Qatar has been listed in several advanced rankings in many international development indicators, Qatar Chamber announced in its monthly economic newsletter for June 2020, prepared by its Research & Studies Department.
Citing the Arab Monetary Fund, the Chamber said Qatar topped Arab countries in the participation of woman in labour force with about 58%, followed by Kuwait with 49.3%.
Qatar also ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region and 27th in the Global Peace Index for 2020, which is issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace in Sydney, Australia, maintaining its superiority in the global index ranking.



The country also ranked first in the Arab world and 16th globally in the Societal Safety and Security index, making Qatar one of the 20 safest countries in the world.
The newsletter said the accomplishment highlights the country’s leading position worldwide in safety, which corresponds with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its main strategy in maintaining security and safety, therefore enhancing the investment climate.
Qatar also ranked 31st globally in the economic freedom index among 168 countries, according to the 2020 Index issued by the Heritage Foundation in Washington in Global Finance Magazine.
Also reported in the newsletter was Qatar’s foreign trade for April and trade of the private sector based on the certificates of origin issued by the Chamber. According to April 2020 figures from the Planning and Statistics Authority, the total value of foreign merchandise trade amounted to QR19.3bn.
In April 2020, total exports of goods (including exports of goods of domestic origin and re-exports) amounted to QR11.8bn, while Qatari imports during the same month amounted to QR7.5bn. The foreign merchandise trade balance, which represents the difference between total exports and imports, showed a surplus of QR4.3bn.
In April 2020, China was the leading country of origin for Qatar’s total foreign trade (imports + exports) with about QR2.8bn, a share of 14.5% of the total foreign trade. According to the certificates of origin issued by the chamber in April, the private sector’s exports reached QR572mn.
Based on the private sector’s trade according to the certificates of origin issued by the chamber for exporting companies, exports through the “General Model” certificate of origin form constituted the largest value at QR298mn, followed by exports through GSP worth QR178mn, and GCC model with a value of about QR45mn.
Exports through the Unified Arab certificate registered a value of QR43mn, followed by the Unified GCC Certificate of Origin to Singapore, which amounted to QR8mn.
The newsletter also featured views of the business community on the issuance of the Public-Private Partnership Law, which emphasised that the private sector “is a real partner of the state” in implementing many development projects.
It also highlighted that the consequences of the economic blockade and the Covid-19 pandemic have demonstrated the real capabilities of the private sector and its ability to implement major development projects within the framework of the objectives of economic diversification and attracting domestic and foreign investment.
The report said many different industrial sectors, such as chemicals, plastics, and petrochemicals, are expected to achieve significant expansions during the next few years, in parallel with the continuous increase in the production of LNG from the North Field during the upcoming years.
These reports also pointed out to the development of the industrial sector in the country during the last few years, and its remarkable successes despite the regional and international economic challenges and variables.
The newsletter also highlighted a study conducted by the Qatar Chamber’s Food Security and Environment to identify the production inputs required for plant and animal farms during the current phase, which should be included in the State's food security concerns and strategies.
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