Qatar had a budget surplus of more than QR44.5bn ($12.2bn) in the financial year which ended in March, reports Arabian Business.

The enormous figure is triple the previous year’s total, and twice as much as the government had expected. 

This healthy bank balance means that Qatar’s target to spend more than 10 percent of GDP each year on infrastructure in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup should be achieved easily, with cash to spare.

Credit: Photo by Omar Chatriwala