Qatar has the world’s highest-rated school entrepreneurship education, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2025/2026 Global Report, based on data from more than 160,000 adults and expert panels across 53 economies.
The country’s National Entrepreneurial Context Index rose to 6.0 in 2025 from 5.6 a year earlier, placing Qatar sixth globally. Experts rated 12 of 13 entrepreneurship framework conditions as sufficient or better, with school-level entrepreneurial education ranking first worldwide.
However, the report also points to a gap between Qatar’s supportive environment and actual startup activity. Total early-stage entrepreneurial activity fell to slightly above 2% of adults in 2025, down from 8% in 2024 and 14% in 2023. The share of adults intending to start a business within three years also dropped to around one in four.
Access to entrepreneurial finance was Qatar’s only framework condition rated insufficient, scoring 4.8 out of 10. Fear of failure also remains a barrier, with nearly half of people who see good business opportunities saying it would prevent them from starting.
The findings suggest that Qatar has built a strong foundation for entrepreneurship education, but must improve access to capital and support more founders in turning early interest into sustainable businesses.
Source: Falak
