Qatar ranked 56/197 by economy size with a GDP of $218B and 11/197 by GDP per capita at $76,276. Qatar has $89B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 40.5%.
In 2025, Qatar made up 0.2% of the world's economy, compared to 0.01% in 1970.
The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.
| Year | GDP | GDP growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current $ | Constant $ | ||
| 1970 | $301,791,302 | $8,816,161,355 | - |
| 1971 | $387,703,106 | $9,698,469,706 | 28.5% |
| 1972 | $510,262,500 | $10,773,000,939 | 31.6% |
| 1973 | $793,885,560 | $11,934,857,801 | 55.6% |
| 1974 | $2,401,403,227 | $12,643,579,838 | 202.5% |
| 1975 | $2,512,773,166 | $13,386,912,643 | 4.64% |
| 1976 | $3,284,273,987 | $14,504,574,217 | 30.7% |
| 1977 | $3,617,564,638 | $13,444,952,239 | 10.1% |
| 1978 | $4,052,000,413 | $14,636,627,610 | 12% |
| 1979 | $5,632,962,997 | $15,401,791,822 | 39% |
| 1980 | $7,829,165,262 | $15,245,244,656 | 39% |
| 1981 | $8,661,263,764 | $15,382,600,057 | 10.6% |
| 1982 | $7,596,703,214 | $14,325,124,118 | -12.3% |
| 1983 | $6,467,582,308 | $14,063,666,907 | -14.9% |
| 1984 | $6,704,395,824 | $14,718,715,618 | 3.66% |
| 1985 | $6,153,296,456 | $14,406,653,786 | -8.22% |
| 1986 | $5,053,021,951 | $15,175,362,083 | -17.9% |
| 1987 | $5,446,428,681 | $15,182,189,691 | 7.79% |
| 1988 | $6,038,187,033 | $16,078,614,414 | 10.9% |
| 1989 | $6,487,912,088 | $17,079,059,748 | 7.45% |
| 1990 | $7,360,439,423 | $17,662,217,767 | 13.4% |
| 1991 | $6,883,516,484 | $17,368,630,639 | -6.48% |
| 1992 | $7,646,153,984 | $19,336,588,147 | 11.1% |
| 1993 | $7,156,593,654 | $19,080,352,035 | -6.4% |
| 1994 | $7,374,450,769 | $19,351,046,596 | 3.04% |
| 1995 | $8,137,911,978 | $19,815,323,915 | 10.4% |
| 1996 | $9,059,340,385 | $20,682,028,462 | 11.3% |
| 1997 | $11,297,802,115 | $26,889,127,081 | 24.7% |
| 1998 | $10,255,495,027 | $29,905,724,793 | -9.23% |
| 1999 | $12,393,131,868 | $31,186,905,301 | 20.8% |
| 2000 | $17,759,890,110 | $33,690,629,183 | 43.3% |
| 2001 | $17,538,461,538 | $35,003,952,797 | -1.25% |
| 2002 | $19,363,736,264 | $37,517,989,781 | 10.4% |
| 2003 | $23,533,791,209 | $38,913,643,497 | 21.5% |
| 2004 | $31,734,065,934 | $46,392,423,696 | 34.8% |
| 2005 | $44,530,494,505 | $49,868,495,958 | 40.3% |
| 2006 | $60,882,142,857 | $62,919,203,862 | 36.7% |
| 2007 | $79,712,087,912 | $74,235,635,940 | 30.9% |
| 2008 | $115,270,054,945 | $87,348,289,336 | 44.6% |
| 2009 | $97,798,351,648 | $97,792,140,945 | -15.2% |
| 2010 | $125,122,306,346 | $116,951,901,413 | 27.9% |
| 2011 | $167,775,268,626 | $132,594,424,543 | 34.1% |
| 2012 | $186,833,502,363 | $138,866,156,528 | 11.4% |
| 2013 | $198,727,642,967 | $146,581,616,624 | 6.37% |
| 2014 | $206,224,598,571 | $154,400,753,941 | 3.77% |
| 2015 | $161,739,955,577 | $161,739,955,577 | -21.6% |
| 2016 | $151,732,181,868 | $166,695,978,169 | -6.19% |
| 2017 | $161,099,122,225 | $164,199,531,362 | 6.17% |
| 2018 | $183,334,953,819 | $166,227,185,730 | 13.8% |
| 2019 | $176,371,267,692 | $167,371,229,300 | -3.8% |
| 2020 | $144,411,363,352 | $161,416,823,769 | -18.1% |
| 2021 | $179,732,009,560 | $164,042,828,071 | 24.5% |
| 2022 | $235,709,325,714 | $170,908,036,354 | 31.1% |
| 2023 | $213,002,809,341 | $172,936,988,055 | -9.63% |
| 2024 | $217,982,967,033 | $177,724,600,424 | 2.34% |
Economic Statistics of Qatar
