The Kingdom is racing against time to achieve a brighter future in accordance with an ambitious vision and roadmap for building a vibrant society, a prosperous economy, and an ambitious nation, under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister—may God protect them both—building on the strengths that God has bestowed upon the nation; and putting into practice what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said: “Success stories always begin with a vision, and the most successful visions are those built on strengths.”
There is no doubt that the Kingdom is undergoing a qualitative transformation on all levels, thanks to the remarkable progress achieved in the targets of Saudi Vision 2030 to date, through programs (Achieving the Vision and Integrated National Strategies). Contributing to this success are the Kingdom’s human and natural resources, investment capabilities, economic strength, and its standing in the Arab, Islamic, and international communities, as well as its strategic geographic location.
Saudi Vision 2030 charts a course that enhances the integration of culture and innovation, keeping pace with rapid global changes and opening broader horizons for citizens, residents, and visitors from around the world, It is designed to be implemented in three main phases, each lasting five years and building on the successes of the previous phase. The first phase began by laying the foundations for transformation through comprehensive structural, economic, financial, and social reforms, while the second phase focused on accelerating progress and maximizing the benefits of priority sectors. The third phase is expected to contribute to enhancing the sustainability of the transformation and capitalizing on new growth opportunities.
Coinciding with the ninth year since the launch of the Kingdom’s promising and ambitious vision, the “Saudi Vision 2030 Annual Report for 2024” a comprehensive overview of the Vision, covering previous phases, achievements made, and preparations for the next phase, in addition to the Vision’s programs and associated national strategies.
The second section of the annual report also includes an executive summary of the Vision’s performance in terms of first- and second-level indicators, as well as overall progress rates in the performance indicators of the Vision’s programs and initiatives, as well as highlights of outstanding performance across the Vision’s three pillars: a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. The third section provides a detailed overview of the most notable achievements of 2024 across four pillars: “Rapidly Growing Economy,” ”Empowered Society,” ”Leading Vibrant Destination,” and ”Sustainable Vision.”
Based on statistics from the “Annual Report,” the percentage of completed initiatives and those on track reached 85%, with 674 completed initiatives and 596 on track out of a total of 1,502 active initiatives, Additionally, 93% of the Kingdom’s Vision indicators for national programs and strategies met, exceeded, or were close to meeting their interim targets in 2024, including 257 indicators that exceeded their annual targets, and 18 indicators met their annual targets, while 8 Vision targets were achieved six years ahead of schedule.
A number of indicators have achieved their 2030 targets early, most notably the number of tourists surpassing the 100-million-visitor mark, the inclusion of 8 Saudi sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and the rise in the number of volunteers to 1.2 million, exceeding the 2030 target of 1 million volunteers. Furthermore, women’s participation in the labor market reached 33.5%, surpassing the 2030 target of 30%.
The Kingdom recorded a historic decline in the unemployment rate, achieving the Vision target of 7%, and jumped 32 places in the e-Participation Index since 2016 to rank seventh globally, surpassing its 2030 target of reaching the top ten; It also jumped 30 places in the United Nations E-Government Development Index compared to the baseline, reaching sixth place globally, approaching its 2030 target of reaching the top five, Meanwhile, the number of regional headquarters of multinational companies in the Kingdom exceeded its 2030 target, reaching more than 571 companies.
According to the “Vibrant Society” advanced indicators ranking, the Kingdom recorded a historic high with the number of Umrah pilgrims reaching 16.92 million, surpassing the annual target of 11.3 million pilgrims, The home ownership rate among Saudi households reached 65.4%, compared to 47% in 2016, exceeding the 2025 target, Healthcare coverage reached 96.4% of population centers, approaching the 2030 target of 99.5%, The percentage of adults engaging in 150 minutes of physical activity per week rose to 58.5%, exceeding the 2024 target, and the proportion of children and adolescents engaging in 60 minutes of physical activity daily rose to 18.7%, and life expectancy rose to 78.8 years, approaching the 2030 target of 80 years.
The “Annual Report” indicators for a “Thriving Economy” show that the total assets under management by the Public Investment Fund have more than tripled since the launch of the Vision, reaching 3.53 trillion riyals, exceeding this year’s target. The private sector’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product reached 47%, surpassing the 2024 target, The localization rate for the defense industry also exceeded its interim target, reaching 19.35%, up from 7.7% in 2021.
Achievements under the Kingdom’s Vision continue in its ninth year, as the number of employees in small and medium-sized enterprises rose to 7.86 million, exceeding the annual target, Four Saudi universities were ranked among the world’s top 500, with King Saud University ranking 90th globally, making it the first Saudi university to be included in the world’s top 100 universities.
In line with the “Ambitious Nation” target, which has made progress across its indicators, the report highlighted that the percentage of large companies offering corporate social responsibility programs rose to 71.67%, exceeding the annual target, In addition, the nonprofit sector’s contribution to GDP reached 1%, with a target of 5% by 2030, and the percentage of the workforce employed in this sector rose to 0.64%.
