Arab News: A rise in the prices of several categories pushed Qatar’s Consumer Price Index up 1.11 percent year on year to 110.41 points in October 2025, new data showed.
Figures released by the country’s National Planning Council showed that the annual increase was driven by higher prices in seven groups, according to the Qatar News Agency.
Miscellaneous goods and services rose 15.80 percent, while education increased 2.07 percent. Clothing and footwear were up 1.65 percent, and furniture and household equipment rose 1.39 percent.
Prices for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels increased 0.66 percent. Recreation and culture were up 0.38 percent, and communication edged higher by 0.05 percent.
The increase also reflects the impact of Qatar’s economic diversification programs under the Third National Development Strategy and Vision 2030, mirroring wider trends across the Gulf region.
“In parallel, the index showed decreases in four groups: the restaurants and hotels group by 2.34 percent, the health group by 0.75 percent, the food and beverages group by 0.70 percent, and the transport group by 0.46 percent, with no notable change in the tobacco group,” the QNA report stated.
On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.91 percent in October. Excluding the housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels category, Qatar’s CPI stood at 115.21, up 0.91 percent from the previous month and 1.21 percent from October 2024.
The inflation index covers 12 main categories comprising 737 goods and services, calculated using 2018 as the base year and based on data from the 2017–2018 Household Income and Expenditure Survey.
In September, official data showed that the gas-rich nation’s economy expanded 1.9 percent in the second quarter of 2025, driven by a 3.4 percent rise in non-hydrocarbon activities.
Inflation in Gulf economies remains among the lowest globally, reflecting stable exchange rates and prudent fiscal policies, with the Gulf Cooperation Council’s average rate projected at 1.7 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026, according to the International Monetary Fund’s Regional Economic Outlook, released last month.
The IMF expects Saudi Arabia’s consumer prices to rise 2.1 percent next year and 2 percent in 2026, while inflation in the UAE is forecast at 1.6 percent in 2025 and 2 percent in 2026.
Qatar’s rates are projected at 0.1 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2623187/business-economy
