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Qatar is channeling its hydrocarbons wealth into long-term economic transformation, with diversification accelerating after the FIFA 2022 World Cup. In 2024 non-oil sectors accounted for over 60% of GDP, led by tourism, logistics and financial services. Strong fiscal buffers, a US dollar peg and prudent management of the $475bn Qatar Investment Authority support macroeconomic stability. Reforms in labour laws, green investment, and small and medium-sized enterprise development have boosted private sector participation and competitiveness. The trade and investment sector is a key area of the country’s growth due to the government’s ability to leverage associated international exposure to attract higher inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI), aligning with its broader economic diversification agenda. The energy sector continues to be a boon for the economy and FDI inflows due to Qatar’s abundant natural gas reserves and its liquefied natural gas exports. Qatar’s economy is strong and stable, coupled with a population of around 3.1m, endow Qatar with vast sovereign wealth and one of the highest GDP per capita figures in the world.
The Arab world’s second largest-economy, with the GDP of $229bn in 2011 according to the World Bank, has faced exceptional economic circumstances since the start of its political transformation 18 months ago. Despite a slowdown from the roughly 7% annual growth rate posted for the seven years prior to, Egypt showed a relatively robust 4.7% GDP expansion for the 2008/09 financial year.
Located on Africa’s western coast, Ghana is home to 24m people and a variety of ethnic groups. The country is divided into 10 administrative regions and has a strong executive branch, a unicameral legislature made up of 230 members, and an independent judiciary.
Located in the heart of South-east Asia, Thailand combines an ancient Buddhist culture with an emerging industrial economy. It is the only South-east Asian country never to have been colonised, and the monarchy dates back to the 14th century.
With some of the fastest-growing free trade zones in the region, Ras Al Khaimah has witnessed impressive economic expansion and diversification across key industries in recent years, and is on its way to becoming an important investment destination in the Gulf
The largest of the Pacific Island nations, Papua New Guinea (PNG) occupies the eastern half of New Guinea and hundreds of nearby islands. A mountainous and forested terrain has led to astonishing cultural and linguistic diversity, even as it inhibited development.
