The gross domestic product of Qatar expanded by 0.3 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, following a downwardly revised 1.8 percent advance in the previous quarter. It was the weakest pace of expansion since the third quarter of 2009, when the GDP contracted by 15.3 percent. Positive contributions to growth came from construction (7.2 percent); financial & insurance activities (3.9 percent); public administration; compulsory social security (3.0 percent); real estate activities (2.8 percent); and professional, scientific & technical activities; administrative & support activities (0.9 percent).On the other hand, negative growth was recorded from mining & quarrying (-2.0 percent); manufacturing (-1.7 percent); and wholesale & retail trade; repair of motor vehicles & motorcycles (-0.2 percent). On a quarterly basis, the economy shrank 1.2 percent, after a downwardly revised 3.5 percent growth in Q3. GDP Annual Growth Rate in Qatar averaged 6.49 percent from 2009 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 32.90 percent in the first quarter of 2010 and a record low of -15.30 percent in the second quarter of 2009.
GDP Annual Growth Rate in Qatar is expected to be 2.20 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate GDP Annual Growth Rate in Qatar to stand at 2.80 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the Qatar GDP Annual Growth Rate is projected to trend around 3.10 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.