Industry

Exploiting its competitive advantage in energy and, to a lesser extent, labour and land, Qatar’s industrial base has continued to show impressive growth throughout 2011 and into 2012. The oil and gas sector, buoyed by high hydrocarbons prices, has reclaimed its place as the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 51.7% of nominal GDP in 2010 and 57.7% in 2011. The petrochemicals sector continues to have a significant competitive advantage over its counterparts thanks to the state’s vast reserves of available gas. At the same time, the non-hydrocarbons sector continues to flourish. In 2010, manufacturing expanded by 22.4%, making it the fastest-growing non-hydrocarbons sector that year. Going forward, the National Development Strategy 2011-16 identifies enterprise creation, research and development, and science and technology as the key components to diversify the industrial base.