According to a report entitled 'The Prospects of the World Economy' by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has estimated Qatar's economic growth for next year at 13.4 percent, which compares extremely favorably to the region's estimated growth rate of 10.7 percent, The Peninsula reported.

The volume of GDP for the GCC region is expected to be $732.7 billion this year, a figure which should increase to $811.2 billion in 2007. In GDP per capita terms, Qatar's figures for this year show $53,512, far and away above any county in the region. Saudi Arabia's GDP per capita is $15,352, $35,099 for the UAE, Kuwait ($31,277), Bahrain ($21,395) and Oman ($15,526)