Qatar’s merchandise trade surplus, which measures the difference between total exports and imports, fell 36.1% year-on-year to 19.9 billion riyals ($5.4 billion) last September, down 1.5 billion riyals, or 7%, compared with last year. Last August.

Today, Saturday, data from the Qatar Planning and Statistics Authority showed that total Qatari exports, including local origin and re-exports, fell by 30.9% to 29.3 billion compared to September 2022, down 6.8%. on a monthly basis.

The value of merchandise imports also decreased by 16.7% year-on-year and 6.5% compared to last August to around 9.4 billion riyals.

China accounted for 5 billion riyals or 17.0% of Qatar’s exports last September, followed by South Korea with 11.8% and a value of 3.44 billion riyals, followed by India with 3.42 billion riyals or 11.7%.

2.1 billion riyals, or 21.9%, followed by China, 14.2%, and 1.3 billion riyals, Italy, with 700 million riyals, was the top country of origin for Qatar’s imports, or 7.1%.

Qatar’s inflation rate eased to 1.8% year-on-year last September from 2.38% in August, and price rates rose in 8 out of 12 groups and services tracked by the Consumer Price Index.