Qatar economy expands 15% to QAR84.3 billion

Qatar's economy expanded to 84.3 billion riyals (Dh85bn) at current prices at the end of March, a gain of 15.3 per cent from the fourth quarter, Qatar Statistics Authority data showed.

First-quarter gross domestic product for the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas almost doubled from an estimated QAR44.7bn in the corresponding quarter in 2007, according to previous data published by the Qatar planning council.

Nominal GDP was QAR73.1bn at the end of December, Qatar Statistics said on Tuesday, according to the Qatar News Agency. The mining and quarrying sector, which includes oil and gas and accounts for 60.6 per cent of GDP, grew 13.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter to QAR51.1bn, it said. The value of energy sector output was QAR44.9bn at the end of the fourth quarter.