The document discusses openness in the Arab region, defined as the ratio of a country's total trade to its GDP. It finds that countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region generally have lower openness than other regions like East Asia and Europe. A table also shows data on the openness and intra-GCC trade for several Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

1. OPENNESS IN ARAB REGION
By
Adnan Ahmed Qatinah

2. • The Openness Index is an economic metric calculated as
the ratio of country's total trade, the sum of exports plus
imports, to the country's gross domestic product (GDP)
http://www-

3. Source: Hassan Hakimian, 2000.

4. % GDP
-
MENA Latin America and Caribbean South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa East Asia and Pacific European Union
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

5. Algeria Linear (Algeria
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

6. Egypt Linear (Egypt
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

7. Lebanon Linear (Lebanon
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

8. Syria Linear (Syria
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

9. Yemen Linear (Yemen
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

10. Algeria Egypt Lebanon Syria Yemen
Source: World Bank database,
http://databank.worldbank.org

11. Openness degree of the GCC
Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia UAE

12. Small open economies
GDP Trade Openness Intra-GCC
Country
Bn USD Bn USD % of GDP % of trade
Bahrain 15 21 133% 16.3%
Kuwait 94 74 78% 4.8%
Oman 35 32 91% 17.2%
Qatar 52 44 85% 7.4%
Saudi Arabia 346 250 72% 4.3%
UAE 158 247 157% 5.1%
GCC 701 668 95% 6.1%
World 48,121 24,365 51%
Source: Global Insight, IMF DOTS, Ecowin,