The Ministry of Finance concluded the Budget 2026 Forum in Riyadh, amid a wide attendance of Their Highnesses and a number of leaders, officials, economists and financiers, in a scene that reflects the importance of the forum as a national platform that reviews the features of the next stage of development paths and government spending strategy.

Ministers and officials participating in the forum's sessions reflected the budget's orientation towards developing basic services and promoting projects that touch the lives of citizens and raise the level of their well-being. The statements of ministers and officials participating in the forum's sessions reflected the budget's directions towards developing basic services and promoting projects that touch the lives of citizens and raise their well-being, in addition to expanding high-impact sectors from infrastructure to quality of life, as the Kingdom continues to build an economy capable of facing global changes and maintaining balanced and sustainable growth, based on the flexibility provided by Vision 2030 and the vital role of fiscal policies in supporting long-term economic growth.

Sustainable Development in the 2026 Budget

The forum kicked off with a session titled "Sustainable Development in Budget 2026“, during which His Excellency the Minister of Finance, Mr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan, and His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mr. Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, presented key messages reflecting the budget's transition from being ”just numbers“ to a strategic tool carefully targeted to promote growth, diversify the economy and protect gains.

Al-Jadaan stressed that the budget is a strategic tool that is carefully targeted to promote growth, diversify the economy and protect the gains. Al-Jadaan emphasized during his speech that the Kingdom's fiscal policy takes into account the nature of the national economy, and since the launch of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, public finance has been a key pillar of stability, and with the contribution of non-oil activities rising to 56%, the Kingdom continues to strengthen this path and increase its growth rates in the future, pointing out that spending efficiency does not necessarily mean cutting spending, and that financial culture and spending efficiency has become a general culture for all Saudi workers.

Jadaan stressed that the Kingdom's fiscal policy takes into account the nature of the national economy.

Focus on raising spending efficiency

. <For his part, His Excellency the Minister of Economy and Planning, Mr. Faisal bin Fadel Al Ibrahim, stressed that the 2026 budget focuses on raising the efficiency of spending and directing it towards sectors that achieve higher economic and social value, stressing that the Kingdom's Vision 2030 has created a competitive environment that attracted more than 600 international companies. Pharmaceutical localization increased from 20% to 35%, and military from 4% to more than 20%, reflecting a strong response by the private sector, noting that 74 sectors in the past five years have grown annually by more than 5%, of which 37 activities recorded a growth rate of about 10% out of 81 activities in the non-oil sector.

He pointed out that the Kingdom's voice is pivotal in the conversations of the development of the global economy, and has a strategic role in the global economy, and is one of the 12 largest countries in terms of area, and seeks to be a global logistics platform connecting the continents of the world, and this will create great opportunities in infrastructure projects and investments, which have become one of the most growing investment assets globally.

In the proceedings of the forum, the Kingdom's voice is pivotal in the conversations of the development of the global economy. <The second session of the forum witnessed the participation of Their Excellencies the Ministers of Health, Education, Human Resources and Social Development, who stressed that the human being stands at the heart of the priorities of the 2026 budget, where His Excellency Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Engineer Ahmed Al Rajhi said that the ministry system participates in 8 of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 programs and works to achieve (26) strategic goals through more than 100 initiatives, and that women's participation in the labor market increased to 34%, while Saudi unemployment decreased to 6. 8%.He pointed out that the ministry worked on an ambitious strategy for the labor market in 2020, which included 28 reform initiatives, and is currently working on another strategy to be one of the best labor markets in the world. His Excellency the Minister of Health, Mr. Fahad Al-Jalajil, revealed that the contribution of the health sector to GDP increased to 5%, infectious disease deaths decreased by 50%, while health coverage reached 94.7%, one of the highest ratios globally.

The Kingdom invests in people

<For his part, His Excellency the Minister of Education, Mr. Yousef Al-Benyan, explained that the 2026 budget supported education with 202 billion riyals, of which 30 billion riyals were allocated for the operational expenses of the education system, and that the Kingdom invests in people, noting that the Human Capacity Development Program, one of the programs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, has moved education from being a service sector By spending efficiently, we will achieve our goals in the program, noting that 66% scholars are studying in the top 50 international universities, and 100,000 talented people have won 335 local, regional and international awards, and that the 2026 budget focused in the education sector on qualitative projects that provide a distinctive educational environment.

<The third session of the forum was entitled "Promising sectors according to government spending targets" and focused on promising sectors, especially tourism and sports, where Her Highness Princess Haifa bint Mohammed bin Saud bin Khalid, Deputy Minister of Tourism, pointed out during her participation that the volume of tourism spending reached 275 billion riyals, with the number of tourists exceeding 116 million tourists. The number of tourists exceeded 116 million tourists from home and abroad, and that the percentage of European tourists increased this year to 14%, and the percentage of tourists from East Asia and the Pacific increased to 15%, in addition to local tourists, which is a key element in the sustainable growth of the sector, and that the Kingdom aims to reach 150 million tourists in 2030.

His Excellency Deputy Minister of Sports Badr Al-Qadi pointed out that 70% of sports events in the Kingdom are managed by Saudi nationals, stressing the importance of private sector partnership in achieving the goals of the National Sports Strategy, indicating that the size of the sports market reached 32 billion riyals and is expected to reach 80 billion riyals in 2030.

The fourth session reopened the fourth session. The fourth session reaffirmed that infrastructure spending has come to include the concepts of smart cities, integrated mobility and advanced logistics, as the Minister of Municipalities and Housing Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail revealed that housing services benefited more than 1.2 million beneficiaries until the end of 2025, and 50 thousand families were enabled to own housing through developmental housing and support 16 thousand beneficiaries unable to pay, while the Minister of Transport and Logistics Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser indicated that the transport and logistics sector is on a steady pace towards the goal of turning the Kingdom into a global logistics center.

Minister of Transport and Logistics Engineer Saleh Al-Jasser pointed out that the transport and logistics sector is on track to transform the Kingdom into a global logistics center.

National Projects. Success Stories

<His Excellency the Governor of the General Authority for Military Industries, Engineer Ahmed Al-Ohali, reviewed the role of the budget in building a national industrial system capable of meeting 40.7% of military needs in 2024, thus consolidating industrial security and promoting economic growth, while His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs, Engineer Khalil bin Selma, spoke about the success story of the industrial sector competitiveness program, indicating the sector's orientation towards raising its productive capacity to reach its contribution to the local output <On the level of justice services, H.E. Deputy Minister of Justice Dr. Najm Al-Zaid presented the story of digital transformation in justice services, and how the Ministry of Justice transferred justice services from its traditional models to advanced digital services, which contributed to reducing visits, reducing reliance on paper and facilitating procedures for users inside and outside the Kingdom, while the President of the General Authority for Ports "Ports" Engineer Sulaiman Al-Mazroue presented a clear model of how to transfer infrastructure from being a "traditional service" to an economic sector that attracts investments, through his talk in the story of the project "Saudi Ports...". Partnership and Empowerment" about increasing investments to more than 30 billion riyals since the launch of the vision and raising the capacity to 50% in ports.

Budget 20/20 is a clear example of how to move infrastructure from being a "traditional service" to an economic sector that attracts investments. The 2026 Budget Forum is an extension of the Ministry of Finance's efforts to consolidate transparency and enhance communication about the general budget trends, highlight its role in enabling development, supporting promising sectors, stimulating private sector participation, enhancing the quality of life, consolidating the budget as a key tool in economic construction and raising the Kingdom's readiness to face global changes.

Budget Forum 2026 is an extension of the Ministry of Finance's efforts to consolidate transparency and enhance communication about the general budget trends.