Qatar's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) was 317.31 billion in 2022, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 1.15% from 320.98 billion in 2012 (0.12% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 317.31 billion | 2022 |
| Five years earlier | 83.76 billion | 2017 |
| Ten years earlier | 320.98 billion | 2012 |
| Highest | 320.98 billion | 2012 |
| Lowest | 299 million | 1995 |
| Average since 2013 | 157.3 billion | 2013–2022 |
| First recorded | 13.65 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2022, Qatar's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) rose 96.6% on 2021 (from 161.42 billion to 317.31 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +49.7% and a typical year strayed about 111.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 334.8% in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 90% in 1995. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2013 to 2022 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
Closest to Qatar in the 2022 ranking
- American Samoa — 2nd of 6: -268 million
- Virgin Islands (US) — 3rd of 6: -509 million
- Northern Mariana Islands — 4th of 6: -533 million
What this measures
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.
All 43 values
| Year | External balance on goods and services (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 317,309,000,000 |
| 2021 | 161,416,000,000 |
| 2020 | 43,202,000,000 |
| 2019 | 92,006,000,000 |
| 2018 | 133,770,000,000 |
| 2017 | 83,763,000,000 |
| 2016 | 32,476,000,000 |
| 2015 | 120,192,000,000 |
| 2014 | 277,457,000,000 |
| 2013 | 311,428,000,000 |
External balance on goods and services (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Afghanistan — -660.71 billion (2024)
- Algeria — -2.01 trillion (2025)
- Bahrain — 3.11 billion (2024)
- Djibouti — 120.74 billion (2025)
- Egypt, Arab Rep. — -2.12 trillion (2025)
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — -23,522.9 trillion (2025)
- Iraq — 8.68 trillion (2024)
- Israel — 44.86 billion (2025)
- Kuwait — 8.65 billion (2024)
- Lebanon
More economic policy & debt data for Qatar
- Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$55.85 billion (2025)
- Total reserves, excluding gold (current US$) — US$39.67 billion (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$3.03 billion (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 1.41% (2025)
- GDP (current US$) — US$215.56 billion (2025)
- GDP (current LCU) — 784.64 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$183.49 billion (2025)
- GDP (constant LCU) — 736.64 billion (2025)
- GDP per capita (current US$) — US$72,525 (2025)
- GDP per capita (current LCU) — 263,991 (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Qatar's external balance on goods and services (current LCU)?
- 317.31 billion in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1980?
- It is up 2,225% from 13.65 billion in 1980 (7.78% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 320.98 billion in 2012 and the lowest 299 million in 1995.
- Is the latest change in external balance on goods and services (current LCU) unusual for Qatar?
- In 2022, Qatar's external balance on goods and services (current LCU) rose 96.6% on 2021 (from 161.42 billion to 317.31 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2021), the average change was +49.7% and a typical year strayed about 111.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.RSB.GNFS.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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