Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar
Qatar: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within was 1.8% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar, 1969–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar stood at 1.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.4% on the previous year and down 11.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar peaked at 12.3% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 1.2%, in 1982.
That places Qatar 181st out of 203 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 12.3% | — |
| 1970 | 10.9% | -11.6% |
| 1971 | 7.5% | -30.8% |
| 1972 | 10.3% | +36.3% |
| 1973 | 9.2% | -10.4% |
| 1974 | 8.9% | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 5.8% | -35.2% |
| 1976 | 3.2% | -44.7% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -21.6% |
| 1978 | 3.0% | +18.8% |
| 1979 | 2.6% | -13.2% |
| 1980 | 2.6% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 1.2% | -55.9% |
| 1983 | 1.7% | +47.5% |
| 1984 | 3.4% | +101.8% |
| 1985 | 2.6% | -25.8% |
| 1986 | 2.7% | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 2.3% | -13.4% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | +14.4% |
| 1989 | 1.9% | -27.5% |
| 1990 | 3.6% | +89.0% |
| 1991 | 3.9% | +7.7% |
| 1992 | 4.0% | +4.0% |
| 1993 | 3.7% | -8.1% |
| 1994 | 3.8% | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 3.4% | -10.8% |
| 1996 | 1.7% | -49.3% |
| 1997 | 1.7% | -3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.9% | +11.0% |
| 1999 | 3.0% | +61.5% |
| 2000 | 2.5% | -17.6% |
| 2001 | 2.2% | -12.0% |
| 2002 | 2.5% | +17.1% |
| 2003 | 2.1% | -15.5% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | -10.7% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +8.8% |
| 2006 | 1.9% | -8.3% |
| 2007 | 1.7% | -13.1% |
| 2008 | 2.0% | +23.0% |
| 2009 | 2.3% | +13.6% |
| 2010 | 2.4% | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 2.4% | -0.0% |
| 2012 | 2.2% | -9.2% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 2.1% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +8.2% |
| 2016 | 2.1% | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | +23.1% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +17.4% |
| 2019 | 2.2% | -27.2% |
| 2020 | 2.2% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.9% | -13.1% |
| 2023 | 1.8% | -4.4% |
Qatar compared with similar countries
- Qatar's 1.8% is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.5%, 41% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Qatar's 1.8% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.3%, 56% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | +101.8% | 1.7% | 3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.3% | 12.3% | 12.3% | 1 |
| 1970s | 6.4% | 2.5% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.4% | 1.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 1.7% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.7% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | 2.1% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Qatar
More private sector data for Qatar
- Merchandise trade 58.6% (2025)
- Food imports 11.2% (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within in Qatar was 1.8% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Qatar?
- The highest recorded value was 12.3% in 1969.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within recorded in Qatar?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.2% in 1982.
- How does Qatar rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within?
- Qatar ranks 181st out of 203 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within rising or falling in Qatar?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Qatar data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from other low- and middle-income economies in the same World Bank region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data. No figures are shown for high-income economies, because they are a separate category in the World Bank classification of economies.