Saudi Arabia’s foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows increased 33.5% year-on-year to about SR159bn ($42.32bn) in 2025, according to the National Transformation Programme performance figures.
The rise took the Kingdom’s total FDI stock to SR1.06tn at the end of 2025, an 8.3% increase from 2024.
It marked the first time that Saudi Arabia’s FDI stock exceeded SR1tn.
The state-owned Saudi Press Agency said the National Transformation Programme has responsibility for 34 strategic objectives, accounting for about 35% of Saudi Vision 2030 targets.
More than 310 initiatives are included in the programme, spanning seven ministries and over 50 implementing entities.
Its progress is assessed through 78 domestic and international indicators.
Annual FDI inflows were more than five times higher than 2017 baseline levels, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24%.
Total FDI stock doubled during the eight-year period, with a CAGR of 10%.
FDIinflows are a central performance indicator for the National Transformation Programme, which forms part of the wider Saudi Vision 2030 economic strategy.
The Ministry of Investment oversees the programme’s initiatives with partner government bodies.
The initiatives centre on regulatory and structural reforms aimed at improving the domestic investment environment and attracting foreign and domestic capital.
In August, France and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding covering a €6bn ($6.99bn) Saudi investment in three theme parks planned outside Paris.
In September, Saudi Arabia was included in Microsoft’s plan to invest more than $10bn in capital and operating expenditure across the Middle East by 2030 through a digital resilience framework.
The framework was announced during a round table alongside the United Nations General Assembly in New York and initially covers Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Under the initiative, Microsoft will scale up its cloud and AI infrastructure in the region while strengthening ties with governments and national AI bodies, including Saudi’s HUMAIN, the UAE’s G42, Qatar’s QAI and the Government of Kuwait.
