A bulletin issued by the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, revealed that the number of factories in operation and under construction in the Kingdom as of the end of the first quarter of 2022 reached 10,489, with an estimated capital of 1.345 trillion riyals.
The bulletin clarified that domestic factories accounted for the largest share of factories in operation and under construction, by investment type, at 85 percent, followed by foreign factories at 8 percent, then joint-venture factories at 7 percent. Meanwhile, the Riyadh region accounted for the largest share of the total number of factories in operation and under construction, with approximately 5,173 factories, followed by the Eastern Province with 2,291 factories, then the Makkah Region with 1,783 factories. It noted that small facilities accounted for the largest share of the total number of factories in the Kingdom by the end of the period, totaling 5,273 facilities, followed by medium-sized facilities at 4,386, and then large facilities, which accounted for 830 of the total number of factories in operation and under construction.
The bulletin included changes in licenses and factories that began production during the first quarter of 2022, with 260 new industrial licenses issued, representing investments of 5,529 billion riyals, while production began at 498 factories with investments estimated at 15,974 thousand billion riyals.
According to the bulletin, foreign investment in the Kingdom’s factories accounts for 5 percent of total investments in the sector, with the number of foreign-owned factories in the Kingdom standing at approximately 810.
Through its bulletin on industrial licenses for the first quarter of 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources provides a comprehensive overview reflecting the reality of the industrial sector in the Kingdom, highlighting the performance of existing and under-construction factories, as well as growth indicators for new industrial licenses.
