Qatar revises GDP up to 258.6b riyals

Dubai: Qatar Statistics Authority (QSA) on Monday said it revised 2007 gross domestic product (GDP) upward to 258.6 billion Qatari riyals.

"This estimate is still provisional and will be subject to revision on the basis of the new census data," a statement said.

The QSA will start conducting a new economic census in the next few weeks. The results will be released by the end of this year.

"Qatar is a fast moving economy and a new census is required to keep up with big changes on the ground," says Shaikh Hamad Bin Jabr Al Thani, acting president of QSA.

According to him there are now probably well over 40,000 business establishments operating in Qatar compared to just 30,000 at the time of the last census in 2004.

The new census, which will be launch in a few weeks, will cover new estimates of Qatar's GDP, a measure of the overall size and growth of the economy, as well as new estimates of Qatar's economic structure for the period 2005 - 2007.