Country profile · Arabian Peninsula
Qatar
Qatar is a small Gulf peninsula with about 3.37 million people (March 2026). Only about one in ten is a citizen. Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has ruled since 2013. Qatar sold 18.7% of the world's liquefied natural gas in 2025. Iranian missile strikes and the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz cut those exports sharply in 2026.
Where Qatar ranks
All rankings →Which alliances is Qatar in?
All alliances →Who runs Qatar?
Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani rules Qatar. He was born in Doha on June 3, 1980, the fourth son of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa and Sheikha Moza. He went to school at Sherborne and Harrow in England and graduated from the Sandhurst military academy in 1998. Tamim became heir in 2003, after an elder brother stepped aside. He became emir on June 25, 2013, when his father abdicated. His father had taken power in 1995 by deposing his own father while he was abroad. Hamad bin Khalifa died on July 12, 2026, aged 74. Tamim has not named a crown prince. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has been prime minister since 2023 and foreign minister since 2016. Political parties are not allowed. Qataris elected 30 of the 45 members of the Shura Council once, in 2021. In a 2024 referendum, 90.6% voted to make all members appointed.
Photo (April 2025): Kremlin.ru, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
Who are Qatar's allies and rivals?
The United States is Qatar's closest ally. About 10,000 US personnel serve at Al Udeid, the largest US base in the Middle East. A US executive order of September 29, 2025 treats an attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. Turkey has kept troops in Qatar since 2015. On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut all ties with Qatar and closed its only land border. The blockade ended on January 5, 2021, and Qatar restored ties with Bahrain and the UAE in 2023. Iran shares the world's largest gas field with Qatar. After the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, Iran fired more than 200 missiles at Qatar. Qatar expelled Iran's military attachés but let its ambassador stay. On September 9, 2025, Israel bombed Hamas leaders in Doha and killed a Qatari security officer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later apologized.
Allies and partners
United StatesAl Udeid base; security guarantee since 2025
TurkeyTroops in Qatar since 2015
United KingdomSent Typhoon jets to defend Qatar in 2026
Saudi ArabiaTies restored in 2021; rail deal in 2025
KuwaitGulf neighbor; mediated the 2017 blockade
- Al Udeid Air Base Largest US base in the Middle East, with about 10,000 personnel. Iran fired missiles at it in 2025 and 2026.
- Ras Laffan Qatar's LNG export complex. Iranian missiles damaged two of its 14 LNG trains in March 2026.
- North Field and South Pars The world's largest gas field, split by the sea border with Iran. Iran calls its part South Pars.
- Strait of Hormuz Most traffic blocked since the war began in February 2026. Qatari tankers began crossing again in late September.
- Qatar
- Partner
- Tensions
Who does Qatar trade with?
China buys the most from Qatar (chart): 19.9% of goods exports in 2024, ahead of South Korea and India. China also sold Qatar the most, 15.1% of its imports, ahead of the United States at 12.9%. Qatar sold $95.0 billion of goods in 2024 and bought $35.8 billion (National Planning Council). Fuels, mostly gas and oil, made up 84% of exports. Qatar shipped 81.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2025, 18.7% of the world total and second only to the United States (IGU). Most of it goes to Asia on long contracts, including 27-year deals with China's Sinopec and CNPC. Qatar also produces about a third of the world's helium. Oil and gas earned 79.2% of government revenue in 2025. The state fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, does not publish its size. Estimates run from $510 billion to $600 billion.
Singapore
Goods, 2024. National Planning Council of Qatar.
What has the Iran war done to Qatar's gas exports?
Before the war, Qatar was the fourth-largest net exporter of natural gas (chart). The United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, 2026, and Iran struck back at the Gulf states. Drones hit Qatar's Ras Laffan gas complex on March 2, and production stopped. On March 18 and 19, Iranian missiles damaged two of its 14 LNG trains, 17% of export capacity. Repairs are expected to take about three years. Iran also blocked most traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar's only route to the open sea. Only 18 LNG cargoes left Qatar in the war's first six months, against 509 a year earlier (ICIS). Qatari tankers began crossing the strait again in late September, but new attacks cut traffic in October. The emir said state revenue fell 42% in the first half of 2026. The IMF expects Qatar's economy to shrink 15.6% in 2026.
Largest net exporters of natural gas, 2024
Full ranking →
Russia145.1- United States129.2
Norway126.0- Qatar125.7
Australia105.9
Canada59.9
US Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics
Why does Qatar host Hamas and the Taliban?
The Qatari government says mediation is at the heart of its foreign policy, and hosting both groups keeps channels open. Hamas opened an office in Doha in 2012, and Qatar says the United States asked it to. From 2018, with the Israeli government's approval, Qatar sent up to about $30 million a month to Gaza for fuel, salaries and poor families. In 2025 Israel's Shin Bet security service said the money helped Hamas build up its forces. Qatar denies this. The Taliban opened an office in Doha in 2013 with US support. The United States and the Taliban signed their withdrawal deal there in 2020. Qatar, with Egypt and the United States, brokered the Gaza truce of November 2023 and the ceasefire of January 2025. It also brokered a Pakistan-Afghanistan ceasefire in 2025 and helped return 83 Ukrainian children taken by Russia. In 2026 Qatar carries messages between the United States and Iran.