Qatar: the only way is up

摘要

Qatar is the desert emirate in the northern Arabian Gulf whose wealth allows it to punch above the weight of both its landmass and population. Holding the world's third-largest reserves of natural gas at 907.3 trillion cubic feet, Qatar has a population of barely 840,000, rising to 1.5 million if foreign residents are included, and a per capita GDP which reached £56,761 last year.rnSoaring world oil prices between 2003 and 2008 allowed Qatar to achieve an annual budget surplus of some £20 billion. These reserves allow it to invest heavily in infrastructure.According to CN sister title, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), Qatar had nearly £86 billion of construction projects underway this month.