Economy
Qatar’s strong economy is well-positioned for the future. Qatar is advancing efforts in economic diversification and accelerating the pace of economic growth by continuously creating new opportunities for businesses and investors through a diverse range of initiatives and incentives.
Global Ratings
Various global agencies have affirmed the strength of Qatar’s economy in recent years. Moody’s confirmed Qatar’s ability to withstand economic shocks thanks to the country’s robust sovereign balance sheet, and Fitch Ratings upgraded Qatar’s rating to AA in 2024 as revenues from LNG are expected to lead to budget surpluses until the next decade, with a further boost from investments from the increase of LNG production.
In the past three decades, Qatar’s economy benefitted from tremendous growth, having grown 38-fold in that time span. According to the World Bank Gulf Economic Update, robust growth is anticipated in the non-hydrocarbon sectors, reaching 3.6%, propelled by thriving tourist arrivals and large events.
Economic Incentives for Investment
Qatar continues to implement business-friendly measures to drive sustainable economic growth and develop its entrepreneurial environment. Qatar has adopted significant measures to attract foreign direct investment and foreign investors enjoy competitive benefits, including:
- A legal environment based on English common law
- Transfers that can be made in any convertible currency
- Up to 100% foreign ownership
- Repatriation of profits
The Investment Promotion Agency (Invest Qatar) is the national brand showcasing Qatar as an exceptional investment destination, helping to connect international investors to lucrative business opportunities to support their long-term success, while simultaneously complimenting Qatar’s economic development and diversification goals. Invest Qatar can help investors with sector specific information, introductions between investors and government entities, connections to business service providers, business setup support and more.
Global Investments
Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) invests, diversifies, and grows the State of Qatar’s sovereign reserves to create value for future generations of Qataris.
QIA has a diversified approach toward investing in terms of both sectors and geographies. It invests across the globe in various sectors such as technology, media & telecommunications, healthcare, retail, real estate, infrastructure, finance, and industrials & materials. QIA also invests across the value chain in companies and technologies focused on the transition to a clean-tech, low-carbon emission future – from renewable energy projects to energy storage solutions.
QIA also supports the development of a competitive Qatari economy by investing in local companies.