Question:medium

Which among the following nations is the richest nation in the Arab world?

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Think about income per person, not total economy size, and about which Gulf state has huge gas wealth spread across a very small population.
Updated On: Jul 13, 2026
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Qatar
  • Kuwait
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

This question is really about income per person rather than the size of a country's total economy, so each Gulf Arab state has to be judged on that basis.

  1. United Arab Emirates: The UAE has a diversified, oil-backed economy and high living standards, but its income per person did not top the region once Qatar's gas exports scaled up.
  2. Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia has the largest total economy among Arab nations because of its vast oil reserves, but it also carries a much bigger population, which pulls down its income per person compared with smaller Gulf states.
  3. Qatar: Qatar holds some of the world's largest natural gas reserves, and its liquefied natural gas exports, spread over a very small citizen population, gave it the highest income per person in the Arab world by the mid 2000s.
  4. Kuwait: Kuwait is also oil wealthy with a small population and high living standards, but its income per person still fell short of Qatar's gas-driven numbers.

Once the comparison is made on income per person rather than total GDP, Qatar comes out ahead of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait.

Let's summarize:

  • Richness of a nation here means income per person, not total economy size.
  • Qatar's gas wealth over a tiny population gave it the highest per person income in the Arab world.

So the correct answer is Qatar, option (3).

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