The latest data released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (“GCC-Stat”) indicate that the rainfall rates in the GCC countries increased by 39.6% in 2023, reaching 97.2 mm, compared to 69.7 mm in 2022. However, they remained below the long-term average of 109.6 mm recorded for the period from 198 to 2009.
The data show that the number of dams collecting surface water from rainfall in GCC countries increased in 2023 to 861 dams, compared to 854 dams in 2022.
On the other hand, the data revealed that temperatures in 2023 recorded their highest average value at 48.2 degrees Celsius, compared to 46.8 degrees Celsius in 2022, with the minimum averages rising significantly. The average minimum temperature reached 9.5 degrees in 2023, compared to 5 degrees in 2022.
The GCC countries enjoy abundant solar resources, with average daily solar radiation ranging from 5.6 to 6.4 W/m2 between 1999 and 2018. This highlights the potential of solar energy as a clean, renewable energy source for electricity generation, especially during the hot summer months.
In this context, electricity production from solar energy in the GCC countries witnessed a remarkable leap from 0.13 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2013 to 10.8 thousand gigawatt-hours in 2022, with an annual growth rate of 81.1%. The design capacity of solar plants also increased at an average annual rate of 94.6% over the past decade.
It is worth noting that the number of climate monitoring stations in the GCC increased to 297 stations in 2023, compared to 161 stations in 2013.
All GCC countries also have national strategies for disaster risk reduction, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.
