The Arab League is rich in resources, with enormous oil and natural gas reserves. The region's instability has not affected its tourism industry, which is considered the fastest growing sector in the region, with Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Jordan leading the way. Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League is telecommunications. Within less than a decade, local companies such as Orascom and Etisalat have managed to successfully compete internationally as global power players.
Economic achievements among member states have been low in the League's history. Other smaller Arab organizations, such as the GCC, have achieved more than the League has. However, lately there has emerged several major economic projects that slated to be completed soon that appear promising. Of these, the Arab Gas Pipeline, a project which hopes to funnel Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and then to Turkey and Europe, is scheduled to reach completion by the year 2010. The GAFTA free trade agreement is to be completed by the January 1, 2008, effectively rendering 95% of all Arab products free of customs tax.
The economic development in the Arab League exhibits a great diversity. There is a significant difference between, on the one hand, the rich oil states of the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, and on the other hand, the poor countries like the Comoros, Mauritania and Djibouti. For instance, the GDP per capita of the wealthiest Arab Country and the wealthiest in the world, Qatar, is 73 times higher than that of Mauritania.[1][2]
^a The IMF source does not provide data for the compound Arab League. The total GDP figure has been calculated as the sum of the GDPs of the member states. The per capita value is derived on the basis of the population stated in the infobox.
^b The IMF source does not provide data for this country. The reported figures are taken from a 2007 estimate of the CIA published in the CIA factbook.[4] For Palestine, a 2006 estimate was retrieved from the same source which is published as "West Bank (includes Gaza Strip)".
Arab League[1]
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Algeria
United Arab Emirates
Qatar
Morocco
Kuwait
Iraq
Syria
Tunisia
Oman
Libya
Sudan
Lebanon
Yemen
Jordan
Bahrain
Palestine[2]
Mauritania
Somalia[3]
Djibouti
Comoros
European Union
United States
People's Republic of China
India
Japan
Germany
