Poverty in the GCC countries: 2010–2021 (2024)

FAQs

What is the poverty rate in the GCC? ›

It finds that 3.3 million GCC nationals were living in poverty in 2021. The poverty rates for GCC countries range between 0.4 per cent (Qatar) to 13.6 per cent (Saudi Arabia) of the countries' nationals.

In ten Arab states surveyed by ESCWA, 116 million people were classified as poor (41 percent of the total population), and 25 percent were vulnerable to poverty.

Oman and Saudi Arabia have the highest poverty headcount rates for nationals at 10.1 per cent and 13.6 per cent, respectively. Bahrain ranks third with a headcount poverty rate of 7.5 per cent.

The results indicate that education and unemployment are crucial determinants of poverty outcomes. In addition, large family sizes combined with the tradition of having a single breadwinner also pushes households into poverty. Female-headed households are particularly vulnerable.

According to ESCWA data, 116 million people across 10 Arab countries, or 41 percent of the total population, were classified as poor, while another 25 percent were vulnerable to poverty.

MEDIAN INCOME

The most recent official national extreme poverty rate was 21.1 percent in 2017, with the regions showing rates more than twice as high (45.0 percent) and Djibouti city a lower rate (13.6 percent).

Current International Dollars: 476 | View South Sudan's GDP & Economic Data. The very poorest of the world's poorest countries, South Sudan has been wracked by violence since its creation in 2011.

Yemen has long been one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. The conflict that started in 2014 has inflicted massive economic and social costs on the country and its people.

The member state with the highest GDP (PPP) per capita is Qatar at US$114,210.45, followed by the UAE at $88,961.77 and Saudi Arabia at $68,452.85” The member state with the lowest nominal GDP per capita is Sudan at US$533.85, followed by the Yemen at $617.67; Their Arab League HQ building in Cairo, Egypt.

Energy is a key element of EU relations with the six Gulf countries. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brings together six Arab countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – to further political and economic integration amongst them.

Who is richer Qatar or Saudi Arabia? ›

Qatar has been named the fourth richest country globally. Also, it is the first-ever Arab nation to be among the top four wealthiest nations. The latest report from Global Finance ranks other Arab countries, like the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, positioned after Qatar.

Conflict and instability - Iraq has experienced decades of conflict and political instability, including the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. These conflicts have led to the displacement of millions of people, the destruction of infrastructure, and a lack of economic opportunities.

While a lot of wealth exists in the country, the majority of it is concentrated in the hands of rich Emiratis. The country's economy is heavily reliant on migrant workers, who make up 88% of the population and are poorly paid. The poverty rate, defined as a daily income of less than 80 dirhams ($22) is 19.5%.

Corruption and conflict have decimated Iraq, displacing 1.2 million Iraqis and leaving 2.4 million people in need of food and livelihood assistance, according to WFP. Here is everything to know about poverty in Iraq.

While a lot of wealth exists in the country, the majority of it is concentrated in the hands of rich Emiratis. The country's economy is heavily reliant on migrant workers, who make up 88% of the population and are poorly paid. The poverty rate, defined as a daily income of less than 80 dirhams ($22) is 19.5%.

Early in 2022, the former Minister of Planning, Khaled Battal al-Najm, said the repercussions of the pandemic increased the number of the poor in Iraq, reaching 11.4 million individuals, and the poverty rate rose to 31.7 percent from 20 percent in 2018.

The intensity of deprivations in Iraq, which is the average deprivation score among people living in multidimensional poverty, is 37.9 percent. The MPI value, which is the share of the population that is multidimensionally poor adjusted by the intensity of the deprivations, is 0.033.