Food imports in Qatar
Qatar: Food imports was 11.2% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Qatar, 1972–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Qatar recorded 11.2% for food imports in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 13.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Qatar peaked at 24.4% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 2007.
That places Qatar 140th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Food imports in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 20.3% | — |
| 1973 | 18.7% | -7.9% |
| 1974 | 24.4% | +30.2% |
| 1975 | 13.5% | -44.6% |
| 1976 | 9.9% | -26.4% |
| 1977 | 8.2% | -18.0% |
| 1978 | 11.1% | +36.5% |
| 1979 | 11.7% | +5.3% |
| 1980 | 15.0% | +27.6% |
| 1981 | 13.9% | -7.2% |
| 1982 | 10.7% | -23.2% |
| 1983 | 15.1% | +41.6% |
| 1984 | 21.8% | +44.3% |
| 1985 | 18.2% | -16.3% |
| 1991 | 17.0% | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 14.4% | -15.0% |
| 1993 | 14.7% | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 15.1% | +3.1% |
| 1995 | 9.4% | -38.0% |
| 1996 | 10.9% | +15.9% |
| 1998 | 10.3% | -5.0% |
| 1999 | 15.3% | +48.3% |
| 2000 | 11.7% | -23.3% |
| 2001 | 11.3% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 11.9% | +5.6% |
| 2003 | 9.7% | -18.3% |
| 2004 | 7.5% | -23.4% |
| 2005 | 6.6% | -11.9% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | -20.8% |
| 2007 | 4.8% | -8.1% |
| 2008 | 6.0% | +26.2% |
| 2010 | 8.5% | +40.4% |
| 2012 | 9.8% | +15.9% |
| 2013 | 9.3% | -5.7% |
| 2014 | 9.9% | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 9.8% | -1.4% |
| 2016 | 9.9% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 11.2% | +12.9% |
| 2018 | 10.6% | -5.0% |
| 2019 | 10.8% | +1.9% |
| 2020 | 11.9% | +10.2% |
| 2021 | 10.8% | -9.4% |
| 2022 | 12.0% | +11.4% |
| 2023 | 11.2% | -6.8% |
| 2024 | 11.2% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.7% | 8.2% | 24.4% | 8 |
| 1980s | 15.8% | 10.7% | 21.8% | 6 |
| 1990s | 13.4% | 9.4% | 17.0% | 8 |
| 2000s | 8.3% | 4.8% | 11.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 10.0% | 8.5% | 11.2% | 9 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 10.8% | 12.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More private sector data for Qatar
- Merchandise trade 58.6% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 74.4% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 37.54 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 0.1% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 11.6% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 88.77 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 29,867 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.4118 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -6.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 12,629 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Qatar?
- Food imports in Qatar was 11.2% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 24.4% in 1974.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 2007.
- How does Qatar rank for food imports?
- Qatar ranks 140th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Qatar data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.