Saudi Arabia: An Ambitious Vision Towards a Sustainable Future

Saudi Arabia is witnessing an unprecedented strategic transformation under an ambitious vision that is reshaping its economic and social future. According to data from the Ministry of Economy and Planning, the Kingdom achieved an average annual growth rate of 3.7% during the past five years, surpassing global growth averages.

Economic Transformation and Sustainable Development

Income Diversification

Saudi Arabia is working to reduce dependence on oil from 65% to less than 40% of total revenues by 2030. It has succeeded in attracting $19 billion in foreign direct investments in 2022, according to the Saudi Credit Bank.

Empowering the Private Sector

The contribution of small and medium enterprises to GDP rose to 20% by the end of 2023, exceeding the 17% target set in the National Transformation Program.

Environmental Sustainability

The Kingdom aims to generate 50% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030, with the start of operations at the Sakaka Solar Energy Project with a capacity of 300 megawatts as the first station in the renewable energy program.

Social and Cultural Development

Women’s Empowerment

Women’s participation in the labor market increased from 19% in 2016 to 37% in 2023, according to the Saudi Statistical Authority.

Improving Quality of Life

The Kingdom spends 6% of its GDP on the healthcare sector, where the mortality rate from non-communicable diseases has decreased by 15% since 2018.

Cultural Renaissance

With 1,000 annual events across 17 cultural sectors, the Kingdom achieved a 240% increase in registrations for technical education programs since the launch of Vision 2030.

Foreign Policy and Regional Leadership

Enhancing Regional Security

The Kingdom leads a military coalition comprising 41 countries to combat terrorism, with 2.5% of GDP allocated to defense spending to achieve strategic balance.

International Partnerships

Saudi Arabia hosted the G20 summit in 2020 and expanded free trade agreements, with non-oil exports reaching SAR 215 billion in 2022.

Humanitarian Role

Saudi Arabia was ranked the second-largest donor country for humanitarian aid globally, with donations exceeding $130 billion over four decades, according to the World Bank.

Giga Projects Reshaping the Development Map

The Future City of NEOM

With investments reaching $500 billion, the project aims to attract one million residents by 2030 and will rely entirely on renewable energy.

The Red Sea Tourism Project

It includes developing 50 luxury resorts across 90 islands, expected to host one million visitors annually by 2035 while protecting the marine environment.

The Riyadh Capital Development Program

It aims to transform Riyadh into one of the world’s top 10 urban economies with investments of SAR 800 billion and increasing the population to 15 million.
Saudi Arabia is moving steadily toward achieving the goals of Vision 2030, combining the preservation of cultural identity with exploring non-traditional economic horizons. With Saudi Arabia’s Human Development Index rising to 0.875 according to the United Nations Development Programme, the Kingdom is strengthening its position as a driver of progress in the region and in the new global economy.