The reported 37% fall was not a Gulf-wide count of new construction projects. It refers to building permits issued in Qatar in April 2023: Gulf Times, citing the country’s Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), reported 383 permits, down 37% from March and 43.4% from April 2022. The distinction matters: permits are not project starts, completed buildings, or the value of construction contracts awarded.
What the 37% figure refers to
Gulf Times reported that Qatar issued 383 building permits in April 2023, citing PSA data. The reported decline was 37% month on month and 43.4% year on year. The outlet described permits as an indicator of construction-sector performance. Gulf Times’ report on the April 2023 figures is the source for those numbers.
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The headline claim overstates the evidence in two ways: it turns a Qatar statistic into a Gulf-wide one, and it describes permits as “new construction projects.” The available reporting does not establish either a 37% decline across the Gulf or a matching Gulf-wide project-count series. The figures are reported as PSA data by Gulf Times; the underlying PSA table was not located, so the exact table definition cannot be independently confirmed here.
Why permits are not the same as projects
A building permit is an administrative indicator associated with proposed building work. It is not a one-for-one measure of projects actually started or completed, and it does not state the value of construction activity. The indicators answer different questions:
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- Permit count: how many permits were issued in a defined period and place.
- Project starts or completions: how many projects began or finished; these are separate measures.
- Contract awards: the value of construction contracts awarded, usually expressed in currency rather than a count of permits or projects.
Because the measures differ, a fall in permits for one month cannot by itself show that construction projects across the Gulf plunged by the same percentage.
What broader GCC contract-award data show
MEED reported that construction contract awards across the six GCC markets were approximately $264.4 billion in 2024, up 6% from $249.4 billion in 2023. Saudi Arabia accounted for approximately $142.4 billion of the 2024 awards. These are annual contract-award values, not permit counts or project counts, so they do not directly confirm or contradict Qatar’s April 2023 permit decline. MEED’s GCC construction industry report also describes delays in contract payments and resulting cash-flow problems for contractors and suppliers.
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What the figures say—and what they do not
| Measure | Geography and period | Reported result | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Building permits issued | Qatar, April 2023 | 383 permits; down 37% month on month and 43.4% year on year, as reported by Gulf Times citing PSA data | A change in permit count, not a Gulf-wide project tally |
| Construction contract awards | GCC, calendar year 2024 | Approximately $264.4 billion, up 6% from $249.4 billion in 2023, according to MEED’s 2025 report | Annual value of awarded contracts, not permit or project count |
| Saudi construction contract awards | Saudi Arabia, calendar year 2024 | Approximately $142.4 billion, according to MEED’s 2025 report | National share of contract-award value, not the number of projects |
How to read the Gulf construction outlook
The available indicators point to a mixed picture rather than a single regional rise or fall. MEED’s 2024 award figures show higher GCC contract-award value than in 2023, while its reporting also notes payment delays and cash-flow strain. In July 2026, Building reported Arcadis’ view that conflict in the Gulf delayed a widely forecast construction-market recovery; the analysis also identified affordability, land and construction prices, financing costs, and investor confidence as constraints on project flow. That commentary provides more recent context, but it does not supply a comparable 37% measure. Building’s July 2026 report on Arcadis’ construction-cost and market analysis.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFor any claim about a construction downturn, check four things before comparing figures: the geography, the time period, the indicator being counted, and the unit used. A monthly permit count in Qatar and annual contract-award values across the GCC describe different parts of the market.
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