DOHA: Qatar’s liabilities to non-residents at the end of 2017 decreased by 13 percent, or QR96.4bn, from QR745.6bn (at the end of the previous year) to QR649.2bn, and the country’s assets with non-residents for the period decreased by QR47.5bn from QR437.6bn at the end of the previous year to QR390.1bn, preliminary estimates of an official survey show.
The Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics (MDPS) in collaboration with the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) conducted the sixth Foreign Investment Survey in 2018, for the reference year 2017. According to the findings of the survey, other foreign investments, at the end of 2017, accounted for 65 percent, or QR424.4bn, followed by foreign direct investment (FDI) in Qatar at QR130.5bn, or 20 percent, and portfolio investments at QR89.8bn, or 14 percent, of the total liabilities. At the end of 2017, stock of inward FDI had been reduced by QR2.2bn due to net outflows of FDI and other changes during the year.
Other foreign investments consisting of long term loans and trade related short term financial instruments accounted for 53 percent, or QR206.1bn, of the total assets, followed by foreign direct investment abroad at QR 46.9bn, or 38 percent, and portfolio investments (financial securities) at QR36.6bn, or 9 percent.
During 2017, net out flows of foreign direct investment abroad and other changes amounted to QR2.3bn.
As far as inward foreign direct investment is concerned, about 90 percent of inward FDI was accounted for by the oil and gas and associated downstream manufacturing and other activities such as transportation and marketing. In terms of the book value of investments, manufacturing activities accounted for 53 percent of the total value of FDI, followed by mining and quarrying (33 percent) and financial and insurance activities (10 percent) at the end of 2017.
Over 60 countries contributed to the stock of FDI in Qatar at the end of 2017. The top four group of countries’ relative share of total FDI continued to be stable and amounted to 93 percent of total at the end of 2017.
With regard to outward foreign direct investment, the stock of outward direct investment from Qatar at the end of 2017 was QR146.9bn, an increase of 2 percent over the previous year.
In 2017, the following groups of economic activities accounted for most of the FDI abroad; financial and insurance activities (40 percent), transportation, storage, information and communication (33 percent) and mining and quarrying (18 percent).
Qatar had FDI abroad in about 80 countries. The top four group of countries accounted for a relative share of 80 percent of the total at the end of 2017.
The survey obtained data from about 150 significant enterprises that had accounted for more than 90 percent of total investments and by various functional, geographical and economic activity (industrial) characteristics.
For the remaining enterprises with foreign investments (inward/outward) data were estimated on past trends. Revisions were made to the published 2016 data on new and revised data provided by respondents.
The objective of the survey, conducted in collaboration with QCB, was to cover all major enterprises (private and public) operating in the national economy. However, data could be obtained only from privately owned companies and public corporations. International financial transactions made by individuals and by the Government were not covered. Users are accordingly cautioned that the survey results are not strictly comparable with the BOP statement of the QCB.
