Overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for roughly 85% of export earnings and 75% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for about 25 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to the leading industrial countries. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $8.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: -0.5% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $17,500 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $440 million (1992 est.)

Exports: $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: petroleum products 85%, steel, fertilizers
partners: Japan 61%, Brazil 6%, South Korea 5%, UAE 4%, Singapore 3% (1991)

Imports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemicals
partners: Japan 14%, UK 12%, US 12%, Germany 9%, France 5% (1991)

External debt: $1.5 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 64% of GDP, including oil

Electricity:
capacity: 1,596,000 kW
production: 4.818 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 9,655 kWh (1992)

Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel (rolls reinforcing bars for concrete construction), cement

Agriculture: farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of GDP; agricultural area is small and government-owned; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported

Economic aid:
donor: pledged in ODA to less developed countries (1979-88), $2.7 billion

Currency: 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams
Exchange rates: Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1 - 3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

NOTE: The information regarding Qatar on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Qatar Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Qatar Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.