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$218B
2024 |
56/197 |
| GDP growth |
2.34%
2023-2024 |
158/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$76,276
2024 |
11/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$126,110
2024 |
5/197 |
| Government debt |
$89B
2024 |
60/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
40.5%
2025 |
133/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$31,151
2024 |
23/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$36,023
2025 |
23/197 |
| Listed domestic companies |
52
2024 |
69/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$170M
2024 |
100/100 |
| Number of millionaires |
26,163
2024 |
33/34 |
| Millionaire frequency |
1 in 88
2024 |
22/34 |
| Number of billionaires |
2
2025 |
59/78 |
| Billionaire frequency |
1 in 1,156,896
2025 |
34/78 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
25.8%
2017 |
105/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
2.6%
2017 |
102/169 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
26.5%
2025 |
119/195 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
0.1%
2024-2025 |
184/195 |
| Central bank interest rate |
4.6%
2025 |
67/105 |
| Unemployment rate |
0.13%
2022 |
195/196 |
| Population |
2964497
|
138/197 |
Qatar's GDP per capita
Qatar has a GDP per capita of $76,276, ranking 11/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $126,110, ranking 5/197, and a median annual after tax income of $36,023, ranking 23/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1970 | $2,594 | - |
| 1971 | $2,952 | - |
| 1972 | $3,483 | - |
| 1973 | $4,905 | - |
| 1974 | $13,540 | - |
| 1975 | $13,014 | - |
| 1976 | $15,710 | - |
| 1977 | $16,058 | - |
| 1978 | $16,757 | - |
| 1979 | $21,777 | - |
| 1980 | $28,375 | - |
| 1981 | $29,505 | - |
| 1982 | $24,385 | - |
| 1983 | $19,616 | - |
| 1984 | $19,272 | - |
| 1985 | $16,815 | - |
| 1986 | $13,213 | - |
| 1987 | $13,719 | - |
| 1988 | $14,682 | - |
| 1989 | $15,243 | - |
| 1990 | $16,722 | $55,659 |
| 1991 | $15,133 | $54,759 |
| 1992 | $16,280 | $60,387 |
| 1993 | $14,770 | $59,125 |
| 1994 | $14,765 | $59,415 |
| 1995 | $15,823 | $60,321 |
| 1996 | $17,125 | $62,331 |
| 1997 | $20,523 | $79,219 |
| 1998 | $17,665 | $84,486 |
| 1999 | $20,234 | $84,690 |
| 2000 | $27,535 | $88,849 |
| 2001 | $25,871 | $89,805 |
| 2002 | $27,227 | $93,176 |
| 2003 | $31,602 | $94,120 |
| 2004 | $41,036 | $110,958 |
| 2005 | $53,950 | $115,250 |
| 2006 | $62,582 | $127,181 |
| 2007 | $65,954 | $124,056 |
| 2008 | $80,781 | $126,015 |
| 2009 | $60,786 | $125,898 |
| 2010 | $77,387 | $151,646 |
| 2011 | $103,262 | $174,620 |
| 2012 | $108,470 | $180,939 |
| 2013 | $103,697 | $169,203 |
| 2014 | $95,841 | $148,389 |
| 2015 | $68,985 | $102,546 |
| 2016 | $61,254 | $89,935 |
| 2017 | $63,280 | $99,358 |
| 2018 | $71,040 | $110,033 |
| 2019 | $66,841 | $107,502 |
| 2020 | $51,684 | $82,149 |
| 2021 | $71,752 | $116,833 |
| 2022 | $88,701 | $122,920 |
| 2023 | $80,196 | $128,919 |
| 2024 | $76,276 | $126,110 |
Qatar's government spending, deficit, and chart
This chart shows Qatar's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.
Over the past 36 years, Qatar recorded a fiscal deficit in 12 years — average annual surplus equal to +2.95% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $56.2B (26.5% of GDP), with a surplus of +0.04%.
