globaltraffic.earth

How dependent is Qatar on China?

In 2024, China sold $5.2 billion to Qatar, 14.3% of its imports, ranking 1st among its suppliers. Its share was 10.4% in 2019 and 0.41% in 1995. In 88 products it sells more than 50% of what Qatar buys of them (in 21, more than 75%); what Qatar buys from China in those products (dominated value) adds up to $1.8 billion, 4.8% of its imports.

Summary

Share of its imports
14.3%
Value imported
$5.2billion
Rank among its suppliers
1st
Products where it sells over 50%
88
Products where it sells over 75%
21
Dominated value
$1.8billion
Share of total imports
4.8%

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 0.41% to 14.3% of what Qatar buys

Share (%)

  • China 14.3%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearValue (USD millions)ShareRank
1995100.41%25
1996220.95%17
1997150.44%22
1998160.55%24
1999281.6%12
20001182.8%10
20011282.5%10
20021622.7%11
20031172%11
20041481.9%12
20055274.1%10
20069505%9
20071,3605.1%8
20081,9996.2%6
20098724.6%9
20101,9918.2%3
20111,1996.9%5
20122,4528.8%3
20132,6699.3%2
20143,3049.7%2
20154,08310.9%1
20163,3329.8%2
20173,39910.4%2
20183,87110.7%2
20193,53610.4%3
20203,81813.2%1
20214,58814.4%1
20224,58111.8%2
20234,49412.1%2
20245,24614.3%1

Products where China sells more than half

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina71.2%Vietnam · 12.5%$724 million
ComputersChina60.1%Poland · 7.2%$246 million
Lamps and light fittingsChina51.4%Italy · 10.8%$65 million
Hot-rolled flat steelChina77.4%over 75%South Korea · 8.8%$65 million
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina96.9%over 75%United States · 0.63%$57 million
Hydrogen and rare gasesChina82.4%over 75%South Korea · 6.2%$43 million
Prefabricated buildingsChina77.9%over 75%Kuwait · 5.4%$38 million
ToysChina78.9%over 75%United States · 4.5%$38 million
Coated flat steelChina62%India · 18.4%$35 million
Steam boilersChina60.2%Italy · 18.7%$30 million
PlywoodChina77.8%over 75%Indonesia · 9.7%$30 million
Phones and telecom equipmentChina69.2%United States · 7.5%$30 million
Aluminum structuresChina62.7%Turkey · 5.7%$24 million
Forklifts and works trucksChina56.4%United Kingdom · 8.4%$24 million
Video game consoles and gamesChina83.6%over 75%United States · 4.2%$22 million
Travel sets for toiletry or sewingChina93.6%over 75%Taiwan · 3.6%$18 million
Men's knitted underwear and pajamasChina64.3%India · 14.9%$15 million
Home appliancesChina63.4%India · 9.4%$15 million
Blankets and travel rugsChina81.1%over 75%India · 4.4%$14 million
Steel wire rodChina53.6%United Arab Emirates · 45%$14 million
Steel kitchenware and household articlesChina50.4%India · 23.2%$13 million
Washing machinesChina58%Thailand · 13.1%$12 million
Other footwearChina67.7%Italy · 13%$12 million
Natural polymersChina93.7%over 75%Singapore · 4.3%$11 million
Brooms, brushes and paintbrushesChina51%India · 7.5%$11 million
TugboatsChina81.2%over 75%Saudi Arabia · 18.8%$10 million
Boiler auxiliary equipmentChina53.6%Italy · 29.7%$7 million
Aluminum foilChina55.5%United Arab Emirates · 21.3%$7 million
Treated paper and cellulose waddingChina54.5%India · 9.5%$7 million
MagnesiumChina95.7%over 75%India · 2.4%$6 million

and 58 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Are there other suppliers in the world?

Exports from the rest of the world already have buyers; the figure shows scale, not availability.

Seen from China

Qatar is China’s 78th-largest customer, with 0.15% of its exports.

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.