The GCC economies have recovered from the pandemic, aided by higher oil prices and strong balance sheets at the sovereign and corporate levels, according to PwC’s ‘Middle East economy Watch’. The non-energy sector in the region has been helped by tourism in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Hospitality, transportation and retail/wholesale trade were the hardest hit sectors in the region but are slowly recovering. Expat numbers are rebounding, with Oxfam, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, where population data is most readily available, experiencing growth. GCC countries are well placed to implement their long-term National Vision transformation plans, thanks to substantial financial resources and leadership continuity and commitment, and are making progress towards non-oil diversification, improving infrastructure, advancing digitalisation, creating competitive business environments and workforce nationalisation targets for the private sector. Most GCC countries are also advancing towards their sustainability objectives, such as investing in solar generation capacity.