The top 10 economies of the Middle East by nominal GDP (2025)

What a surprise to come across this data! As an amateur economist of the Arab world, I find it fascinating ( and somewhat concerning ) to see how wealth is distributed in our region.

Here are the most powerful economies in the Middle East according to their nominal GDP:

🇹🇷 Turkey – $1.44 trillion 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia – $1.08 trillion 🇮🇱 Israel – $583 billion 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates – $549 billion 🇪🇬 Egypt – $347 billion 🇮🇷 Iran – $341 billion 🇮🇶 Iraq – $258 billion 🇶🇦 Qatar – $223 billion 🇰🇼 Kuwait – $153 billion 🇴🇲 Oman – $104 billion

What I find ironic is to see how countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE maintain these astronomical figures while still relying almost exclusively on oil. How long will this party last? The global energy transition could leave them in a very vulnerable position.

And let's not forget the case of Iran, whose economy withstands despite international sanctions, or that of Turkey, which tops the list but suffers from rampant inflation that devours the purchasing power of its population.

💡 Nominal GDP measures economic output using current prices, without adjusting for inflation. Useful for comparison, but it doesn't tell the whole story about quality of life or wealth distribution.