Qatar: Introductory country profile

The UK has strong diplomatic, military, and economic ties with Qatar, and is currently negotiating a trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, whose six members include the country. In 2022, Qatar also hosted the Men’s Football World Cup. This placed its human rights record under scrutiny.

This briefing provides an introduction to Qatari politics, human rights, trade, and international relations. It also signposts further reading.

Please visit the Library’s Middle East pages for detailed analysis on the region’s politics.

What does this paper cover?

This 18-page briefing provides an introduction to Qatar’s: 

• Leadership, politics, and political rights, such as the right to vote, and freedom of expression and assembly
• Human rights, such as the rights of women and migrant workers
• Trade with the UK and current negotiations on a trade agreement 
• Economy, including key statistics on population, economic growth and leading industries 
• Foreign relations, including with the United States, neighbouring Gulf states and Iran

The paper signposts further reading on each of these topics on pages 15 to 18. This includes links to recent UK Parliament proceedings on Qatar and relevant Library briefing papers.