Upcoming GCC Market Trends for 2026 World Markets thumbnail

Upcoming GCC Market Trends for 2026 World Markets

Published en
5 min read


Oct 2019 Walid Majdalani, Head of Investcorp Private Equity MENA company, describes the appealing opportunities of investing in GCC Facilities, driven by the area's development and federal government efforts.

Diversity is attain a well balanced economy,, Diversification visions and methods exist. But there were and The, by developing an index with no qualitative/perceptions signs. The total International EDI is composed of tracking. As product exporters diversify, lower their dependence on resource rents and potentially score a greater rating on the EDI.

For non-diversified nations, when cost of the product falls, there is a substantial decrease in federal government revenue, public costs, bank account balance and worldwide reserves: more volatility. The (consisting of major commodity exporters, not restricted to simply oil) over the, across 25 signs (including three digital signs). North America, Western Europe and East Asia Pacific nations top EDI scores for many years.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+


Although structural reforms and diversification efforts undertaken by the GCC impacted MENA's regional ratings positively, it still lags 5 other regional groups., with the leading 10 countries having less than a 10-point difference in ratings (indicating the strength of diversity)., together with 4 upper-middle income (China, Mexico, Turkey and Thailand) and one lower middle-income country (India, ranked 20th, driven by its services export boom).

Among the e. countries ranked 51 to 70, the performance of Moldova, Indonesia, Armenia and Honduras stand out (when comparing 2024 vs 2000). years, offered accelerated diversification plans of lots of oil-exporting nations. published a stable enhancement due to a mix of minimized reliance on fuel exports, decreased exports concentration and a modification in the structure of exports.

Guide to GCC Financial Market Success in 2026

with oil exporters having the most affordable ratings (though specific country-specific performance has varied gradually). Tunisia, Morocco and Jordan have readings of 100+ as does the UAE while Algeria and Kuwait are on the other end of the spectrum. Across all regions, the mean score is the for both 2000 and 2024, and the greatest in The United States and Canada.

In 2024, the (China was among the leading ranked, while Mongolia's score aggravated compared to 2000)., but more to do with a "levelling up" at the bottom rather than an improvement amongst the top nations. By comparing the (height of the blue box), least variability is seen in South Asia in 2000 and the most in the MENA region (with difference most likely driven by the dichotomy within the area in between the resource-heavy states (e.g.

Sub-Saharan African countries account for around one-third of the overall, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter two together accounting for over 40% of the overall). Including, there has been an (from 90.3 in 2000-04 to 92.6 and 92.3 in the five years pre- and post-pandemic ).

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+


and ranked greater than others; UAE is up more than 45 locations in 2024 compared to 2000 while Qatar climbed up 24; both Saudi Arabia and Oman rose 17 ranks throughout the duration. The trapped or worse off nations are some parts of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where structural change has stalled.

reveals a substantial boost in typical EDI ratings from 86.8 in 2000-04 to 92.6 in 2020-24, (up more than 10 points in the initial period versus 2020-24). with UAE outperforming in the trade sub-index (supported by current bilateral trade contracts & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partially given the surge in medium & state-of-the-art production information).

Benefits of Scaling Manufacturing Projects across the Middle East

Its diversification metrics have actually stagnated, showing the least improvement between the initial (2000-04) and last (2020-24) recommendation periods., in spite of the headwinds of OPEC+ production cuts. A robust non-hydrocarbon growth was supported by the GCC's robust domestic need (supported by a strong job pipeline and application) and strong services sector performance.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in a boost in non-hydrocarbon earnings, "mainly showing non-hydrocarbon tax base expansions and income collection efficiency improvements", according to the IMF. In the existing geopolitical environment characterized by intensifying, it is in the finest interests of commodity dependent nations to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.

Sub-Saharan African countries represent around one-third of the total, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter two together accounting for over 40% of the overall). Including, there has been an (from 90.3 in 2000-04 to 92.6 and 92.3 in the five years pre- and post-pandemic ).

and ranked higher than others; UAE is up more than 45 locations in 2024 compared to 2000 while Qatar climbed 24; both Saudi Arabia and Oman increased 17 ranks throughout the period. The trapped or even worse off nations are some parts of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where structural transformation has stalled.

Advantages of Scaling Manufacturing Projects across the GCC

shows a considerable boost in average EDI scores from 86.8 in 2000-04 to 92.6 in 2020-24, (up more than 10 points in the preliminary period versus 2020-24). with UAE surpassing in the trade sub-index (supported by recent bilateral trade contracts & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partially given the rise in medium & modern manufacturing data).

Its diversification metrics have actually stagnated, showing the least improvement in between the initial (2000-04) and last (2020-24) reference periods., despite the headwinds of OPEC+ production cuts. A robust non-hydrocarbon expansion was supported by the GCC's robust domestic need (supported by a strong project pipeline and execution) and strong services sector performance.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in an increase in non-hydrocarbon profits, "mainly reflecting non-hydrocarbon tax base expansions and earnings collection performance enhancements", according to the IMF. In the current geopolitical environment defined by heightening, it is in the finest interests of product reliant nations to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.

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