Qatar has registered significant progress in social development by reducing unemployment, gender inequality and the infant mortality rate, according to a government report, it was reported.
The report, released by the ministries of Development Planning and Statistics and Foreign Affairs, said Qatar had reduced unemployment to under one percent – the lowest worldwide, the Peninsula Qatar reported.
Qatar also achieved a high level of gender equality and introduced a healthcare plan with full coverage, leading to a slump in the under-five mortality rate from 10 per 1,000 in 2006 to seven per 1,000 in 2012.
Life expectancy at birth increased by 5.1 years from 74.1 years in 2006 to 79.2 in 2012, the Peninsular reported.
The report found Qatar has also made progress in adult education, with the adult literacy rate jumping from 89.5 percent in 2006 to 96.7 percent in 2012.
It noted that Qatar was the world’s richest country in terms of GDP per capita, with Qatar’s investments as a percentage of GDP outperforming developed countries, according to the newspaper.
The report said inflation did not exceed two percent in 2012 – a significant shift after the country registered inflation levels of 11 percent in 2006.
In its knowledge economy, Qatar’s coverage rate for mobile phones exceeded 190 percent compared to an average 122 percent in developed countries. Overall 49 percent of the population used the internet in 2012 – up from 28 percent n 2006.
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