Key Developments in the 2026 GCC Market

3.2 percent development in 2025, speeding up to 4.5 percent in 2026. Sees momentum improving, with GCC output development projected to increase from 1.7 percent in 2024 to 3.3 percent on average in 2025, showing a shift toward more favorable general conditions.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

The IMF's World Economic Outlook (October 2025) projects international growth reducing to 3.1 percent in 2026, with innovative economies around 1.5 percent and emerging market and developing economies just above 4 percent. On that comparison, a 4.44.5 percent GCC expansion would place the region materially ahead of the world average and somewhat above (or broadly in line with) the emerging-market aggregate, strengthening the GCC's status as a fairly high-growth pocketprovided that local risk conditions remain included and reform momentum holds.

Information from the GCC Statistical Center show that non-oil sectors already account for more than 73 percent of overall GDP, a share that has continued to rise as governments broaden investment in services, infrastructure, and technology. According to Oxford Economics, non-energy activity throughout the GCC is predicted to grow by around 4.1 percent in 2026, supported by strong labor markets, enhancing credit conditions, and increasing investment in innovation and AI-related facilities.

ANSR July GCC PRs 50DR+

Public-sector investment and reform stay central to sustaining this pattern. Policy steps focused on drawing in foreign direct financial investment, alleviating foreign ownership rules, expanding capital markets, and supporting private-sector participation continue to underpin non-oil growth and reduce the area's direct exposure to oil cost volatility. While hydrocarbons no longer dominate the growth outlook, oil incomes are anticipated to play an encouraging role in 2026.