Foreign investors started 52% more projects in Qatar in 2025

Foreign investment in Qatar gathered pace in 2025. Foreign companies announced 373 investment projects in the country during the year, 52% more than the 245 of 2024, according to Invest Qatar, the national investment promotion agency. Their committed capital spending rose 23% to $3.4 billion, and the projects are expected to create 15,051 jobs, 59% more than a year earlier.¹ The fastest growth came from partnerships and licensing deals, which Invest Qatar records as new forms of investment: their number rose from 55 to 132 (Exhibit 1). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data tell a similar story, with foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to Qatar of $3.0 billion in 2025, more than six times the $460 million of 2024.²

The figures carry extra weight this week. Doha hosted the ninth World Investment Forum from October 25 to 27, where more than 7,000 people registered and four prime ministers and over 60 ministers took part. The forum closed with the Doha Global Investment Action Framework, more than 20 outcomes across six priority areas, along with nine new agreements and partnerships and three regional investment reports, one of them on the Gulf.³ This article looks at how investors are entering Qatar, where the capital came from and where it went, and how Qatar compares in the Gulf, before turning to what this means for companies on both sides of a deal.

How investors are entering Qatar: Greenfield first, partnerships fastest

Greenfield projects remain the main route. There were 223 of them in 2025, 60% of all projects, with $2.1 billion of capital spending and 10,168 of the year’s expected jobs.¹ Partnership-based entry grew faster: the 132 new-forms projects carried $391 million of capital spending and 4,117 expected jobs. Companies already in Qatar also expanded, with 13 reinvestment projects worth $674 million, up from six projects worth $15 million in 2024. Five acquisitions added $246 million.¹

Policy has supported this mix. In May 2025, Invest Qatar launched a $1 billion national incentives program with four packages, for advanced industries, logistics, technology, and financial services. It reimburses up to 40% of eligible local investment costs over five years, subject to minimum investment, job creation, and sector criteria.¹ The agency also placed representatives in London, New York, Paris, Mumbai, and Istanbul during the year, and Qatar rose 21 places to 12th in fDi Intelligence’s Greenfield FDI Performance Index for 2025.¹

Where the capital came from: Gulf neighbors, Europe, and the United States

The capital came from a balanced mix of regional and global investors. Companies from the UAE committed $814.8 million, 24% of the year’s total, followed by France with $617.6 million and the United States with $587.2 million (Exhibit 2).⁴ The UAE and Saudi Arabia together supplied $1.1 billion, or 32.5%, and investors from the rest of the world $2.29 billion, or 67.5%.¹ By number of projects, US companies led with 53 and UK companies followed with 37.^{4, 5}

Where it went: Chemicals, software, and consumer markets

Industry and technology took the most capital. Chemicals drew $956.6 million, 28% of the year’s capital spending, and software and IT services $391.3 million, or 12%. Consumer products ($253.2 million), coal, oil, and natural gas ($200.3 million), and food and beverages ($171.8 million) completed the top five, which together took $1.97 billion, or 58%.^{1, 4} Project counts point to the domestic market: consumer products led with 73 projects, followed by business services with 58, food and beverages with 49, software and IT services with 47, and textiles with 30, together 69% of all projects.^{1, 4} Consumer products also led job creation, with 3,671 expected jobs, ahead of food and beverages with 2,697 and software and IT services with 1,497.⁴

The official stock of investment shows a different and complementary picture. Project data count new commitments; the FDI survey of the National Planning Council (NPC) and Qatar Central Bank (QCB) measures the accumulated value of foreign-owned positions. By the end of the first quarter of 2026, inward FDI in Qatar had risen 3.3% from the end of 2025 to QAR 172.2 billion, and Qatari direct investment abroad had risen 3.5% to QAR 221.7 billion.⁶ Mining and quarrying, which includes the energy sector, held 45.3% of the inward position and financial and insurance activities 31.9% (Exhibit 3). Qatar is a net direct investor abroad, with outward positions QAR 49.5 billion larger than inward ones, led by finance, mining, and information and communication.⁶

Qatar in the Gulf picture: A record regional year

Qatar’s gains came in a strong year for the region. UNCTAD’s Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Investment Report, launched at the forum, finds that FDI inflows to the six GCC countries rose 18% to about $99 billion in 2025, a ten-year high, while global FDI grew 6%. Announced greenfield investment in the GCC rose 66% to around $78 billion, and the number of projects rose 12% while it fell 10% worldwide.⁷ The UAE, with about $48 billion, and Saudi Arabia together received more than four-fifths of the regional total.⁷

For Qatar, UNCTAD records announced greenfield investment of $3.1 billion in 2025, 9.9% more than in 2024, close to the $3.4 billion of capital spending in Invest Qatar’s project data.² Gulf capital also flows outward: GCC outward FDI rose 11% to $130 billion, and Qatar’s own outflows reached $3.3 billion.^{7, 2} UNCTAD notes that the conflict in the region has made the outlook for 2026 less certain across the Gulf, and it points to stronger transport links, deeper regional integration, and investment in skills and local suppliers as supports for continued diversification.⁷ Qatar’s survey data for the first quarter of 2026 show both inward and outward positions growing.⁶

Three ways of measuring foreign investment

The figures in this article come from three measures that answer different questions. Invest Qatar’s project data, compiled by fDi Markets, count investments as companies announce them and record the planned capital spending and jobs. UNCTAD’s flow data, based on balance of payments statistics, record the net money that crosses borders in a year, including reinvested earnings and loans between related companies. The NPC and QCB survey measures positions, the accumulated value of direct investment at a point in time, and its preliminary estimates are updated in later releases. Each is valid for its purpose, and the numbers should not be added together or compared one for one.

What this means for companies

The 2025 data show more foreign companies arriving, through more routes, from more places. For foreign firms weighing an entry and for Qatari companies looking for foreign partners, the practical question is how to turn that interest into a well-structured deal. That is the focus of our work on preparing for investors in Qatar.

• Foreign companies: build the business case before applying for incentives. The national program reimburses up to 40% of eligible local costs over five years, but it sets minimum investment and job thresholds. A feasibility study that tests demand, costs, and the incentive terms shows whether a project qualifies and what it is worth with and without support.
• Consider the partnership route. New forms of investment rose to 132 projects in 2025, 2.4 times the 2024 count. Licensing, alliances, and joint ventures let a foreign company test the market with a Qatari partner; both sides should agree governance, intellectual property, and exit terms at the start.
• Qatari companies: prepare the evidence a foreign partner will ask for. Investors in 2025 came from the Gulf, Europe, and the United States. Audited accounts, a financial model with clear assumptions, and an independent business valuation help discussions move from interest to terms.
• Follow the priority sectors. Chemicals, software and IT services, consumer products, and food and beverages drew the most capital, and the incentive packages target advanced industries, logistics, technology, and financial services. Proposals that fit these priorities, and the job and diversification goals behind them, are likely to find a readier hearing.

The 2025 data show more foreign companies arriving, through more routes, from more places.

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Qatar ended 2025 with more foreign projects, more capital committed, and more jobs planned than a year earlier, and the World Investment Forum has now placed Doha at the center of the global investment conversation. Invest Qatar’s figures for 2026 and the NPC’s next survey releases will show how much of this momentum carries into the new year. Companies that arrive with a tested plan and a well-prepared partner are likely to be best placed to benefit.