São Paulo –Qatar has retained its position as the country with the highest per capita income in the world for the third year running. According to The Peninsula newspaper, a survey released this Friday (15th) by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) shows that in 2012, the country’s per capita income was US$ 106,000. The second-ranking country is Luxemburg, with a per capita income of US$ 80,000. Up until 2010, the European country topped the ranking.
The Washington, DC-based IIF ascribes Qatar’s high income to hiking gas exports and oil prices, which constitute the country’s main source of income. Furthermore, the Qatari population remained stationary at 1.8 million inhabitants in 2012. The population’s per capita income was up 19.7% since 2010, when it stood at US$ 88,559.
According to the survey, the Qatari Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was US$ 182 billion in 2012. The Qatari Central Bank governor, Abdullah bin Saud Al Thani, however, claims the actual GDP was US$ 191.7 billion.
Also according to the survey, Singapore had the world’s third highest per capita income in 2012 (US$ 61,000) and Norway had the fourth (US$ 54,000). The lowest per capita income was Congo’s: US$ 365. African countries occupied the ten lowest positions in the ranking.
Other Gulf countries listed in the IIF survey are Kuwait (US$ 48,108), the United Arab Emirates (US$ 45,781), Oman (US$ 25,806), Saudi Arabia (US$ 22,377) and Bahrain (US$ 20,770).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
