Total natural resource rents in Qatar
Qatar: Total natural resource rents was 27.3% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents in Qatar, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, total natural resource rents in Qatar stood at 27.3%.
The figure is up 34.9% on the previous year and down 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Qatar peaked at 87.0% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 2016.
That places Qatar 15th out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 52 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 37.5% | — |
| 1971 | 46.4% | +23.8% |
| 1972 | 50.9% | +9.6% |
| 1973 | 58.7% | +15.4% |
| 1974 | 74.9% | +27.6% |
| 1975 | 63.7% | -14.9% |
| 1976 | 58.7% | -7.9% |
| 1977 | 49.6% | -15.5% |
| 1978 | 49.6% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 87.0% | +75.5% |
| 1980 | 69.7% | -20.0% |
| 1981 | 48.4% | -30.5% |
| 1982 | 35.9% | -25.8% |
| 1983 | 38.8% | +7.9% |
| 1984 | 52.0% | +34.1% |
| 1985 | 39.4% | -24.2% |
| 1986 | 26.3% | -33.2% |
| 1987 | 30.3% | +15.1% |
| 1988 | 27.3% | -9.7% |
| 1989 | 38.7% | +41.5% |
| 1990 | 51.2% | +32.2% |
| 1991 | 30.9% | -39.5% |
| 1992 | 31.0% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 31.1% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 31.3% | +0.8% |
| 1995 | 30.4% | -3.0% |
| 1996 | 40.5% | +33.2% |
| 1997 | 38.1% | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 31.7% | -16.8% |
| 1999 | 38.3% | +20.8% |
| 2000 | 46.6% | +21.6% |
| 2001 | 42.1% | -9.6% |
| 2002 | 37.9% | -9.9% |
| 2003 | 39.0% | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 39.9% | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 43.6% | +9.3% |
| 2006 | 39.1% | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 35.7% | -8.7% |
| 2008 | 36.9% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 29.1% | -21.2% |
| 2010 | 32.4% | +11.5% |
| 2011 | 36.7% | +13.2% |
| 2012 | 35.1% | -4.4% |
| 2013 | 32.1% | -8.7% |
| 2014 | 27.7% | -13.6% |
| 2015 | 19.1% | -31.2% |
| 2016 | 16.0% | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 18.9% | +18.3% |
| 2018 | 24.0% | +27.0% |
| 2019 | 22.4% | -6.8% |
| 2020 | 20.2% | -9.6% |
| 2021 | 27.3% | +34.9% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 27.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 228.8× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 27.3% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 5.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 57.7% | 37.5% | 87.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 40.7% | 26.3% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.4% | 30.4% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.0% | 29.1% | 46.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.4% | 16.0% | 36.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 20.2% | 27.3% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
- 12 Kuwait 29.3% compare
- 13 Oman 29.2% compare
- 14 Papua New Guinea 27.4% compare
- 16 Eritrea 27.0% compare
- 17 Kazakhstan 26.8% compare
- 18 Saudi Arabia 25.6% compare
More reference data data for Qatar
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0059 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.0397 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.0493 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0003 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.0493 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0071 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1746 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2166 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0017 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in Qatar?
- Total natural resource rents in Qatar was 27.3% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 87.0% in 1979.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 2016.
- How does Qatar rank for total natural resource rents?
- Qatar ranks 15th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Qatar data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.