026The Ministry of Finance postponed mandatory ICV certificate submission for government tenders until early 2027.Policy reformMinistry of Finance, State of Qatar (monaqasat.mof.gov.qa)
Oct 7, 2026Qatar Central Bank issued accessibility instructions for insurers, exchange houses and financing companies.Policy reformQatar Central Bank (qna.org.qa)
Sep 27, 2026Qatar completed a USD 3 billion sovereign bond issuance.FinancingMinistry of Finance (qna.org.qa)
Sep 16, 2026Qatar's Cabinet approved a draft law regulating precious metals and gemstones.Policy reformCouncil of Ministers (qna.org.qa)
Sep 15, 2026Qatar and Saudi Arabia launched reciprocal acceptance of Himyan and mada payment cards.Policy reformQatar Central Bank and Saudi Central Bank (qna.org.qa)
Sep 2, 2026Qatar's Cabinet approved a draft competition law covering monopolistic practices and economic concentration.Policy reformCouncil of Ministers (qna.org.qa)
Sep 2, 2026Qatar's Cabinet approved a draft labour-cooperation memorandum with North Macedonia.AgreementCouncil of Ministers (qna.org.qa)
Sep 1, 2026Qatar Central Bank enabled payment service providers to access its real-time settlement system directly.Policy reformQatar Central Bank (qcb.gov.qa)
Aug 26, 2026Qatar's Cabinet approved a draft real estate tokenization law and its executive regulations.Policy reformCouncil of Ministers (qna.org.qa)
Aug 11, 2026Qatar announced rental-law amendments setting lease registration fees at QAR 250.Policy reformMinistry of Municipality (qna.org.qa)

Development plan monitoring

Third National Development Strategy · what the government promised, its own latest figures, and how far they have come.

Full plan, all 16 goals ↓

Economy

1 of the plan's goals
Business environment ranking9 rank
11 rank at startTarget 10 rank · met

People

1 of the plan's goals
Life expectancy at birth80.4 years
80.3 years at startTarget 82.6 years

Other goals

3 of the plan's goals
Visitors a year5.1 million
5 million at startTarget 6 million
Hotel room nights a year10.8 million
10 million at startTarget 19 million
Road traffic deaths5.3 per 100,000
7.8 per 100,000 at startTarget 4.9 per 100,000
The full plan: every goal, the government's figures and the independent series beside them

Development plan monitoring

Third National Development Strategy

National Planning Council (prepared by the Planning and Statistics Authority) · launched 2024, horizon 2030 · 16 measurable goals, 10 with a reported figure, 2 reached · plan document

Approved by the Cabinet on 10 January 2024 as the final strategy under Qatar National Vision 2030; 1,052 initiatives with 50 priority projects. The National Planning Council is to issue annual progress reports and runs an internal dashboard of 119 indicators; none has been published.

Progress bars run from the baseline the plan now tracks to its current target. Government figures are as reported by the government; where an independent source measures the same thing, its figure is shown beside them.

