Although the successful World Cup hosted by Qatar last year was not able to cover the enormous investment of the country, it resulted in extraordinary growth rates.
According to data published today, the activity of the hospitality and food service sector in Qatar increased by 64.8% during the last quarter of last year, during which the World Cup games were held. This growth contributed to a jump in the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 8% on an annual basis in the last quarter of last year.
According to data from Qatar's Planning and Statistics Authority, the GDP in the last quarter of 2022 amounted to about $50 billion. Qatar's budget recorded a surplus of $24.4 billion in 2022, but this happened much more thanks to natural gas exports than World Cup revenues.