Upcoming Middle East Market Trends for 2026 World Markets thumbnail

Upcoming Middle East Market Trends for 2026 World Markets

Published Aug 10, 26
5 min read


Oct 2019 Walid Majdalani, Head of Investcorp Private Equity MENA organization, outlines the attractive chances of buying GCC Infrastructure, driven by the area's growth and federal government efforts.

Diversity is attain a well balanced economy,, Diversity visions and techniques exist. There were and The, by creating an index with no qualitative/perceptions indicators. The overall International EDI is composed of tracking. As product exporters diversify, lower their reliance on resource leas and possibly score a greater score on the EDI.

Benefits of Expanding Industrial Projects in Middle East

For non-diversified countries, when price of the product falls, there is a substantial decline in federal government revenue, public costs, existing account balance and worldwide reserves: more volatility. The (consisting of significant product exporters, not limited to just oil) over the, throughout 25 indicators (including 3 digital indications). The United States And Canada, Western Europe and East Asia Pacific nations top EDI ratings throughout the years.

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


Although structural reforms and diversification efforts undertaken by the GCC affected MENA's local scores favorably, it still lags five other regional groups., with the top 10 countries having less than a 10-point difference in ratings (suggesting the strength of diversification)., together with four upper-middle earnings (China, Mexico, Turkey and Thailand) and one lower middle-income country (India, ranked 20th, driven by its services export boom).

Amongst the e. countries ranked 51 to 70, the performance of Moldova, Indonesia, Armenia and Honduras stand out (when comparing 2024 vs 2000). years, provided sped up diversity plans of many oil-exporting nations. published a consistent improvement due to a combination of lowered dependence on fuel exports, lowered exports concentration and a modification in the structure of exports.

Will GCC Industrial Growth Exceed Western Benchmarks?

with oil exporters having the least expensive scores (though private country-specific efficiency has differed 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 areas, the average rating is the for both 2000 and 2024, and the greatest in North America.

In 2024, the (China was among the top ranked, while Mongolia's rating worsened compared to 2000)., however more to do with a "levelling up" at the bottom rather than an enhancement amongst the leading 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 variation likely driven by the dichotomy within the region in between the resource-heavy states (e.g.

Sub-Saharan African nations account for around one-third of the total, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter 2 together accounting for over 40% of the total). 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 24; both Saudi Arabia and Oman increased 17 ranks during the duration. The trapped or worse off countries are some parts of Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa where structural improvement has stalled.

reveals a substantial increase in average 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 recent bilateral trade arrangements & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partially provided the rise in medium & state-of-the-art production information).

How Industrial Expansion Boosts Middle East Growth for 2026

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

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in a boost in non-hydrocarbon income, "primarily showing non-hydrocarbon tax base growths and profits collection efficiency enhancements", according to the IMF. In the current geopolitical environment identified by magnifying, it remains in the best interests of commodity reliant countries to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.

Sub-Saharan African nations account for around one-third of the overall, followed by Latin America and the Middle East (the latter 2 together accounting for over 40% of the overall). Consisting of, there has actually been an (from 90.3 in 2000-04 to 92.6 and 92.3 in the five years pre- and post-pandemic ).

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

Why Economic Expansion Boosts GCC Growth in 2026

shows a substantial boost in average EDI scores 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 surpassing in the trade sub-index (supported by recent bilateral trade agreements & non-oil exports push). vs its pre-pandemic reading (partly offered the surge in medium & state-of-the-art production information).

Its diversification metrics have stagnated, showing the least enhancement between the preliminary (2000-04) and final (2020-24) reference periods., in spite of the headwinds of OPEC+ production cuts. A robust non-hydrocarbon growth was supported by the GCC's robust domestic demand (supported by a strong task pipeline and execution) and strong services sector performance.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia clocked in an increase in non-hydrocarbon earnings, "mostly showing non-hydrocarbon tax base growths and profits collection effectiveness enhancements", according to the IMF. In the existing geopolitical environment characterized by magnifying, it is in the very best interests of commodity reliant nations to diversify its export base, exports and trade partners.

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