Qatar's GDP is projected to reach $220.6bn by 2015, after jumping to $209bn by the end of this year, Arab Investment and Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (AIECGC) noted in its report.
Qatar ranks top among the Arab countries in terms of per capita income. Qatar's per capita income would reach $106,700 by 2015. The average annual per capita income of Arab citizens during 2005-2009 was $5,067. It increased to $6,178 in 2010. The year 2011 saw the Arab citizens per capita income rising to $7,630. In 2012 it further rose to $8,186 before reducing to $8,171 in 2013. The figure would go up to $8,402 by the end of this year and is expected to reach $8,591 by 2015.
The foreign currency reserves of Arab countries jumped during the period of 2000-2009 from an annual average of $730bn to $1374bn in 2013. It is expected to rise to $1482bn by year-end.
Citing World Bank data, the study said the net balance of payment of capital account in the Arab countries witnessed a significant shift from a huge surplus of $22.3bn in 2005 to a deficit of $1.2bn billion dollars in 2012 .
In a separate report, the AIECGC noted FDI inflows to Arab countries rose by 9.5 percent, from $43bn in 2010 to $47.bn in 2012. However, the value of flows is poor, compared to $ 76.3bn in 2009 and $96.3bn in 2008, and an average of $66.2bn during the period 2005-2007.
Investment inflows to Arab countries represented 3.6 percent of total global investments of $1.3trillion, and 6.9 percent of total developing countries of $680bn.
The Peninsula
23 June
