GCC Human Capital Scorecard
Human capital is the most consequential long-term determinant of national competitiveness. Across the GCC, all six states have prioritised education reform, healthcare development, and workforce modernisation within their national vision programmes. This scorecard benchmarks Qatar and its GCC peers across the full spectrum of human capital metrics.
Education Metrics
| Education Metric | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | UAE | Kuwait | Bahrain | Oman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government education spending (% GDP) | ~3.2% | ~5.6% | ~3.8% | ~5.0% | ~2.3% | ~5.1% |
| Literacy rate | ~98% | ~97% | ~98% | ~96% | ~98% | ~96% |
| Tertiary enrolment rate | ~22% | ~45% | ~32% | ~30% | ~40% | ~35% |
| International university campuses | 9+ (Education City) | ~2 (KAUST + others) | 30+ | ~2 | ~1 | ~1 |
| PISA participation | Yes | Yes | Yes (Dubai) | No | No | No |
| QS-ranked universities | Qatar University (top 150) | KSU, KFUPM (top 200) | Khalifa, UAEU (top 300) | KU (top 800) | UOB | SQU |
| R&D spending (% GDP) | ~0.5% | ~0.4% | ~1.3% | ~0.1% | ~0.1% | ~0.2% |
Note: Qatar (first data column, bold) is the focus country throughout this scorecard.
Education Quality Assessment
Qatar has made education a centrepiece of its national vision through the Education City model — a purpose-built campus hosting branch campuses of Georgetown, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, Weill Cornell, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, HEC Paris, UCL, and other internationally recognised institutions. This represents the most concentrated investment in international higher education infrastructure anywhere in the Gulf. Qatar University, the national university, has risen in global rankings and expanded its research output. The Qatar Foundation’s broader educational ecosystem, including pre-university programmes and research institutes, provides depth beyond the university level.
However, Qatar’s education system faces challenges including relatively lower PISA scores compared to OECD averages, a gap between Education City output and domestic labour market absorption, and ongoing K-12 curriculum reform that is still maturing.
Saudi Arabia’s education transformation is the largest by scale in the GCC. The kingdom has invested in new universities, reformed curricula to include critical thinking and STEM emphasis, and expanded female educational access dramatically. KAUST operates as an internationally competitive research university, though the broader university system is still developing research capacity.
The UAE has built the most diverse higher education landscape in the Gulf through its free zone model, hosting over 30 international university campuses. Research output, particularly from Khalifa University and UAE University, has grown substantially. The country’s R&D spending at approximately 1.3% of GDP leads the GCC.
Health Metrics
| Health Metric | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | UAE | Kuwait | Bahrain | Oman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | ~80 years | ~76 years | ~78 years | ~76 years | ~77 years | ~78 years |
| Health spending (% GDP) | ~3.0% | ~5.5% | ~3.5% | ~4.5% | ~4.0% | ~3.8% |
| Health spending per capita ($) | ~$2,520 | ~$1,760 | ~$1,855 | ~$1,710 | ~$1,080 | ~$836 |
| Physicians per 1,000 | ~2.8 | ~2.6 | ~2.5 | ~2.6 | ~1.0 | ~2.0 |
| Hospital beds per 1,000 | ~1.2 | ~2.2 | ~1.3 | ~2.0 | ~2.0 | ~1.5 |
| Universal health coverage index | ~73 | ~74 | ~76 | ~71 | ~72 | ~68 |
| Flagship healthcare institution | Hamad Medical Corp., Sidra Medicine | King Faisal Specialist Hospital | Cleveland Clinic AD | Kuwait Health Ministry | King Hamad Hospital | Royal Hospital |
Qatar’s healthcare system has undergone significant modernisation. Hamad Medical Corporation operates as the principal public healthcare provider, while Sidra Medicine — the country’s flagship women’s and children’s hospital — represents a $7.4 billion investment in world-class clinical care and biomedical research. The Primary Health Care Corporation has expanded access across the country. Qatar’s life expectancy of approximately 80 years is the highest in the GCC, reflecting both healthcare quality and demographic composition.
Human Capital Scorecard (1-5 Scale)
| Dimension | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | UAE | Kuwait | Bahrain | Oman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education quality | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Education infrastructure | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Health outcomes | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Health infrastructure | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Workforce skills | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| R&D capacity | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Knowledge economy readiness | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Composite Score | 4.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 |
Workforce Development
| Workforce Metric | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | UAE | Kuwait | Bahrain | Oman |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force (total) | ~2.1 million | ~16 million | ~7.5 million | ~2.5 million | ~0.8 million | ~2.5 million |
| Citizen labour force participation | ~65% | ~52% | ~N/A (low citizen %)** | ~48% | ~68% | ~55% |
| Female citizen participation | ~38% | ~33% | ~30% (est.)** | ~30% | ~42% | ~30% |
| STEM graduates (annual) | ~4,000 | ~80,000 | ~25,000 | ~8,000 | ~3,000 | ~10,000 |
| Vocational training capacity | Moderate | Expanding rapidly | Established | Limited | Moderate | Growing |
| Digital skills readiness | High | High | Very high | Moderate | High | Moderate |
Qatar’s workforce development strategy centres on quality over quantity, consistent with the country’s small citizen population. The Qatar Foundation’s educational pipeline, Qatar University’s expanding programme offerings, and specialised training institutions within QatarEnergy and the financial sector develop focused talent pools. The challenge remains converting educational investment into sustained private-sector employment for Qatari nationals.
Knowledge Economy Readiness
Qatar ranks highly on knowledge economy readiness within the GCC, driven by Education City’s research output, the Qatar Computing Research Institute, the Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, and the Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute. The TASMU smart city programme and national digitisation initiatives further support knowledge economy infrastructure.
The UAE leads the GCC on this dimension, with its broader R&D ecosystem, startup environment, and technology adoption rates. Saudi Arabia is closing the gap rapidly through investments in KAUST, NEOM’s technology agenda, and the national technology strategy.
Outlook
Human capital development across the GCC is improving on nearly every metric, but the pace of improvement varies significantly. Qatar’s concentrated investment model — anchored by Education City and world-class healthcare facilities — delivers high-quality outcomes for a small population. The challenge is whether this quality translates into the skilled national workforce needed to sustain economic diversification beyond the hydrocarbon era. Across the broader GCC, the race to develop knowledge economies will be won by states that most effectively convert educational investment into productive employment, research output, and innovation capacity.