36Kr Global · Middle East | Qatar's total FDI reached 3.4 billion US dollars in 2025, with new projects increasing by 52% year-on-year

Invest Qatar, the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency, recently released its 2025 Annual Report, disclosing its outstanding foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction performance over the past year, further consolidating Qatar's leading position as a high-value, high-impact global investment destination.

In 2025, Qatar attracted a total of 373 foreign direct investment projects, with a capital expenditure of USD 3.4 billion and creating more than 15,000 jobs. Among these, over 50% of FDI capital expenditure flowed into greenfield projects, and nearly half of the projects were medium-to-high tech innovation investments, fully demonstrating investors' confidence in Qatar's innovation-driven advanced economy.

In terms of FDI source markets, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and France ranked as the top five investing countries, collectively accounting for 55.3% of all FDI projects. Notably, China ranked fourth with 23 investment projects, representing 6.2% of the total number of projects.

Image Source: Invest Qatar Official Website

Investments from Chinese enterprises cover multiple sectors including complete vehicle manufacturing, consumer goods, biotechnology, software and information technology services, and more. Complete vehicle manufacturing is the most concentrated sector for Chinese investment, with brands such as Avatr, BYD, Zeekr, Jetour, XPeng, and 212 Off-Road Vehicles having completed their investment layouts in Qatar, demonstrating Chinese new energy vehicle enterprises' strategic determination to expand into the Middle East market. In the consumer goods sector, MINISO and Pop Mart have successively established a presence; in the biotechnology sector, WuXi Biologics and WuXi AppTec have both entered the market; while in the software and information technology services sector, enterprises such as Kingdee International Software have set up operations.

In terms of industry distribution, consumer goods, commercial services, food and beverages, software and information technology services, and the textile industry rank as the top five sectors, collectively accounting for 69% of the total number of projects.

Image Source: Invest Qatar Official Website

The report points out that Qatar's world-class infrastructure, business-friendly environment, and continuously improving talent and knowledge ecosystem provide strong support for the sustained growth of foreign direct investment.

Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, Minister of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of Qatar and Chairman of the Invest Qatar Advisory Board, said: "Against the backdrop of the constantly changing global economic landscape, Qatar has maintained strategic focus, committed to consolidating economic resilience and providing investors with clear development prospects, broad opportunities, and long-term value."

He further noted that in 2025, Qatar made a number of important progress in enhancing the attractiveness and competitiveness of its investment ecosystem, further consolidating its position as an international investment destination. Moving forward, Qatar will continue to work with its partners to maintain the current momentum of development and continuously build a vital hub for global investment and innovation.

In 2025, Invest Qatar further strengthened investor services and continuously enhanced Qatar's global investment attractiveness. By establishing dedicated representative offices in London, New York, Paris, Mumbai, and Istanbul, Invest Qatar further expanded its international business layout, narrowed the distance with investors in key markets, and provided more targeted localized support.

At the same time, Invest Qatar launched an investment subsidy program with a total value of USD 1 billion, providing customized support solutions for four major sectors: advanced manufacturing, logistics, technology, and financial services, aiming to drive the development of key industries and enhance Qatar's global competitiveness.

In terms of digital services, Invest Qatar carried out a major upgrade to the Invest Qatar Gateway platform. As Qatar's first integrated digital platform covering the full lifecycle of enterprises, the platform has added new features such as secure document storage and fast-track access to customized banking and telecommunications services. Currently, more than 15,000 registered users and over 900 enterprises have settled on the platform.

Qatar's improved rankings in multiple international indicators further confirm the above development momentum. In 2025, Qatar entered the top 10 of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook released by the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland for the first time. In addition, Qatar rose 21 positions to rank 12th globally in the fDi Intelligence Global Greenfield FDI Performance Index published by the Financial Times, further consolidating its position as a world-leading greenfield investment destination.

Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al-Thani, CEO of Invest Qatar, said: "2025 was a year of pragmatic progress and deepening partnerships for Qatar, with the international community's confidence in Qatar's long-term economic vision continuing to grow. By expanding our global footprint, rolling out strategic incentives and digital solutions, Qatar is further solidifying its global image as a trusted long-term investment partner. Moving forward, we will maintain this momentum to support investors, accelerate enterprise growth, and share the benefits of development."

To view the full report, please visit: www.invest.qa/publications

Photo | Unsplash

This article is from the WeChat Official Account "Invest Qatar (ID: InvestQatar)" and is reposted by 36Kr Global with authorization. For reposting requests, please contact the original author.

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