  1. 1Real GDP growth2.65% a year on average to 2025
    2.4% (2024)4% by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 2.4% (PEN-GDP24, press report)2025: 2.9% (QT-QCB25, press report)
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, GDP annual growth rate: 3.01% in 2025
    Check
    The independent figure agrees with the government's. In 2025: government 2.65%, independent 3.01%. Same series.
    Official status
    2.4% in 2024 (National Planning Council); 2.9% in 2025 (Qatar Central Bank annual report).
    Tracked as
    Real GDP growth
    As printed in the plan
    Average GDP growth rate of 4% per year (NDS3 p.15)
    Note
    Annual growth of GDP at constant prices; the target is a 2024–2030 average. The strategy prints no baseline; the first-year (2024) official figure is used as the baseline.
  2. 2Non-hydrocarbon GDP growthReached in 2025
    2% (2022)4% by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 3.4% (PEN-GDP24, press report)2025: 4.8% (QT-QCB25, press report)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. No international series splits out non-hydrocarbon GDP.
    Official status
    3.4% in 2024 (about 64% of real GDP); 4.8% in 2025 (Qatar Central Bank).
    Tracked as
    Non-hydrocarbon GDP growth
    As printed in the plan
    Average non-hydrocarbon GDP growth rate of 4% per year (NDS3 p.15)
    Note
    Growth of real value added outside oil and gas; the target is a 2024–2030 average. Baseline: the strategy's own 'under 2% a year' for 2017–2022.
  3. 3Labour productivity growthNo progress figure reported
    -1.5% (2022)2% by 2030
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, GDP per person employed at constant prices: 149,786 PPP $ in 2025
    Check
    No year is reported by both. World Bank GDP per person employed is a level; its yearly change is the comparable figure.
    Tracked as
    Labour productivity growth
    As printed in the plan
    Average labour productivity growth of 2% per year (NDS3 p.15)
    Note
    Growth of output per worker; the target is a 2024–2030 average. Baseline: the strategy's −1.5% a year for 2010–2022.
  4. 4Net foreign direct investment, cumulativeNo progress figure reported
    $0 billion (2023)$100 billion by 2030
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, inward foreign direct investment: 3,032,967,033 in 2025
    Check
    No year is reported by both. World Bank net inflows are yearly; the cumulative sum is the comparable figure. Invest Qatar reports announced project capital ($2.7 billion in 2024, $3.4 billion in 2025), a different concept.
    Official status
    Invest Qatar reports $2.74 billion of announced FDI capital in 2024 (241 projects) and $3.4 billion in 2025 (373 projects); no balance-of-payments cumulative figure has been published against the target.
    Tracked as
    Net foreign direct investment, cumulative
    As printed in the plan
    Net FDI attraction of $100 billion (cumulative) (NDS3 p.15)
    Note
    Cumulative net FDI inflows over 2024–2030; the strategy does not say whether this is balance-of-payments net inflows or announced project capital.
  5. 5Business environment rankingReached in 2025
    11th (2024)10th by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 11th (GT-IMD25, press report)2025: 9th (GT-IMD25, press report)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. IMD ranking; not in the catalogue.
    Official status
    9th in the 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking (11th in 2024) — inside the top 10.
    Tracked as
    Business environment ranking
    As printed in the plan
    Top 10 business environment (NDS3 p.15)
    Note
    The strategy names no index; the government cites the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking.
  6. 6Visitors a year5.1 million in 2025
    5 million (2024)6 million by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 5 million (GT-TOUR24, press report)2025: 5.1 million (QNA-TOUR25)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. Same measure (international arrivals).
    Official status
    About 5.0 million in 2024; 5.1 million in 2025 (+3.7%), per Qatar Tourism.
    Tracked as
    Visitors a year
    As printed in the plan
    6 million visitors (NDS3 p.18)
    Note
    International visitor arrivals a year (Qatar Tourism). The strategy prints no baseline; the first-year (2024) official figure is used as the baseline.
  7. 7Hotel room nights a year10.8 million in 2025
    10 million (2024)19 million by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 10 million (GT-TOUR24, press report)2025: 10.8 million (QNA-TOUR25)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. No international series.
    Official status
    10 million in 2024; 10.8 million in 2025 (+8.6%).
    Tracked as
    Hotel room nights a year
    As printed in the plan
    Up to 19 million total room nights (NDS3 p.18)
    Note
    Room nights sold a year (Qatar Tourism). The strategy prints no baseline; the first-year (2024) official figure is used as the baseline.
  8. 8Global Innovation Index rankNo progress figure reported
    48th (2025)30th by 2030
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. WIPO; not in the catalogue.
    Official status
    48th in the 2025 edition (ICT access 7th, business environment 13th), per the QRDI Council.
    Tracked as
    Global Innovation Index rank
    As printed in the plan
    Rank in the top 30 on the Global Innovation Index (NDS3 p.19)
    Note
    WIPO Global Innovation Index overall rank. The strategy prints no baseline; the 2025 rank is used.
  9. 9Logistics Performance Index rankNo progress figure reported
    34th (2023)15th by 2030
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, logistics performance index: overall: 3.5 in 2022
    Check
    No year is reported by both. The World Bank series is the LPI score (1–5), from which the rank follows; Qatar scored 3.5 in 2023.
    Tracked as
    Logistics Performance Index rank
    As printed in the plan
