Middle East

Frequent government changes have led to political instability in Kuwait and corruption is pervasive, although state finances remain in rude health. A strong economic performance is due to high oil prices, as well as solid domestic demand, but…

Although Jordan’s tax burden is relatively low, limited economic freedom hinders private sector progress and state finances are stressed. Economic recovery is continuing and inflation is very low, but the foreign investment climate faces challenges…

Although Israel enjoys economic freedom, the war with Hamas is weighing on the country’s economic outlook. A resilient economy is slowing, as higher defence spending burdens state finances and business activity is interrupted by the conflict, but…

Although state finances have been improving, Iraq suffers from significant corruption and external interference in its domestic affairs. Inflation has been well controlled, but lower oil production could plunge the economy into recession in the short…

Authoritarianism and corruption mar Iran’s economic freedom, which is repressed, but regional relations are improving. Sanctions are expected to continue to weigh heavily on the economy, which is exacerbating currency weakness and adding to…

Although Bahrain’s political system lacks freedoms and corruption remains pervasive, an extremely low tax burden raises economic freedom. Whilst inflation has again entered negative territory and economic development is moderating, the foreign…

Personal luxury retail value sales rose by 7% in 2023 to total AED23.3 billion, with growth supported by leading brand owners, such as Richemont (Dubai) FZE. In 2023, retail value sales growth was boosted by consumers investing in luxury goods, such…

Personal care appliances in the United Arab Emirates is evolving in line with shifts in consumer spending habits, with a notable uptick in demand for innovative personal care devices such as smart hair stylers, facial cleansing devices, and electric…

In a cross-category trend, Dyson’s new pop-up stores across Riyadh and Jeddah, allow consumers to test personal care appliances prior to purchase. The pop-ups are cited as test stores, situated across malls (Panorama Mall, Nakheel Mall, Granada Mall,…

Because of the volatile political situation and challenging economic environment, consumers’ reduced spending power was strongly focused on essential items in 2023. If they did choose to spend money on non-essentials, however, they tended to do so on…

In 2023, growth of personal accessories in the United Arab Emirates remains substantial, although the performance of the industry is uneven; with luxury brands outpacing their mass counterparts. In fact, across all personal accessories categories,…

In the United Arab Emirates, there is wide knowledge of consumer health, due to the diverse make-up of the population. However, there are a significant number of parents who continue to be hesitant to give children over-the-counter medications due to…

One of the actions the Saudi government took to limit the spread of COVID-19 was to close all schools and universities (with only remote learning permitted), and to suspend all social and community activities for children, including sports. This had…

In 2023, paediatric consumer health continues to witness a strong performance, with current value sales predicted to be higher than in the previous year. In the years following the pandemic, the increase spread of common viruses and lower levels of…

In the United Arab Emirates, the packaging landscape has been seeing notable developments in 2022 across various product categories. PET bottles have gained popularity in the dairy category due to their lightweight, durable and transparent nature,…

In 2022, PET bottles remained the preferred choice for cooking and table sauce packaging in Saudi Arabia due to their cost-effectiveness, durability, lightweight properties and affordability in production and transportation. In chocolate…

Pet care is experiencing growth across the different categories, not only for dog and cat food, but also for other pet food in the United Arab Emirates targeting birds, fish and small mammals/reptiles as these populations grow. Owning a pet is…