Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Qatar

Qatar: Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP was 1.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1.6%
Change on year
up 114.7%
World rank
35th
of 189 countries
All-time high
6.5%
in 2007
All-time low
-0.2%
in 1988
Years of data
44
1980–2025

Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Qatar, 1980–2025

02461980200220251980: 0.026 % of GDP1981: -0.023 % of GDP1983: 0.046 % of GDP1985: 0.016 % of GDP1986: 0.007 % of GDP1987: -0.007 % of GDP1988: -0.247 % of GDP1989: 0.027 % of GDP1990: 0.027 % of GDP1991: 0.034 % of GDP1992: 0.059 % of GDP1993: 0.06 % of GDP1994: 0.424 % of GDP1995: 0.058 % of GDP1996: 0.099 % of GDP1997: 0.126 % of GDP1998: 0.209 % of GDP1999: 0.058 % of GDP2000: 0.1 % of GDP2001: 0.098 % of GDP2002: -0.109 % of GDP2003: 0.375 % of GDP2004: 1.4 % of GDP2005: 0.79 % of GDP2006: 0.209 % of GDP2007: 6.5 % of GDP2008: 3.2 % of GDP2009: 3.3 % of GDP2010: 1.5 % of GDP2011: 6 % of GDP2012: 0.985 % of GDP2013: 4 % of GDP2014: 3.3 % of GDP2015: 2.5 % of GDP2016: 5.2 % of GDP2017: 1.1 % of GDP2018: 1.9 % of GDP2019: 2.5 % of GDP2020: 1.9 % of GDP2021: 0.089 % of GDP2022: 1 % of GDP2023: -0.09 % of GDP2024: 0.723 % of GDP2025: 1.6 % of GDP

Source: International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2025, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Qatar stood at 1.6%.

The figure is up 114.7% on the previous year and down 37.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Qatar peaked at 6.5% in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.2%, in 1988.

Qatar ranks 35th of 189 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Qatar, year by year

Annual values for Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Qatar, 1980 to 2025.
Year % of GDP Change
1980 0.0%
1981 -0.0% -190.4%
1983 0.0% -300.6%
1985 0.0% -64.9%
1986 0.0% -57.8%
1987 -0.0% -195.7%
1988 -0.2% +3667.2%
1989 0.0% -111.1%
1990 0.0% -1.8%
1991 0.0% +27.6%
1992 0.1% +72.9%
1993 0.1% +0.3%
1994 0.4% +610.5%
1995 0.1% -86.3%
1996 0.1% +71.1%
1997 0.1% +27.3%
1998 0.2% +65.7%
1999 0.1% -72.2%
2000 0.1% +72.0%
2001 0.1% -1.8%
2002 -0.1% -210.7%
2003 0.4% -444.8%
2004 1.4% +268.3%
2005 0.8% -42.7%
2006 0.2% -73.5%
2007 6.5% +2992.9%
2008 3.2% -51.0%
2009 3.3% +3.6%
2010 1.5% -54.7%
2011 6.0% +304.6%
2012 1.0% -83.7%
2013 4.0% +309.8%
2014 3.3% -18.9%
2015 2.5% -24.0%
2016 5.2% +109.4%
2017 1.1% -79.8%
2018 1.9% +82.7%
2019 2.5% +31.3%
2020 1.9% -25.1%
2021 0.1% -95.3%
2022 1.0% +1036.8%
2023 -0.1% -108.9%
2024 0.7% -903.8%
2025 1.6% +114.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s -0.0% -0.2% 0.0% 8
1990s 0.1% 0.0% 0.4% 10
2000s 1.6% -0.1% 6.5% 10
2010s 2.9% 1.0% 6.0% 10
2020s 0.9% -0.1% 1.9% 6

Countries ranked near Qatar

  1. 32 Kuwait 1.9% compare
  2. 33 Thailand 1.6% compare
  3. 34 Liberia 1.6% compare
  4. 36 Lebanon 1.5% compare
  5. 37 Honduras 1.5% compare
  6. 38 United States 1.4% compare

See the full ranking of 189 places →

More economy & growth data for Qatar

All data for Qatar →

Frequently asked questions

What is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Qatar?
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp in Qatar was 1.6% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in Qatar?
The highest recorded value was 6.5% in 2007.
What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp recorded in Qatar?
The lowest recorded value was -0.2% in 1988.
How does Qatar rank for foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp?
Qatar ranks 35th out of 189 countries with data for 2025.
Is foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Qatar?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Qatar data come from?
The figures come from International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP in Qatar. Statizoid, drawing on International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://economy.statizoid.com/stat/foreign-direct-investment-net-outflows-as-share-of-gdp/qatar/

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About this data

Indicator
Foreign direct investment, net outflows as share of GDP
Unit
% of GDP
Source
International Monetary Fund (Balance of Payments), UNCTAD, and national sources, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
189 places, 7,265 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Net outflows of foreign direct investment from the reporting economy to the rest of the world.