Doha, Qatar: In the rapidly evolving global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, Qatar is emerging as a regional frontrunner in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), securing the 54th position out of 195 nations in Oxford Insights’ 2025 Government AI Readiness Index.
Regionally, Qatar sits in the fifth position, and its global ranking places it in the upper-middle tier worldwide, outperforming several OECD nations and demonstrating the effectiveness of its top-down, state-led AI strategy.
With an overall score that reflects strategic investments in infrastructure, governance, and public sector innovation, Qatar’s performance underscores its ambition to transition from an energy-based economy to a knowledge-driven digital hub powered by AI.
Qatar’s strongest pillar in the Index is Policy Capacity, where it earned an impressive 80.50 score, ranking high alongside global leaders such as the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Serbia.
This reflects the nation’s proactive approach to articulating a clear, forward-looking AI vision, likely anchored in its National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and reinforced by high-level governmental coordination. The strategy positions AI as a cross-cutting enabler for economic diversification, aligning with Qatar National Vision 2030.
The country also excelled in Governance, scoring 77.50—well above the global average. This strong performance signals Qatar’s commitment to establishing ethical frameworks and regulatory guardrails for AI deployment.
Notably, Qatar has deepened its digital partnerships with global tech leaders; in 2025, it signed agreements with Huawei and other firms to bolster its domestic digital infrastructure, integrating international best practices into its national AI governance ecosystem.
In AI Infrastructure, Qatar scored 53.78, placing it among the top performers in the MENA region. This is partly due to substantial foreign direct investment in cloud and data centre capabilities. For instance, Microsoft pledged up to $8bn in AI and cloud infrastructure across the UAE and Saudi Arabia—moves that indirectly benefit neighbouring digital economies, such as Qatar’s, through regional tech spillovers and talent mobility. Moreover, Qatar’s focus on building sovereign compute capacity and securing access to advanced hardware, such as NVIDIA’s Blackwell chips (approved for export to Gulf allies in 2025), positions it to support homegrown AI innovation.
Qatar’s Public Sector Adoption score of 62.82 further highlights its integration of AI into government services. Building on its legacy of digital government transformation—evident in initiatives like the “TASMU” Smart Qatar Program—the state is now embedding AI into urban planning, transportation, healthcare, and education. This practical, use-case-driven approach ensures that AI delivers tangible benefits to citizens while enhancing administrative efficiency.
While Qatar’s performance remains balanced overall, the Index highlights room for improvement in AI Infrastructure and Development and Diffusion. Qatar scored 53.78 in AI Infrastructure, which measures access to compute capacity, data availability, and enabling technical systems. Although the country has invested in digital infrastructure and cloud capabilities, the Index suggests that further expansion of domestic compute resources and AI-specific infrastructure would strengthen long-term readiness.
Similarly, Qatar’s Resilience score of 38.76—the lowest among its six pillars—suggests room for improvement in addressing AI’s societal risks, including data privacy, algorithmic bias, and workforce displacement. As AI becomes more embedded in public life, strengthening civil society engagement, risk monitoring mechanisms, and national AI safety protocols will be crucial.
Looking ahead, Qatar’s participation in multilateral forums—such as the G20 Taskforce on AI and Unesco’s AI ethics initiatives—could amplify its influence in shaping Global South perspectives on responsible AI. With the 2026 AI Impact Summit in India spotlighting development-oriented AI applications, Qatar has an opportunity to showcase how small, resource-rich nations can leverage AI not just for economic transformation, but also for inclusive public service delivery.
In a world where AI readiness increasingly defines national competitiveness, Qatar’s 2025 performance signals that it is not merely keeping pace—but actively shaping its digital destiny.
