The Ministry of Finance announced today that the State of Qatar's general budget recorded a deficit of 0.5 billion riyals during the first quarter of this year (January, February and March).
The ministry clarified, in a statement via its official account on the social media platform "X" regarding the actual data for Qatar's budget for the first quarter of 2025, that "the deficit was covered through debt instruments."
She indicated that total revenues for the first quarter of 2025 amounted to approximately 49.4 billion riyals, a decrease of 7.5 percent compared to the first quarter of 2024. She explained that these revenues were distributed between 42.5 billion riyals in oil revenues and 6.9 billion riyals in non-oil revenues.
The statement added that total public spending during the first quarter of this year amounted to approximately 49.9 billion riyals, representing a 2.8 percent decrease compared to the first quarter of 2024. This figure is distributed as follows: 16.9 billion riyals for salaries and wages, 18.5 billion riyals for current expenditures, 13.1 billion riyals for major capital expenditures, and 1.2 billion riyals for minor capital expenditures.
He confirmed that the value of government contracts through tenders and auctions executed by government agencies during the first quarter of 2025 amounted to approximately 6.4 billion riyals. The value of contracts with foreign companies reached approximately 1.5 billion riyals, representing a 50 percent increase compared to the first quarter of last year.
The Ministry of Finance stated that the top four sectors, according to the Sector Business Index, during the first quarter of this year were: Municipality and Environment, Health, Energy, and the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.