Tomorrow celebrates the anniversary of the founding of the Council.. The “Cooperation” countries continue to consolidate their position as a global economic and development force.

Tomorrow, May 25, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council will celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Council. Data issued by the Statistical Center for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf indicate that the GCC countries continue to consolidate their position as an influential economic and development force at the regional and global levels, driven by performance indicators that reflect the strength of their economies and the depth of their integration in various sectors, according to what was shown by the latest Gulf reports and indicators.

The data shows that the current gross domestic product of the GCC countries amounted to about 2.4 trillion dollars, which places the GCC economies among the globally influential economic forces, at a time when the contributions of the non-oil sector exceeded 78%, with a growth of the non-oil sector reaching 5.3% during the year 2025 AD, in a clear indication of the success of economic diversification paths in the GCC countries.

In the financial sector, the GCC countries continued to enhance their financial stability. The assets of commercial banks amounted to about 3.9 trillion dollars, with a growth of 11.9% between 2024 and 2025, while deposits in commercial banks reached 2.3 trillion dollars, with a growth rate of 10.6%, which reflects the strength of banking liquidity and the growing confidence in the Gulf financial sector.

The indicators also confirm the growing Gulf investment weight globally, with the size of Gulf sovereign wealth funds reaching about 5 trillion US dollars, representing 30.3% of the total sovereign funds in the world, which enhances the presence of the GCC countries in international markets and investments.

In terms of trade, the GCC countries recorded a trade exchange volume of 1.6 trillion US dollars, a growth of 7.4% compared to 2023, while Gulf commodity exports amounted to about 849.6 billion dollars, which reflects the continued strong Gulf presence in global trade and international supply chains.

In the energy sector, the GCC countries maintained their pivotal position in the global energy market, with oil production reaching 16.6 million barrels per day, representing about 22.2% of global crude oil production.

The global competitiveness indicators for the year 2025 also showed remarkable progress for the GCC countries, as the Council ranked 15th globally in the general index, eighth globally in the tax policy index, and eleventh in the public finance index, in addition to achieving advanced positions in the labor market indicators, infrastructure, and business and government efficiency.

At the level of Gulf integration, the Gulf common market recorded continuous growth, with intra-regional trade reaching about $146 billion, a growth of 85.2% compared to 2012 AD, while the total capital of joint stock companies increased to $549 billion, an exceptional growth of 237.6% compared to 2007 AD.

The GCC countries also witnessed a growing social movement, represented by the movement of more than 41.4 million Gulf citizens between member states, and an increase in the number of Gulf students studying in government schools in other countries to 43.2 thousand students, in addition to about 488.9 thousand Gulf citizens benefiting from inter-health services, in a clear embodiment of the depth of social interdependence and Gulf developmental integration.

In the tourism sector, Gulf tourism revenues amounted to about $132.3 billion, which reflects the growing attractiveness of Gulf destinations and their ability to attract global tourism traffic.