Statistics
In 2022, Qatar is expected to see an increase in shipping traffic due to the country‘s continued economic growth. Qatar is projected to be the world‘s fastest–growing economy in 2022, with a GDP growth rate of 5.8%. This growth is due to Qatar‘s continued development of its energy and infrastructure sectors.
The country is also expected to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, which will further increase shipping traffic. According to the Qatar Ports Management Company, the country‘s two main ports, Doha Port and Mesaieed Industrial Port handled a total of 37.5 million tonnes of cargo in 2020. This was an increase of 5% from 2019. Doha Port is the busiest port in Qatar, handling 22.9 million tonnes of cargo in 2020. Mesaieed Industrial Port handled 14.6 million tonnes of cargo in 2020. Qatar‘s ports are expected to see even more traffic in 2022 as the country continues to grow economically.
In 2021, the total volume of air freight to Qatar is reached 1.8 million metric tons. This represents a significant increase of 15% over the 2020 volume of 1.58 million metric tons. The vast majority of this increase can be attributed to the strong growth in Qatar‘s economy, which is forecast to expand by 7.6% in 2021.
This growth is being driven by the country‘s burgeoning construction sector, as Qatar prepares to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. The top five airlines in terms of market share for air freight to Qatar are Qatar Airways (32%), Emirates (22%), Etihad Airways (12%), flydubai (9%), and Turkish Airlines (6%). Other airlines that operate flights to Qatar include British Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, and Qatar Cargo.
The top five airports in terms of volume for air freight to Qatar are Doha International Airport (36%), Hamad International Airport (30%), Abu Dhabi International Airport (12%), Dubai International Airport (9%), and Bahrain International Airport (3%).