Qatar unveils ambitious AI-powered data & statistics strategy
Qatar to leverage AI and big data for interconnected national data system
#Qatar #datastrategy - Qatar's National Planning Council has launched the National Data and Statistics Strategy under the patronage of Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The comprehensive framework will implement 21 initiatives across 128 projects over three years, introducing an integrated national data system powered by big data and artificial intelligence. Overall, Qatar's newly established National Planning Council has allocated over QAR 3 billion (£630 million) for more than 110 projects across 20 government entities over the past year.
SO WHAT? - The National Data and Statistics Strategy supports the significant shift in how Qatar approaches governance and national development planning, positioning data as the foundation for all future decision-making. The country aims to position the new National Statistics Centre among the world’s leading statistics institutions, providing strategic services to government and introducing innovations such as the Qatar Data Trust Index.
Qatar's National Planning Council has launched the National Data and Statistics Strategy. Both the National Planning Council and the National Statistics Centre were established under Amiri decree (no. 13 of 2024) last year.
Qatar's National Data and Statistics Strategy rests on three pillars:
enhancing data reliability through the National Statistics Centre;
building an integrated national data system; and
incorporating advanced technologies like big data and AI across all operations to transform government services and decision-making processes.
The new strategy was introduced by HE Dr Abdulaziz bin Nasser bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Secretary General of the National Planning Council.
The strategy introduces the Qatar Data Trust Index (QDTI), a pioneering tool that measures public trust in data by evaluating quality and compliance across seven primary dimensions with 50 sub-indicators, powered by the new QInsight platform that forms a key element of the national data infrastructure.
The pioneering initiative aims to build trust and support a robust digital economy. An overall QDTI score is derived from two dimensions: the Data Quality Score (DQS) and the Data Compliance Score (DCS), which together combine todetermine the Entity’s QDTI score.
Implementation is already underway with several flagship initiatives including the National Data Programme, which establishes a centralised data repository, alongside new national data regulations and a comprehensive Data Management Guide to standardise practices across government.
The Council is conducting Qatar's first census based entirely on administrative records without requiring field visits, a methodological breakthrough expected to generate more than 40 million data points while reducing costs and increasing accuracy of population statistics.
Since its establishment last year, the National Planning Council has approved over 110 projects across more than 20 government entities overall with total funding exceeding QAR 3 billion (£630 million).
ZOOM OUT - Qatar's data strategy forms a crucial component of the nation's broader digital transformation agenda, anchored by a substantial $2.5 billion investment in AI and data analytics. Recent research indicates that AI could generate $11 billion for the Gulf state’s economy by 2030. The country’s Digital Agenda 2030 aims to position Qatar among the top 10 globally on the Digital Competitiveness Index while creating 26,000 new jobs through six strategic pillars: digital infrastructure, government, economy, technologies, innovation and society.
[Written and edited with the assistance of AI]
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