The report highlighted exceptional achievements in meeting targets, as the “Fast-Growing Economy” classification shows the Kingdom’s rise to 16th place in the Global Competitiveness Index, and maintained its lead in the Middle East and North Africa region in bold investment at 40%. Additionally, the investment opportunity generation index exceeded the 2024 target, generating more than 1,800 investment opportunities.
Among the exceptional achievements under the “Enabling Environment” category, the report noted that 2024 saw the Health Virtual Hospital enter the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest virtual hospital, seven Saudi hospitals were ranked among the top 250 hospitals in the world, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center ranked first globally in the use of medical technology, and 16 Saudi cities were certified as “Healthy Cities,” making the Kingdom the leading country in the region in terms of the number of globally certified Healthy Cities. The readiness of the Kingdom’s health regions to address health risks rose to 92%.
More than 850,000 Saudi families were able to become homeowners by the end of 2024, 98% of court hearings were conducted electronically, totaling more than 2.3 million sessions, and more than 5.3 million electronic powers of attorney were issued, benefiting more than 6 million people.
Significant achievements also continue on the international stage, as Saudi students won 114 medals and major awards in the two largest global competitions in the fields of science, engineering, and invention: ”ISEF 2024“ and ”iTEX 2024.“
As part of ongoing efforts to empower national talent, more than 437,000 Saudi citizens—both men and women—were able to enter the private sector workforce in 2024 through programs and initiatives of the Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf), and the number of Saudis employed in the private sector reached approximately 2.4 million by the end of 2024.
As part of efforts to strengthen women’s roles in leadership positions, the percentage of Saudi women in middle and senior management positions reached 43.8%, and their labor force participation rate rose to 36% by the end of 2024, compared to 17% in 2017.
In the area of traffic safety, the traffic fatality rate per 100,000 people decreased from 17.6 in 2018 to 12.3 in 2024, and the confidence index in security services in the Kingdom reached a high level of 99.85%.
The Kingdom achieved top global rankings in digital leadership, ranking first in the number of internet users, second globally in the corporate digital transformation index, and second globally in the technology development and adoption index.
In sports, the Kingdom saw improvements in a number of indicators: the number of sports clubs offering a variety of sports rose to 128, and the number of sports federations increased to 97, representing a growth rate of more than 200%, and the percentage of Saudi women participating in sports weekly reached 46%.
The Kingdom was selected to host the 2026 UNCTAD Global Supply Chain Forum, and it also improved its ranking on the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index, reaching 38th place in 2024, and King Khalid International Airport was ranked the world’s best in terms of flight punctuality.
According to the ”Leading Vital Destination“ ranking, the Kingdom advanced to 16th place globally in the IMD Social Responsibility Index and topped the G20 countries in the Safety Index, and won the bid to host the largest-ever FIFA World Cup in 2034, becoming the first country in history to host this event on its own (under the new format). The Kingdom also created the Esports World Cup and hosted its inaugural edition.
Continuing the Kingdom’s success in the international competitiveness of Saudi cities, Madinah was listed among the top 100 global tourist destinations for 2024, and Al-Ula became the first destination in the Middle East to be accredited by the International Organization of Destinations ”Destinations International.“ The Kingdom also expanded its e-visa program to include 66 countries, and the completion rate for Qiddiya projects reached 81% at ”Aquaravia“ Park, and 87% at ”SIX FLAGS“ Park. International tourism revenues rose to 148% compared to 2019, The number of visitors to entertainment events reached 76.9 million, and the Kingdom led G20 countries in growth in the number of international tourists.
Additionally, 16 cultural elements were inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the first specialized college of arts was inaugurated at King Saud University, and the ”Allam“ model was integrated into IBM’s ”Watsonx“ platform as one of the best generative AI models in Arabic, supporting the presence of Arabic content in international organizations.
According to the ”Sustainable Vision“ report, more than 115 million trees will have been planted by the end of 2024, and the agricultural sector’s contribution to gross domestic product will reach 114 billion riyals, more than 118,000 hectares of degraded land were rehabilitated, more than 7,800 endangered animals were reintroduced, the first hydrogen-powered bus and taxi were launched, four additional renewable energy projects were commissioned; the cost of producing electricity from sustainable sources reached levels among the lowest globally; and the world’s first solar-powered desalination plant was established.
And here, in its ninth year, the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 has borne fruit ahead of schedule, achieving remarkable results that have exceeded expectations—thanks to efficient planning, a passion for work, and the ambition of its citizens. This was affirmed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—may God protect him—when he said: ”As we mark the ninth year of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, we take pride in the achievements of our sons and daughters. They have proven that challenges cannot stand in the way of their ambitions; we have met our targets and even exceeded some of them, We will continue to move steadfastly toward our 2030 goals, and we renew our determination to redouble our efforts and accelerate the pace of implementation, so that we may capitalize on every opportunity and strengthen the Kingdom’s position as a global leader.“
For details on the ”Saudi Vision 2030 Annual Report for 2024," visit the following link:
https://www.vision2030.gov.sa/ar/annual-reports?utm_source=social&utm_medium=org&utm_campaign=annual_report_2024.
