HPI Market Data Book 2026: Global construction – EMEA

Middle Eastern countries are investing in hydrocarbon processing to diversify their economies while African countries are looking to satisfy growing domestic fuel demand

The GEI database records more than 190 active projects in the Middle East, representing nearly $390b in capital investments. Most are within the petrochemicals sector (45%), followed by refining (34%) and gas processing/LNG (21%). Most active projects are in Iran, followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (see Fig.1). For more than a decade, Middle Eastern companies have made significant investments in new refining, petrochemicals and gas infrastructure to wean themselves off reliance on crude oil export revenues and to diversify their economies into refined and petrochemical products. FIG.1: Active project market share in the Middle Eas