The document provides an overview of business opportunities and the economic climate in Qatar. It notes that Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world and is investing heavily in infrastructure projects in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. Key sectors highlighted for opportunities include construction, healthcare, defense, IT, petrochemicals, transportation, and water/wastewater treatment. The Qatari government is also focusing on economic diversification and increasing spending on education.

1. The Business Climate and
Opportunities in Qatar
Alex Schnapp
U.S.-Qatar Business Council

2. Qatar ‫قطر‬

3. About the Business Council
Mission - To provide a forum for discussion of key economic, commercial, and other issues
of interest toAmerican companies doing or planning to do business in Qatar, to provide
insight into Qatar and its international and business environment, and to play a leading
role in the expansion of the U.S.-Qatar bilateral relationship
Non-profit (Private Sector Funded)
Over 40 U.S. and Qatari Members
SMEs and Fortune 500 Companies
Operations in multiple industries
Office in Washington, DC

4. Insight
Industry Trends and
Emerging Markets
Company-specific research
Advisory services
Weekly newsletter

5. Access
Membership network
Partnership introduction
Trade missions
High-level networking
events

6. The State of Qatar ‫قطر‬ ‫دولة‬
- Ranked 48th out of 189 countries for Ease of Doing Business
- Economic freedom score of 71.2 - 30th freest economy in the 2014 Index
- US FDI in Qatar (stock) was $10.6 billion in 2012, up 34.1% from 2011

7. Qatar by the Numbers
GDP: $202.45 billion - 6.3% GDP
projected annual growth rate for 2014
GDP per capita (PPP): $103, 900 (World
Rank: 1)
Net foreign assets: $24.676 billion (2012)
Population: 2,042,444 (July 2013 est.)
Population under 25: 26.4%
Pop. growth rate: 4.19% (4th fastest in the
world

8. Qatar by the Numbers
Ranked 13th in global
competitiveness
Gross national saving: 58.8% of
GDP (2012, World Rank: 2)
Unemployment rate: 0.5% (2012,
World Rank: 3)

9. Top U.S. Exports to Qatar
Qatar was the United States’ 45th
largest goods export market in 2013
U.S. goods exports to Qatar in 2013
were $5.0 billion, up 38.6% ($1.4
billion) from 2012, and up 1,117%
from 2011
Qatar is our 57th largest goods trading
partner with $6.3 billion in total (two
way) goods trade during 2013
Good imports totaled $1.4 billion
2%
3%
7%
11%
12%
65%
Aircraft Vehicles Machinery
Precious Stones Electrical Machinery Agricultural Products

10. In March, Emir Tamim approved the biggest budget in the history of Qatar - $62
billion
Infrastructure and transport costs will jump 21.94% to $20.76 billion
Education spending will rise 7.35% to $7.22 billion
Health care costs will go up 12.14% to $4.31 billion
The budget has increased allocations to provide housing for Qataris by 18% to
nearly $1 billion
Compensation for government employees is also expected to increase and reach
$13.04 billion
Qatar 2014-2015 Budget

11. Qatar National Vision 2030
The National Vision aims at transforming Qatar into an advanced country by 2030, capable of
sustaining its own development and providing a high standard of living for all of its people for generations
to come.
$220 billion set to be invested over the next 8 years in the spirit of the National Vision and the 2022
World Cup.
Human Development - Development of all its people to enable them to sustain a prosperous society.
Social Development - Development of a just and caring society based on high moral standards, and
capable of playing a significant role in the global partnership for development.
Economic Development - Development of a competitive and diversified economy capable of meeting
the needs of, and securing a high standard of living for, all of its people for the present and for the future.
Environmental Development - Management of the environment such that there is harmony between
economic growth, social development, and environmental protection.

12. Leading Sectors of Opportunity
Construction
Medicine and Healthcare
Defense and Security
Information Technology
Petrochemicals
Transportation
Water and Wastewater Technologies
Agriculture
Education
Aspire Tower, Doha

14. Construction
Plans to invest $20 billion in tourism
infrastructure
Projects focusing on housing, hotels, new
stadiums, a new port, metro and rail systems,
malls
Estimated $168 billion of work is expected to be
awarded for top twenty projects over the next
few years
Construction sector expected to expand by
14.1% in 2014, up from 13.6% in 2013
Lusail City is most expensive project by value
at $45 billion

