2024 edition of Index of Economic Freedom by The Heritage Foundation; Qatar ranked third freest country

According to The Heritage Foundation's 2024 edition of the Index of Economic Freedom, a US research tank with headquarters in Washington, Qatar is placed 28th globally out of 184 countries and third among 14 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. The nation's economic freedom score is greater than both the global and regional averages, and its ranking has climbed by 0.2 points from the previous year. With a score of 71.1, Qatar is rated second among GCC nations, behind the United Arab Emirates, which comes in at number 22.

Qatar is placed higher on the index than a lot of other developed nations. Spain is rated 55th with 63.3, France is ranked 62nd with 62.5, Japan is ranked 38th with 67.5, and the United Kingdom is ranked 30th with 68.6. 

The index score for Qatar is 68.8, compared to the global average of 58.6 and the regional average of 57.4. Qatar has a very high Property Rights score of 70.4, meaning it is mostly free, and an even higher Tax Burden score of 99.7, meaning it is entirely free. Government Spending (score of 74, deemed generally free), Fiscal Health (96.4, free), Business Freedom (66.1, somewhat free), Monetary Freedom (72.2, deemed mostly free), and Trade Freedom (81.6, free) are Qatar's scores. Qatar has ratings of 60 for both Financial Freedom and Investment Freedom, making it a moderately free country.