What countries are in MENA?
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region discussed in the following five articles comprises the Arab states in the Middle East and North Africa—Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—plus the Islamic State of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pakistan, and the West Bank and Gaza. These 24 countries and territories, comprising about 7.5 percent of the world’s population, are grouped together for analytical purposes only. They share common challenges and cultural links distinct from neighboring economies, including those of Israel and Turkey. The region’s GDP is approximately $807 billion (at current exchange rates) or 2.6 percent of world GDP. The dominant religion is Islam, although there are sizable religious minority groups (particularly Christian) in several countries, including Egypt and Lebanon. Arab
