Qatar

Economy & industry overview

Qatar is a high-income Gulf state whose economy is anchored by the world's largest LNG export complex at Ras Laffan, which generates roughly 70% of government revenues and 80% of export receipts. The country is executing the North Field LNG expansion programme, which aims to increase production capacity from approximately 77 million tonnes per annum to 142 million tonnes per annum by 2030, with the first new trains scheduled to start exports in late 2025 and ramp through 2027. Non-hydrocarbon sectors—including manufacturing, construction, real estate, and services—collectively represent over 63% of nominal GDP and grew faster than the hydrocarbon segment in 2024-2025. Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), manages an estimated $500 billion in assets, providing fiscal resilience and financing diversification initiatives under Qatar National Vision 2030. The Qatar Stock Exchange is dominated by banking and financial services, telecommunications, and industrials, with QNB Group being the region's largest bank by assets.

Key sectors

📘 Learn everything about Qatar →

Macro

GDP nominal, USD	$221.23B
GDP growth real, annual	2.4%
Inflation annual	1.9%
Population people	3.2M
GDP per capita USD	$76,689
Market cap total listed, USD	$176.80B
Market cap / GDP	79.9%
Unemployment	0.1%
Listed companies	54
Exchange	Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE)

Data year: 2025. Sources: IMF World Economic Outlook April 2026 (GDP, growth, inflation figures), World Bank Qatar country data, Qatar Stock Exchange (qe.com.qa) - market cap and listed companies data, Qatar Tribune - QSE end-2025 market cap QR644.3 billion, companiesmarketcap.com - top companies by market cap, BlackRock iShares QAT ETF fact sheet December 2025, etfdb.com Qatar ETF list, Oxford Business Group Qatar 2025 Report - LNG and diversification, EIA Qatar Country Analysis Brief October 2025, goldenvisas.com / migrateworld.com / immigrantinvest.com - Qatar Premium Residency, Yahoo Finance / Invest Qatar - 10-year entrepreneur/executive visa announcement, QSE Become an Investor page - NIN/QCSD requirements, MEED - Qatar raises foreign ownership limit to 49%, Worldometer / worldeconomics.com - population and GDP per capita (est.), Simply Wall St / TradingView - large cap Qatar stocks, MSCI All Qatar Index factsheet - index methodology.

Local exchange & access

Exchange	Qatar Stock Exchange
Code	QSE
Website	www.qe.com.qa
Currency	QAR

Local broker access

Direct trading on the QSE requires an account with one of the seven QSE-licensed local brokers (listed at qe.com.qa/broker-contact-information), as major international platforms such as Interactive Brokers and Saxo Bank are not QSE member brokers and cannot execute direct QSE trades. Foreign investors must first obtain a National Investor Number from the Qatar Central Securities Depository. International investors seeking Qatar equity exposure without a local broker account can use the US-listed iShares MSCI Qatar ETF (QAT) as an alternative. Interactive Brokers and Saxo Bank rank highly for expats residing in Qatar who want international market access but are not substitutes for direct QSE membership. For direct QSE access from abroad, a Qatar-licensed broker relationship is required.

Global brokers with foreign-market access

• Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
• Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
• Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
• Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.

Listed for convenience only — not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.

Relocation & residency

Foreign-investor access

Foreign nationals (non-GCC citizens) may own shares in QSE-listed companies up to a maximum of 49% of a company's equity in non-strategic sectors, subject to Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) oversight and company-specific limits set in their articles of association. GCC nationals (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, UAE) are treated as local investors with no ownership cap restrictions. To trade on the QSE, all investors—local or foreign, resident or non-resident—must obtain a National Investor Number (NIN) from the Qatar Central Securities Depository (QCSD) and open a trading account with one of QSE's seven licensed member brokerage firms. The process requires identity documentation and can be initiated through the QSE's "Become an Investor" portal. Foreign property ownership is restricted to designated zones (Lusail, The Pearl, Al Khor, etc.).