The real estate market in Saudi Arabia has witnessed remarkable growth in the architectural design sector in recent years, especially in light of the Kingdom's interest in the residential sector and the launch of real estate and housing initiatives with the aim of increasing the rate of home ownership for families according to the targets of Vision 2030.

Market size of the construction sector in the Kingdom

According to the oxford business group report, Saudi Arabia's construction sector was valued at around $68 billion in May 2023, with related businesses accounting for an estimated 6% of GDP, and is expected to rise to more than $182 billion by 2028, as Saudi Arabia moves to build mega projects.

Statistics indicate that there are about 300 real estate design companies in Saudi Arabia, and the most regions with real estate design companies are Makkah, Riyadh, and the Eastern Province, and the majority of these companies are sole proprietorships.

The number of architects registered in the lists of Business Data Initiatives is about 419 architects as of May 2025, of which 93.6% are individual organizations and 6.4% are part of major brands.

The number of architects registered in the lists of Business Data Initiatives is about 419 architects as of May 2025. Data from the Saudi Council of Structural Engineers indicates that the number of licensed civil engineers in the Kingdom is about 48,762 until 2023, of which 2,314 Saudi architects are registered with the council.

Data from the Saudi Council of Structural Engineers.

Challenges facing the architectural design industry

Architectural design firms in the Kingdom face a number of challenges, including competition with international designs, as many major projects use international architectural firms, professional and technical challenges such as lack of skills in some advanced architectural specialties, and government procedures and building permits are part of the challenges facing architectural firms, especially small and medium-sized ones.

Government procedures and building permits are part of the challenges facing architectural firms, especially small and medium-sized ones.