    Rank 15 on the Logistics Performance Index (NDS3 p.19)
    Note
    World Bank LPI overall rank (published irregularly; 2023 latest).
  10. 10STEM graduatesNo progress figure reported
    10% (2023)18% by 2030
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. UNESCO graduates by field; not in the catalogue.
    Tracked as
    STEM graduates
    As printed in the plan
    More than 18% of students graduating in STEM fields, from 10% (NDS3 p.23)
    Note
    Share of graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; the strategy gives the 10% baseline without a year.
  11. 11Life expectancy at birth80.4 years in 2024
    80.3 years (2022)82.6 years by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 80.4 years (QT-LE24, press report)
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, life expectancy at birth: 82.522 years in 2024
    Check
    The independent figure differs from the government's. In 2024: government 80.4 years, independent 82.522 years. Same measure (UN estimates).
    Official status
    80.4 years per the Minister of Public Health (May 2024).
    Tracked as
    Life expectancy at birth
    As printed in the plan
    Life expectancy from 80.3 to 82.6 years (NDS3 p.25)
    Note
    Years; the strategy gives the baseline without a year (2022 assumed).
  12. 12Deaths from non-communicable diseasesNo progress figure reported
    650 per 100,000 (2022)416 per 100,000 by 2030
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. The World Bank series is the probability of dying between 30 and 70 from these diseases, a different measure.
    Tracked as
    Deaths from non-communicable diseases
    As printed in the plan
    36% reduction in NCD mortality, to 416 deaths per 100,000 (NDS3 p.25)
    Note
    Deaths from non-communicable diseases per 100,000 people; the baseline of about 650 is implied by the 36% reduction (year assumed 2022).
  13. 13Road traffic deaths5.3 per 100,000 in 2023
    7.8 per 100,000 (2022)4.9 per 100,000 by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2023: 5.3 per 100,000 (PEN-TRAF23, press report)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. WHO-modelled estimate; the Ministry of Interior counts registered deaths.
    Official status
    5.3 per 100,000 in 2023 (168 deaths), Ministry of Interior.
    Tracked as
    Road traffic deaths
    As printed in the plan
    Road traffic mortality from 7.8 to 4.9 per 100,000 (NDS3 p.26)
    Note
    Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people; baseline year not printed (2022 assumed).
  14. 14Renewable power capacity1.675 GW in 2025
    0.8 GW (2023)4 GW by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2025: 1.675 GW (PVM25, press report)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. IRENA capacity statistics; not in the catalogue.
    Official status
    1.675 GW after the Ras Laffan and Mesaieed plants (875 MW) were switched on in 2025 (QatarEnergy).
    Tracked as
    Renewable power capacity
    As printed in the plan
    4 gigawatt renewable energy capacity (NDS3 p.27)
    Note
    Installed renewable generating capacity in gigawatts. Baseline: the 800 MW Al Kharsaah plant, the only utility-scale capacity before 2025.
  15. 15Government effectiveness percentile85.85 in 2023
    85.85 (2023)90 by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2023: 85.85 (QNA-WGI24)
    Independent figure
    World Bank — World Development Indicators, government effectiveness - governance score: 72.73 score (0-100) in 2025
    Check
    The independent series measures something close but not the same; shown for context, not as a check. In 2023: government 85.85, independent 73.026. The World Bank now publishes government effectiveness as a 0–100 score rather than a percentile rank; shown beside the goal, not judged against it.
    Tracked as
    Government effectiveness percentile
    As printed in the plan
    Among the top 10% on the Government Effectiveness Index (NDS3 p.29)
    Note
    World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators percentile rank (0–100); top 10% means 90 or above.
  16. 16Corruption Perceptions Index score58 in 2025
    59 (2024)70 by 2030
    As reported by the government
    2024: 59 (TI)2025: 58 (TI)
    Check
    No independent source measures this goal. Transparency International; not in the catalogue.
    Official status
    58 in the 2025 edition, rank 41 of 182 (down one point).
    Tracked as
    Corruption Perceptions Index score
    As printed in the plan
    More than 70 score on the Corruption Perceptions Index (NDS3 p.29)
    Note
    Transparency International CPI, 0–100.

Explore the data

Every series we hold for Qatar, by sector — open one in the Database to chart it against its neighbours.

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Economy & growth

GDP, output, investment, savings · 217 series

Open indicators →Prices & money

Inflation, policy rate, money, exchange rate · 26 series

Open indicators →Trade & external

Exports, imports, reserves, current account · 54 series

Open indicators →Public finance

Revenue, spending, debt, balance · 15 series

Open indicators →Financial sector

Credit, banks, markets · 50 series

Open indicators →Energy & environment

Oil, gas, power, emissions · 91 series

Open indicators →Technology & infrastructure

Internet, mobile, transport · 33 series

Open indicators →People

Population, jobs, health, education · 44 series

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Ask about Qatar Coming soon

Answers only from MENACodex's data on Qatar, every claim linked to its source. The question box opens when the analyst is ready; these are examples of what it will answer.

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What has changed in Qatar recently?Signals, briefs and decisions, with their sources
What did last quarter add up to?Drawn from the quarterly report
What did the government decide this year?From the Agenda Watch record
How does Qatar compare with its neighbours?Any series against the bloc median