Economy strengthens on the back of high global natural gas prices
BB1
LOW RISK for entreprise
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Economic risk
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Business environment risk
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Political risk
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Commercial risk
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Financing risk
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Economic risk
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Business environment risk
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Political risk
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Commercial risk
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Financing risk
Updated in March 2023.
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GDP |
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Population |
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Form of state | Emirate | |
Head of state | Emir Sheikh TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani | |
Next elections | 2025, legislative |

- Unlike elsewhere in the region, leadership has been passed to a younger generation, providing a degree of popular support in the short term
- U.S. military support affords some regional protection
- Long-term development strategy that has accelerated diversification away from upstream oil and gas
- Large foreign asset base, including a Sovereign Wealth Fund estimated at broadly twice the size of annual GDP

- Regional instability (including Iraq and Syria) and uncertainties (including Iran) impact on risk perceptions
- Tensions with some other Arab states in the region (notably Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Egypt)
- U.S. military bases and the country’s oil and gas facilities are potential targets for terrorist or extremist groups
- Despite the active policy of economic diversification, the economy relies heavily on hydrocarbons and this leaves it vulnerable to changes in levels of global activity and in international commodity prices
- Data transparency remains weak for an economy of its size and strategic importance
Trade structure by destination/origin
(% of total, annual 2021)
Exports | Rank | Imports |
---|---|---|
China
15.3%
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1 |
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Japan
13.5%
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2 |
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India
13.3%
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3 |
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Korea, Republic of
13.2%
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4 |
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Singapore
6.0%
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5 |
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Trade structure by product
(% of total, annual 2021)
Exports | Rank | Imports |
---|---|---|
Gas, natural and manufactured
55.5%
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1 |
7.2%
Power generating machinery and equipment
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Petroleum, petroleum products and related materials
27.8%
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2 |
6.8%
Other industrial machinery and parts
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Plastics in primary forms
3.5%
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3 |
6.6%
Road vehicles
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Fertilizers other than group 272
2.3%
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4 |
6.0%
Miscellaneous manufactured articles, n.e.s
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Non-ferrous metals
2.0%
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5 |
5.4%
Electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, n.e.s.
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