Gross Domestic Product per capita includes temporary foreign workers but does not mean the money is distributed evenly across a population. Also, one might consider viewing the % population younger than 15 and think about the implications thereof.
The US GDP per capita is approximately $45,000 which would place us third to Kuwait and Qatar.
Gaza, Yemen, West Bank and Iraq rank the lowest on the GDP graph whereas Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, rank the highest on the GDP scale. When compared to the Percent Unemployment graph, the scales of GDP and unemployment correlate, and Qatar has the least amount of unemployment whereas Gaza has the highest. This symbolizes the correspondence that GDP and unemployment share. The political status of the lowest GDP and highest unemployment states is in turmoil. In addition, Yemen is in such a deficient situation that it has been ranked as the number one failed state for the past two years. The regions of Iraq, Gaza and West Bank's standing as warzones factors to their low GDP and high unemployment. On the contrary, stable and wealthy countries, such as Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, have attained high GDP and contain low unemployment rate because of their access to oil reserves. In the low GDP and high unemployment regions, the future generations are negatively influenced and are likely to mature in hopeless environments. Politically and economically downtrodden states, that consequently do not offer the younger generations job opportunities or the prospects of a secure lifestyle, are breeding grounds for radical ideology and chaos. In Struggle and Survival in the Modern Middle East, the narratives of Izz al-Din al-Qassam and Nadia provide insight to how the younger generations could be swept away by radical Islamists due to the hope that they provide in dispirited settings.
As the original post says, one must consider the distribution of the income in these countries. GDP per capita is not an accurate representation of quality of life when you have such a large amount of wealth concentrated in a very small percentage of the population. I would be interested to see how the median household income of some of these countries compare to the US.
In our country the distribution of wealth is not nearly as bad as it is in some Middle Eastern countries and we are still making a huge effort to redistribute that wealth (estate taxes, health care reform, progressive income taxes ect.).
What I would be hugely concerned with if I lived in these oil rich countries is how all of this money is being invested. Once these countries can no longer rely on oil either because of depleted reserves or alternative energy solutions, they will be in trouble because their economy is so diversified. Hopefully, all of this oil revenue is being reinvested in infrastructure and education, an issue that Matt Damon’s character mentions in Syriana.
I doubt few people realize that the GDP per capita is Qatar is three times that of the United States. It is very important for countries like Qatar to take advantage of the golden goose they have been given, instead of going for the world record for the largest privately owned yacht.