Commodities
Qatar's Budget Deficit Doubles to €5bn Amid LNG Delivery Disruptions
Qatar's budget deficit has more than doubled to €5bn in the second quarter of 2026, according to the Ministry of Finance. This significant increase surpasses the 21.8bn riyal (€5.16bn) gap originally projected for the whole year.
The total revenue reached about 25.6bn riyals (€6.06bn), while expenditure amounted to approximately 46.9bn riyals (€11.1bn). The two quarterly shortfalls bring the first-half deficit to 31.5bn riyals (€7.45bn).
Qatar's liquefied natural gas deliveries have also been disrupted, affecting European buyers. Italian utility company Edison reported that QatarEnergy extended force majeure on deliveries into early November, impacting 29 LNG cargoes under their supply contract.