Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Qatar amounted to QR137.2bn ($37.3 billion) in 2015 with manufacturing cornering the maximum share of the total stock, according to the Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS).
Other American countries, the European Union, the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) were among the principal sources of FDI, which however, was down 4% year-on-year in 2015, the MDPS said in its ‘Foreign Investment Survey November 2016.
A recent report from Kamco Research had said that FDI into the GCC has been on a 'consistent decline over the past five years with a compound annual growth rate of -15.3%.
In terms of book value, the manufacturing sector received QR72.3bn, or 53%, of total FDI inflows in 2015, followed by mining and quarrying QR47.4bn (35%) and financial and insurance QR10.1bn (7%). The MDPS survey obtained data from about 150 significant enterprises that had accounted for more than 90% of total investments and by various functional, geographical and industrial characteristics.
Otherwise, about 90% of inward FDI in 2015 went towards the oil and gas and associated downstream manufacturing and other activities such as transportation and marketing, the ministry said.
In 2014, the manufacturing sector's share in total FDI was 55%, followed by mining and quarrying (33%) and financial and insurance (8%), it added.
The report found that more than 60 countries contributed to the stock of FDI in Qatar at the end of 2015 with the top four group's relative share of total FDI continued to grow and amounted to 97% of total at the end of 2015.
Of the QR137.2 inward FDI in 2015, other American countries' contribution was QR48.1bn, or 35%, followed by the US QR33bn (24%) and the GCC QR6.9bn (5%). In 2014, other American countries' share was 36%, followed by the EU (32%), the US (23%) and the GCC (5%).
Qatar's outward FDI amounted to QR103bn, which represented a 1% increase year-on-year, with bulk of it going into the EU, the GCC, other Arab countries and Asia. 'Qatar had FDI abroad in about 80 countries. The top four group of countries accounted for a relative share of 85% of the total at the end of 2015, MDPS said.
Of the QR103bn outward FDI in 2015, as much QR31bn, or 30%, went towards the EU, followed by QR30bn, or 29%, to the GCC; QR14bn, or 14%, to other Arab countries and QR12.4bn, or 12%, to Asia. In 2014, the EU's share was 29%, followed by the GCC (30%), other Arab countries (14%) and Asia (11%).
In 2015, Qatar's outward FDI largely went into financial and insurance activities (52%), transportation, storage, information and communication (40%) and wholesale and retail industry (4%). Their share in 2014 was 50%, 39% and 4% respectively.
MDPS also disclosed that the total inward foreign portfolio investment into Qatar amounted to QR73.9bn, while outward foreign portfolio investment was QR44.3bn.
The inward foreign other investments (excluding financial derivatives) stood at QR330.7bn in 2015, whereas outward flows in this account were to the tune of QR199.6bn.
Qatar's total inward foreign investments were valued at QR541.8bn, while outward foreign investments stood at QR347bn in 2015, the report said.
Gulf Times
30 December
