Iraq tops Middle East project growth with $15B increase – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- London

Iraq recorded the strongest growth in the Middle East’s
development and infrastructure projects market between June 19 and July 17,
2026, adding $15 billion in planned and ongoing projects, MEED Projects Index
showed on Wednesday.

The increase brought the total value of Iraq’s planned and
active projects to $444 billion, up 3.4% and placing the country ahead of all
other regional markets, while the Gulf’s total projects market expanded to
$4.41 trillion as the index grew for the 16th consecutive month, adding $22
billion to reach a regional total of $5.1 trillion.

Oman ranked second after adding $7 billion to its projects
market, bringing its total to $367 billion, up 2%. The UAE’s projects market
grew by $4 billion to $1.36 trillion, Qatar’s project value rose 0.6% to $242
billion, while Bahrain’s market remained at $55 billion, slipping 0.4%.

Across the Middle East and North Africa, signed contract
awards reached $20.5 billion in June, up from $17 billion in May, supported by
renewed activity following the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the
resumption of maritime shipping. Saudi Arabia led the region with $9.9 billion
in awarded contracts, followed by the UAE with $6.4 billion and Kuwait with
$1.4 billion.

In the previous MEED data, covering the period between May
15 and June 19, Iraq also recorded the region’s largest increase in project
value.