The national debt reached $89B, ranking 60th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 40.5%, ranking 133rd.
| Year | % of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | Government debt | Government deficit/surplus | |
| 1990 | 50% | 12.6% | 3.23% |
| 1991 | 57.5% | 21.8% | -2.57% |
| 1992 | 54.2% | 19.9% | -2.74% |
| 1993 | 62.8% | 46.3% | -9.53% |
| 1994 | 59.8% | 54.8% | -11.8% |
| 1995 | 52.2% | 50.2% | -5.78% |
| 1996 | 55.2% | 57.8% | -8.73% |
| 1997 | 47.6% | 54.4% | -9.4% |
| 1998 | 55.1% | 76.6% | -7% |
| 1999 | 42.4% | 81.8% | -4.35% |
| 2000 | 29.8% | 51.6% | 4.62% |
| 2001 | 32.1% | 59.2% | 4.48% |
| 2002 | 31.6% | 47.7% | 7.89% |
| 2003 | 28.5% | 38.8% | 6.71% |
| 2004 | 29.9% | 30.1% | 17.7% |
| 2005 | 29% | 19.1% | 9.8% |
| 2006 | 29.5% | 13.9% | 8.39% |
| 2007 | 29.5% | 9.37% | 10.3% |
| 2008 | 23.5% | 11.4% | 9.49% |
| 2009 | 36.4% | 36% | 14.1% |
| 2010 | 32% | 30.4% | 4.6% |
| 2011 | 28.5% | 33.5% | 5.24% |
| 2012 | 31% | 32.1% | 8.55% |
| 2013 | 28.3% | 30.9% | 19.3% |
| 2014 | 32.3% | 24.9% | 13.4% |
| 2015 | 38.6% | 35.5% | 18.4% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | 46.7% | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 34.7% | 51.6% | -6.82% |
| 2018 | 28.9% | 52.2% | 2.26% |
| 2019 | 32.5% | 62.1% | 1% |
| 2020 | 34.7% | 72.6% | -2.13% |
| 2021 | 29.4% | 58.4% | 0.24% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | 42.6% | 10.4% |
| 2023 | 27.3% | 43.7% | 5.48% |
| 2024 | 25.8% | 40.8% | 0.7% |
| 2025 | 26.5% | 40.5% | 0.04% |
Inflation rate by year
Over the past 20 years, Qatar has had an average annual inflation rate of 2.85%. In 2025, inflation was 0.1%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 6.8% |
| 1981 | 8.5% |
| 1982 | 5.7% |
| 1983 | 2.7% |
| 1984 | 1.1% |
| 1985 | 1.1% |
| 1986 | 1.9% |
| 1987 | 4.5% |
| 1988 | 4.8% |
| 1989 | 3.3% |
| 1990 | 3% |
| 1991 | 4.5% |
| 1992 | 2.9% |
| 1993 | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 1.4% |
| 1995 | 3% |
| 1996 | 7% |
| 1997 | 2.7% |
| 1998 | 2.9% |
| 1999 | 2.2% |
| 2000 | 1.6% |
| 2001 | 1.7% |
| 2002 | 0.2% |
| 2003 | 2.3% |
| 2004 | 6.8% |
| 2005 | 9% |
| 2006 | 11.7% |
| 2007 | 13.7% |
| 2008 | 15.1% |
| 2009 | -4.9% |
| 2010 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 2% |
| 2012 | 1.8% |
| 2013 | 3.1% |
| 2014 | 4.2% |
| 2015 | 0.9% |
| 2016 | 2.7% |
| 2017 | 0.6% |
| 2018 | 0.1% |
| 2019 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | -2.5% |
| 2021 | 2.3% |
| 2022 | 5% |
| 2023 | 3.1% |
| 2024 | 1.2% |
| 2025 | 0.1% |
Balance of trade
|
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
$37.9B
2024 |
15/189 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
+17.4%
2024 |
4/189 |
| Goods imports |
$32.6B
2024 |
65/188 |
| Goods exports |
$95B
2024 |
38/188 |
| Service imports |
$37.1B
2024 |
36/188 |
| Service exports |
$30.2B
2024 |
41/188 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP |
31.6%
2022 |
124/180 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
68.6%
2022 |
32/193 |
Qatar's top 10 trading partners
Qatar's biggest trading partner accounting for 19.3%% of all exports and imports is China, with a trade balance between the two of +$14.7B — Qatar exports $19.3B worth of goods and services to China and imports $4.55B.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Qatar.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
|
$23.8B | 19.3% | $19.3B | $4.55B | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 2 |
India
|
$13.5B | 10.9% | $11.8B | $1.77B | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 3 |
South Korea
|
$13.1B | 10.6% | $12.3B | $769M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 4 |
Japan
|
$8.8B | 7.11% | $7.81B | $989M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 5 |
Singapore
|
$7.56B | 6.11% | $7.08B | $482M | Raw materials & minerals | Precious metals & jewellery |
| 6 |
United States
|
$6.49B | 5.24% | $1.48B | $5.01B | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 7 |
Italy
|
$5.46B | 4.41% | $3.43B | $2.02B | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
| 8 |
UAE
|
$5B | 4.04% | $4.24B | $762M | Raw materials & minerals | Metals |
| 9 |
Pakistan
|
