Qatar: Industrial production falls in December
Latest reading: Industrial production declined 0.9% in annual terms in December, following a 2.5% increase in the previous month. December’s reading was the weakest since April 2025.
Relative to the prior month’s data, readings in December softened for manufacturing (-0.7% in annual terms vs +4.0% in November)—about 15% of industrial production—and energy (-1.0% vs +2.0% in November)—about 80% of industrial production.
Outlook: On 9 February, Qatar said it would delay the start of its project to ramp up liquified natural gas output to as late as 2026, and possibly to 2027. This bodes poorly for the growth of industrial production in the coming months, which is likely to remain spotty until the project commences.