That dollar figure represents roughly 0.5% of overall global exports from all countries.
Revenues for Qatari exports increased by 54.2% compared to $84.9 billion during 2018.
Qatari exporters collected a 50.2% acceleration in revenues in 2022 from $87.2 billion for 2021.
From a continental perspective, $95.8 billion or 73.6% of Qatari exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 23.4% were sold to importers located in Europe.
Qatar shipped another 1.4% worth of goods to North American customers with 0.9% going to Africa. At 0.4%, a smaller percentage was bought by buyers in Latin American nations (excluding Mexico) and Caribbean countries.
Qatar’s Top 15 Trading Partners
Below is a list showcasing 15 of Qatar’s top trading partners, countries that imported the most Qatari shipments by dollar value during 2022. Also shown is each import country’s percentage of total Qatari exports.
- China: US$20.8 billion (15.9% of total Qatari exports)
- India: $15.1 billion (11.6%)
- South Korea: $14.3 billion (10.9%)
- Japan: $12.6 billion (9.6%)
- United Kingdom: $8.6 billion (6.5%)
- Belgium: $7.2 billion (5.5%)
- Singapore: $6.7 billion (5.1%)
- Italy: $6.5 billion (4.9%)
- United Arab Emirates: $5.7 billion (4.4%)
- Pakistan: $3.9 billion (3%)
- Thailand: $3.7 billion (2.8%)
- France: $3.6 billion (2.7%)
- Taiwan: $3.1 billion (2.4%)
- Bangladesh: $2.7 billion (2.1%)
- Poland: $2.3 billion (1.7%)
Almost nine-tenths (89.1%) of Qatari exports in 2022 was delivered to the above 15 trade partners.
Posting the strongest increases in their import purchases from Qatar from 2021 to 2022 were Belgium (up 1,450%), France (up 282.3%), United Kingdom (up 192.7%), Italy (up 163.1%) then Poland (up 115.4%).
Japan recorded the most modest year-over-year advance thanks to a 6.1% in its spending on imports from Qatar.
Qatar’s Trade Deficits by Major Country
As defined by Investopedia, a country whose total value of all imported goods is higher than its value of all exports is said to have a negative trade balance or deficit.
It would be unrealistic for any exporting nation to expect across-the-board positive trade balances with all its importing partners. Similarly, that export country doesn’t necessarily post a negative trade balance with each individual partner with which it exchanges exports and imports.
In 2022, Qatar incurred the highest trade deficits with the following countries.
- United States: -US$3.2 billion (country-specific trade deficit in 2022)
- Germany: -$1.5 billion
- Türkiye: -$738.3 million
- Norway: -$550.1 million
- Switzerland: -$397.4 million
- Oman: -$297.7 million
- Brazil: -$256.7 million
- Mexico: -$219 million
- Sweden: -$200.6 million
- Canada: -$172.9 million
Among Qatar’s trading partners that cause the greatest negative trade balances, Qatari deficits with Norway (up 1,274%), Germany (up 643.3%) and Türkiye (up 119.8%) grew at the fastest pace from 2021 to 2022.
In addition, Qatar went from generating surpluses in 2021 trading with Oman ($4.4 million surplus) and Brazil ($611 million surplus) to incurring the deficits listed above for 2022.
These cashflow deficiencies clearly indicate Qatar’s competitive disadvantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for Qatar to develop country-specific strategies to strengthen its overall position in international trade.
Qatar’s Trade Surpluses by Major Country
Qatar posted an overall $97.5 billion trade surplus during 2022, expanding by 64.6% from $59.2 billion in black ink for 2021.
Based on Investopedia’s definition of net importer, a country whose total value of all imported goods is lower than its value of all exports is said to have a positive trade balance or surplus.
In 2022, Qatar incurred the highest trade surpluses with the following countries:
- China: US$15.3 billion (country-specific trade surplus in 2022)
- South Korea: $13.8 billion
- India: $13.1 billion
- Japan: $11.7 billion
- United Kingdom: $7.2 billion
- Belgium: $6.9 billion
- Singapore: $6.2 billion
- United Arab Emirates: $5.3 billion
- Italy: $4.5 billion
- Pakistan: $3.7 billion
Among Qatar’s trading partners that generate the greatest positive trade balances, Qatari surpluses with Belgium (up 5,788%), United Kingdom (up 439.2%) and Italy (up 333.8%) grew at the fastest pace from 2021 to 2022.
Nevertheless, these positive cashflow streams clearly indicate Qatar’s competitive advantages with the above countries, but also represent key opportunities for Qatar to develop country-specific strategies to optimize its overall position in international trade.
Companies Servicing Qatari Trading Partners
Eight Qatari corporations rank among Forbes Global 2000 for 2021 albeit many of these are in the financial services. Below are samples from the 2021 Forbes listing.
- Qatar National Bank (regional bank)
- Ooredoo Telecom (telecommunications services)
- Industries Qatar (specialized chemicals)
Wikipedia lists export companies from Qatar. Selected examples are shown below.
- Qatar National Cement Company (cement manufacturing)
- Qatar Petroleum (oil, gas)
- Qatar Steel (steel, other basic materials)
- Qatargas (natural gas)
- RasGas (natural gas)
See also Qatar’s Top 10 Exports, Top Middle Eastern Export Countries and Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 26, 2023
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 26, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 26, 2023
The World Factbook, Country Profiles, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on October 26, 2023
Trade Map, International Trade Centre. Accessed on October 26, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Qatar. Accessed on October 26, 2023
Wikipedia, Qatar. Accessed on October 26, 2023
