Qatar and Afghanistan
Qatar links Afghan participation to mediation, international dialogue and educational and health aid. In September 2026, it advocated combining humanitarian assistance with responsible political dialogue.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-08 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-08History and institutional framework
Abdullah bin Ali Bahzad expressed this position on 7 September 2026 at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
What merchandise trade shows
In 2024, goods trade between Qatar and Afghanistan totalled 3.6 million current USD.
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, vehicles and components stands out in shipments from Qatar to Afghanistan, at 0.54 million USD in 2024.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 3.62 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Qatar to Afghanistan | 0.695 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Goods: Afghanistan to Qatar | 2.93 M USD | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Qatar to Afghanistan | 0.000731 % | 2024 · Comtrade |
| Export share: Afghanistan to Qatar | ||
| Investment stock: Qatar in Afghanistan | ||
| Investment stock: Afghanistan in Qatar |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2024 · UN Comtrade; reporters NGA, PAK, PNG, PRK, QAT, RWA, SEN, SRB, SWZ, TCD · Goods; full calendar year; reporter QAT. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Qatar to Afghanistan
- 2024 · UN Comtrade; reporters NGA, PAK, PNG, PRK, QAT, RWA, SEN, SRB, SWZ, TCD · Goods; full calendar year; reporter QAT. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Goods: Afghanistan to Qatar
- 2024 · UN Comtrade; reporters NGA, PAK, PNG, PRK, QAT, RWA, SEN, SRB, SWZ, TCD · Goods; full calendar year; reporter QAT. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF; no addition of mirror declarations. Both directions are identified from the same customs authority.
- Export share: Qatar to Afghanistan
- 2024 · UN Comtrade; reporters NGA, PAK, PNG, PRK, QAT, RWA, SEN, SRB, SWZ, TCD · Exports to the partner / worldwide exports by the same reporter; same year and coverage.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Some annual indicators refer to different years. Check the period beside each value before comparing them.
| Indicator | Qatar | Afghanistan |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 215.56 billion USD2025 · WB | 17.78 billion USD2024 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 72,524.91 USD2025 · WB | 416.87 USD2024 · WB |
| GDP growth | 2.9 %2025 · WB | 1.87 %2024 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | ||
| Inflation · annual average | 1.27 %Annual average · 2024 · WB | -6.6 %Annual average · 2024 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | ||
| Unemployment | 0.13 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 13.35 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | -0.9 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 41.4 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | 14.81 %2025 · WB | |
| Population | 2,972,2152025 · WB | 42,647,4922024 · WB |
| Area | 11,490 km²2023 · WB | 652,870 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDQatar: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personQatar: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Qatar: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Qatar: 2024 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2024 · Annual average CPI change (%) · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency stated
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionQatar: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Qatar: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Afghanistan: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Qatar: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.Afghanistan: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPQatar: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleQatar: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2024 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceQatar: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.Afghanistan: 2023 · World Bank · Annual World Bank observation, with its original year; not monthly data.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Qatar to Afghanistan
Afghanistan to Qatar
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
According to his intervention, the Qatar Fund for Development and Education Above All had supported education for 30,000 out-of-school students since 2023. He also described evacuation and care of hundreds of Afghan minors and Red Crescent educational work in remote areas since 2016. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Qatar living in Afghanistan | ||
| Residents from Afghanistan living in Qatar | ||
| Study and training: Qatar in Afghanistan | ||
| Study and training: Afghanistan in Qatar | ||
| Academic stays: Qatar in Afghanistan | ||
| Academic stays: Afghanistan in Qatar | ||
| Travel: Qatar to Afghanistan | ||
| Travel: Afghanistan to Qatar |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
History and institutional framework
Abdullah bin Ali Bahzad expressed this position on 7 September 2026 at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He noted Qatar’s role hosting meetings and providing an Afghan coordination platform. [1] [2]
The scale of both economies
Nominal GDP for Qatar is 215.6 billion USD (2025), compared with 17.8 for Afghanistan (2024). The reference populations are 2.97 and 42.65 million, respectively. The comparison provides context on market size, but does not, on its own, measure influence, well-being or diplomatic closeness. Estimates and their sources retain their labels in the tables. [5] [6] [7] [8]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Review: 2026-10-08
Cooperation and bilateral issues
According to his intervention, the Qatar Fund for Development and Education Above All had supported education for 30,000 out-of-school students since 2023. He also described evacuation and care of hundreds of Afghan minors and Red Crescent educational work in remote areas since 2016. Qatar Charity was implementing a specialist hospital financed by the Qatari fund; it was not presented as a completed facility. [1] [2]
What merchandise trade shows
In 2024, merchandise trade between the two countries (Qatar and Afghanistan) totalled 3.6 million current USD. Shipments from the first to the second were 0.695 million; those in the opposite direction, 2.9 million. The difference between the two flows was 2.2 million, in favour of Afghanistan. This is a goods balance, not the total balance of the economic relationship: it excludes services, income and transfers. Both directions come from a single customs reporter to avoid adding mirror records. [3]
The partner's share of exports
Sales from Qatar to the partner represented 0.000731% of its worldwide goods exports in 2024. The share compares the same reporter, year and coverage. It measures export concentration, not the percentage of GDP dependent on this relationship. A partner may be important in a specific sector even if its share of total goods trade is small. [3]
Documented trade sectors
Within the selected chapters, vehicles and components stands out in shipments from Qatar to Afghanistan, at 0.54 million USD in 2024. The table compares eight selected chapters with the same coverage as the trade total. It is not a complete list or proof that the first item in this selection is the leading product across the entire relationship. A chapter groups numerous goods: machinery and components, for example, do not describe a single business transaction. [4]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — QAT-AFG
mofa.gov.qa · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bilateral relations — QAT-AFG
mofa.gov.qa · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade; reporters NGA, PAK, PNG, PRK, QAT, RWA, SEN, SRB, SWZ, TCD · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record
UN Comtrade; reporters LBN, LSO, MRT, NGA, PER, QAT · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-08
- NY.GDP.MKTP.CD; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official series — gdp
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- SP.POP.TOTL; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official series — population
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade; reporters LBN, LSO, MRT, NGA, PER, QAT
2026-10-08 · Accessed: 2026-10-08 · Bounded matrix; reporter, partner, year, chapter and direction identified in each record.