[MENA Focus 2025년 6월호] 주한 카타르 대사 기고문: 카타르 경제: 미래지향적 비전과 지속 가능한 성장

At the outset, it is my pleasure to extend my sincere and heartfelt thanks to the online Magazine of the Asia Center of Seoul National University for providing this opportunity to feature an article on the economy of the State of Qatar. This article is intended to broaden awareness and understanding of the State of Qatar among Korean society, particularly the strong diplomatic, economic, and cultural relations between the two countries, which was elevated to the level of a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023.

The solid friendship between the State of Qatar and the Republic of Korea is currently reflected in a trade volume exceeding $15 billion, and close cooperation in the fields of science and technology, trade and investment, industry and energy, education, healthcare and medical services, defense and national security. In addition to many other areas of multilateral cooperation, such as climate, green growth, and green development.

It is worth noting that the State of Qatar is currently ranked among the best countries in the world in terms of good governance, economic well-being, social inclusion, per capita income, human development indicators, and quality of life. This is due to its wise leadership, rational planning, as well as optimal utilization of resources, encouraging laws, and an attractive investment environment.

Over five decades, the State of Qatar has achieved a model of development amidst a challenging geography and unfavorable economic conditions. This was achieved by directing limited financial resources early on to oil and gas exploration to develop the economic structure, and allocating the accrued natural resources financial revenues to building economic structures, modernizing society, and developing various economic sectors.

Since 2008, the State of Qatar has adopted a comprehensive development vision embodied in Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to transform the country into an advanced state capable of achieving sustainable development, ensuring a decent standard of living for citizens, and achieving progress and prosperity. Qatar National Vision 2030 has been based on four pillars: human development, social development, economic development, and sustainable development. These pillars aim to build a prosperous society and develop a competitive national economy capable of meeting the needs of current and future generations, while protecting and developing the environment to ensure harmony between economic and social development.

The economy of the State of Qatar depends primarily on liquefied natural gas and crude oil, which constitute the source of government revenue and the main engine of growth for the Qatari economy. And this has made Qatar one of the leading exporting countries of LNG in the world.

Despite these comparative advantages in production and export, Qatar seeks—as part of its sustainable development policy—to diversify the economy away from traditional growth engines. This aims to reduce dependence on gas and oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase private sector participation in economic growth, and continue its pursuit of clean energy and green development.

The structure of Qatar’s economy has changed significantly over the past decades, with the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP increasing, as has the services sector, including travel and tourism, which attracts millions of people to the country annually.

According to the National Planning Council of the State of Qatar, the economy has achieved a real growth rate of 2.4% in 2024, with a growth of 3.4% in non-hydrocarbon activity. The GDP figures indicate an economy that continues to progress towards diversification, with the private sector playing an increasingly significant role in the development.​

In addition, several key sectors in non-hydrocarbon activities have experienced significant increases, such as accommodation and food services (8.7%), arts, entertainment, and recreation (7.5%), real estate activities (6%), wholesale and retail trade by (5.2%), and construction grew by 3.6%.

In conclusion, it is important to note that the priorities of the State of Qatar’s economy are to advance its policy of economic diversification, encourage trade and investment, empower the next generation of talent to build a skilled workforce, foster an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship in line with Qatar’s development vision, keep pace with technology, including the adoption of artificial intelligence, dissemination of knowledge, building digital capabilities, and supporting startups.

In addition to, promoting Qatar’s relations with countries around the world by increasing its contribution to international development and enhancing multilateral cooperation, including sharing Qatar’s experience in mediation to contribute to international peace and security.