A Vision of Wise Leadership Forging a Prosperous Future

Under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, and through the insightful vision of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is charting an exceptional developmental course that commands global admiration. The approval of the 2026 budget embodies a steadfast and confident commitment to continuing this accelerated development path. The Kingdom is employing its assets and financial strength with unprecedented effectiveness to realize the ambitions of Vision 2030 and ensure sustainable prosperity for future generations.

The Kingdom has embarked with decisive and steady strides towards the third phase of Vision 2030, propelled by structural achievements that have transformed the face of the national economy. Wise economic and fiscal policies have successfully turned global challenges into opportunities for growth, with the Saudi economy demonstrating remarkable resilience and fortitude. The budget focuses on enhancing the quality of life for the citizen, ensuring the continuity of high-quality essential services, while maintaining the spending momentum on major developmental and transformative projects that are redefining the Kingdom's future.

The figures and achievements demonstrate the strength and dynamism of the Saudi economy, which is recording performance superior to many global economies:

- Strong and Sustainable Growth: Preliminary estimates indicate real GDP growth of approximately 4.6%, primarily driven by non-oil sectors, whose activity grew by 4.8%. This reflects the success of policies in transforming the engine of economic growth.

- Private Sector as a Primary Driver: In a qualitative achievement, the private sector's contribution to real GDP has surpassed the 50% barrier, reaching 50.3%, fulfilling one of the Vision's most important goals of empowering this sector to lead growth.

- Labor Market Successes: The unemployment rate among Saudis has fallen to record levels, exceeding the Vision's early target, while Saudi women's participation rate in the labor market has notably surpassed the 30% goal. The number of Saudi employees in the private sector has also reached a record high of 2.5 million.

- Revenue Diversification: Fiscal policies prove their efficacy by achieving a leap in non-oil revenues, which are expected to cover about 37% of total expenditures by the end of 2025, compared to just 17% in 2015.

- Attracting Global Investment: Excellence in the business environment is bearing fruit, as net Foreign Direct Investment flows jumped by 29.2% in the first half of 2025, reflecting global investors' confidence in the Kingdom's economic climate.

The approach of prudent leadership in managing public finances represents a cornerstone of this success. Policies have been characterized by flexibility, discipline, and transparency, with long-term planning that enhances sustainability. The Kingdom possesses strong financial fundamentals, including sustainable levels of public debt compared to G20 countries, and substantial financial reserves that provide a wide margin of safety and liquidity.

The concerted efforts of the kingdom’s general budget, the Public Investment Fund as a national investment arm, and the National Development Fund with its affiliated funds, work in harmony to enhance economic diversification and build global partnerships. This coherent and wise model of resource management is the secret to the Kingdom's excellence and its achievement of advanced positions in international rankings.

At the heart of this developmental leap lies a commitment to building a vibrant society and improving quality of life. Tangible achievements have been made in empowering youth, supporting entrepreneurship, and homeownership, where the rate of homeownership among Saudi families has reached 65.4%, exceeding the target ahead of schedule. The government also maintains its strong support for social protection programs.

The development witnessed by the Kingdom today in the sectors of tourism, entertainment, sports, culture, technology, and industry is nothing but a living embodiment of a vision led by a strong will and the science of strategic planning. It places its citizens at the heart of its priorities and works steadfastly to achieve global leadership in all fields, relying in this on its authentic Islamic values.