Qatar's inward foreign direct investment rose 3.3% to QR172.2 billion in the first quarter of 2026, while outward investments increased 3.5% to QR221.7 billion, according to the National Planning Council's FDI Survey. Mining and quarrying accounted for 45.3% of inward FDI, with financial services at 31.9% and manufacturing at 13%, reflecting both Qatar's energy resources and emerging economic diversification into knowledge-based sectors including communications and professional services.
The figures indicate growing investor confidence in Qatar as a destination for long-term capital deployment. The National Planning Council emphasized that investment quality—measured by productivity gains, technology transfer and local capability development—matters as much as volume, with outward investment concentrated in financially sustainable sectors including finance, communications and transport.
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