$3.51B | 2.84% | $3.35B | $168M | Raw materials & minerals | Raw agricultural goods |
| 10 |
Thailand
|
$2.78B | 2.25% | $2.48B | $300M | Raw materials & minerals | Machinery & equipment |
Qatar's top 10 exports
|
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials & minerals | $87.9B | 12/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $26.2B | 28/188 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $3.93B | 49/193 |
| Metals | $2.69B | 56/192 |
| Machinery & equipment | $2.43B | 68/193 |
| Business & finance services | $1.84B | 64/188 |
| IT & IP services | $1.14B | 60/183 |
| Government & miscellaneous services | $929M | 18/180 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $302M | 82/190 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $160M | 112/193 |
Qatar's top 10 imports
|
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Transport & tourism services | $30B | 27/188 |
| Machinery & equipment | $13B | 62/193 |
| Business & finance services | $4.24B | 50/188 |
| Government & miscellaneous services | $3.55B | 5/180 |
| Metals | $2.88B | 65/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $2.86B | 76/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $2.6B | 70/193 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $2.35B | 111/193 |
| IT & IP services | $1.86B | 48/182 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $1.53B | 36/193 |
Economic freedom indices
|
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 70.2 | 33/197 |
| Property rights | 71.1 | 49/182 |
| Government integrity | 52.6 | 49/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 42.3 | 49/182 |
| Tax burden | 99.9 | 3/181 |
| Government spending | 78.1 | 70/180 |
| Fiscal health | 96.2 | 21/181 |
| Business freedom | 67.9 | 86/182 |
| Labor freedom | 59.3 | 70/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 73.2 | 66/180 |
| Trade freedom | 81.6 | 21/181 |
| Investment freedom | 60 | 83/181 |
| Financial freedom | 60 | 61/181 |
Qatar's economic freedom by year
Qatar is ranked 27/180 for economic freedom with a score of 70.2, compared to 51/163 and a score of 63.5 in 2005.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1999 | 62 | - | 87.5 | 47.8 | - |
| 2000 | 62 | - | 87.5 | 47.1 | - |
| 2001 | 60 | - | 87.5 | 47.1 | - |
| 2002 | 61.9 | - | 87.5 | 56.7 | - |
| 2003 | 65.9 | - | 87.5 | 70.2 | - |
| 2004 | 66.5 | - | 87.5 | 69.7 | - |
| 2005 | 63.5 | - | 99.9 | 75.5 | - |
| 2006 | 62.4 | - | 99.9 | 71.7 | - |
| 2007 | 62.9 | - | 99.8 | 71.4 | - |
| 2008 | 62.2 | - | 99.8 | 72.1 | - |
| 2009 | 65.8 | - | 99.9 | 69.1 | - |
| 2010 | 69 | - | 99.9 | 73.7 | - |
| 2011 | 70.5 | - | 99.8 | 78.1 | - |
| 2012 | 71.3 | - | 99.7 | 73.6 | - |
| 2013 | 71.3 | - | 99.8 | 81.2 | - |
| 2014 | 71.2 | - | 99.9 | 72.1 | - |
| 2015 | 70.8 | - | 99.7 | 71.9 | - |
| 2016 | 70.7 | - | 99.7 | 70.4 | - |
| 2017 | 73.1 | 63 | 99.6 | 71.2 | 97.4 |
| 2018 | 72.6 | 59.8 | 99.6 | 60.2 | 95.4 |
| 2019 | 72.6 | 60 | 99.7 | 56.8 | 94 |
| 2020 | 72.3 | 58.7 | 99.8 | 64.6 | 93.7 |
| 2021 | 72 | 58 | 97.9 | 69.2 | 94.5 |
| 2022 | 67.7 | 38.8 | 97.8 | 69.3 | 89.7 |
| 2023 | 68.6 | 58.3 | 99.7 | 68.9 | 93.2 |
| 2024 | 68.8 | 41.5 | 99.7 | 74 | 96.4 |
| 2025 | 70.2 | 42.3 | 99.9 | 78.1 | 96.2 |
More economic indicators
|
Qatar
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
45.9%
2024 |
153/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
58.5%
2024 |
4/194 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
0.29%
2024 |
186/193 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$219B
2024 |
56/194 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$121,930
2024 |
2/191 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$54B
2024 |
40/177 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
$1.1B
2024 |
27/188 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$460M
2024 |
119/193 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$1.56B
2024 |
45/187 |
|
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
|
30.6%
2022 |
34/176 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
Relevant pages:
Qatar topic pages:
Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.
Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.