15. Medicine and Healthcare
Healthcare expenditure accounts for nearly 2% of
GDP ($4 billion)
Major medical issues - cardiovascular diseases, cancer,
prevalence of obesity and diabetes due to growth in per
capita income and increasingly sedentary lifestyles
69% of doctors and 91% of nurses are recruited from
abroad
Healthcare system needs additional investment of $550
million and 2,000 additional doctors and nurses to
improve healthcare services
$494 million currently being spent on primary
healthcare - government needs to raise that to $1.03
billion by 2017 to accommodate population and
exponential increase in demand

16. Defense and Security
Opportunities in the defense sector are
dominated by large companies, especially in
aerospace engineering
$11 billion arms deal struck between US
and Qatar - US companies Boeing,
Raytheon, and Lockheed Martin to supply
Apaches, Patriot missiles, and Javelin
missiles
Opportunities in security training, security
equipment, cyber capabilities, access control

17. IT and Telecommunications
Government spending on IT projects will grow at a
high rate over the medium term
National broadband network will expand fibre
broadband infrastructure to 95% of homes and
businesses by 2015, enabling new services such as
cloud computing to grow rapidly
The government is focusing on increasing IT use
through SMEs
The Qatari government has outlined plans to invest
$1.6 billion in information technology and IT
services as part of its ICT-2015 strategy
IT services are expected to increase from 33% of IT
spending in 2013 to 37% by 2017.

18. Oil & Gas
Qatar is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas
in the world
Oil production levels will remain steady over the
years as Qatar is producing around 730,000 bbl/day
at capacity
Qatar often focuses its natural gas development on
integrated large-scale projects linked to LNG exports
or downstream industries that use natural gas as a
feedstock
These projects tend to include investment from
international oil companies (IOCs) with the
technology and expertise in integrated mega-projects,
including Occidental Petroleum, ExxonMobil, Shell,
and Total.

19. Petrochemicals
The bulk of Qatar Petroleum’s downstream investment
has been in petrochemicals
In 2013, total production capacity of Qatar’s
petrochemicals and fertilizers industry reached 18
million tons per annum
Fertilizers account for the major share of 52.1%,
followed by basic chemicals and polymers which
represent 23.3% and 10.4% accordingly
Qatar's long-term objective for the manufacturing sector
includes developing small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs)
The petrochemical industry will increase production
from 9 million tons a year (t/y) to 23 million t/y by 2020
to support two major projects beginning in 2014

20. Transportation
Qatar plans to invest $140 billion over the next five years
in transport infrastructure - includes new airport, roads,
and a metro system (in anticipation of 2022)
Qatar Rail has announced plans to build an integrated
railway network at a cost of $40 billion
Development of transport sector has two goals: stimulate
economic diversification and prepare for the 2022 World
Cup
Over the short term, the road sector will see some of the
strongest growth - to expand by 8% in 2014
Road infrastructure is projected to support a population of
3.8 million by 2030.
New Doha Port Project is being constructed at an
estimated cost of $8 billion

21. Water and Wastewater Treatment
Qatar has budgeted to spend $4.1 billion up to 2015 on
electricity and water projects, aiming to increase the
country’s water reserves by up to 126%
Ashghal, the PWA of Qatar, issued a tender for a
project that involves working on 16 sewage/storm/
groundwater pumping stations in Doha, Rayyan, and
adjacent areas
The PWA will shortly award contracts worth nearly
$1.7 billion and has announced $550 million worth of
new water and sanitation projects to be carried out
Water consumption expected to increase by almost 6%
per year through 2018.
Wastewater sector has also proven fertile ground for
foreign firms

22. Agriculture
Qatar currently imports 92% of all its food.
Currently engaged in the Sahara Forest Project,
which opened its pilot facility in Qatar in 2012 -
goal is to lay sound scientific foundations for
bringing restorative growth to Qatar and to deserts
around the world
Government working to remove natural obstacles
that impede horizontal extension of agriculture by
supporting farmers and encouraging national
investments in the agricultural sector
Opportunities in desalination, agri-tech, renewable
energy, food storage and distribution

23. Education
Many universities from the U.S. have
opened up satellite campuses in Education
City: Cornell, Carnegie Mellon,
Georgetown, Northwestern, TexasA&M
About 1,200 Qataris are currently studying
in the United States
The 2014-2015 financial plan includes a
promise to construct 85 new schools over
the next year and a half

24. Questions?

25. Thank you!
U.S. Qatar Business Council
1341 ConnecticutAve. NW, Suite 4A
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-457-8555
www.usqbc.org
E-mail: programs@usqbc.org