About GSCRI

The Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative, a National Investment Strategy Initiative, aims to develop a unified strategy to attract strategic supply chains to Saudi Arabia and grow the Kingdom’s market share in sectors where it has particular competitive and strategic advantages.

As well as supporting Saudi Arabia’s domestic development, the Global Supply Chain Resilience Initiative will help to strengthen regional and global supply chains while giving investors a competitive advantage.

INVESTING IN SAUDI

Saudi Arabia’s economy is evolving and opening at an unparalleled pace, and its sweeping transformation is unlocking game-changing business opportunities for pioneering investors while also attracting more visitors, investors and businesses to the Kingdom.
This has fast-tracked development in sectors such as tourism, arts and culture, renewable energy and entertainment that make Saudi Arabia a global investment powerhouse and one of the most sought-after places in the world to invest, even in a highly challenging global environment.

Saudi Arabia has several key competitive advantages, which make it an ideal destination for investment:

  • A strong economy and a strategic location, linking three continents.
  • An ambitious sustainability agenda, supported by the Saudi Green Initiative, which includes the expansion of the renewable energy sector.
  • Extensive industrial, logistical and digital infrastructure.
  • Competitive production costs and availability of basic raw materials such as oil, gas, petrochemicals and minerals.
  • Special economic zones specializing in sectors such as manufacturing, biotechnology and cloud computing.
  • Commercial incentives supported by sector-specific approaches through the National Investment Strategy.

As the economic powerhouse of the Middle East and a future global logistics hub, Saudi Arabia has invested in infrastructure and incentives that make it an attractive location for organizations seeking low-cost, low-risk and low-carbon sustainable solutions to supply chain challenges.

LOW COST

Saudi Arabia offers an abundance of raw materials, low utility costs, low start-up costs and low transportation costs due to world-class infrastructure and its strategic location at the intersection of three continents.

LOW RISK

Saudi Arabia is a strong, stable and growing economy that has demonstrated decades of economic resilience and stability.

LOW CARBON

Saudi Arabia's commitment to and investment in renewable, nuclear and sustainable hydrocarbon energy solutions will provide secure, reliable and affordable access to low-carbon energy.

Targeted Sectors

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Demographic changes, strong government investment and the high prevalence of chronic diseases are expected to triple healthcare demand in the next 10 years.

Statistical Information

100%

of the population will be covered by the unified digital medical records system by 2025

$5.4BN

medical technology market size in 2021

Mining and Metals

Saudi Arabia's mining and metals sector is emerging as one of the world’s most attractive in terms of cost, availability of raw materials, flexible incentive structure and access to competitive financing.

Statistical Information

$75BN

GDP contribution by 2035

$1.3TRN

mineral resource potential value

48

minerals identified in the Kingdom

Real Estate

The Saudi Arabian real estate sector's rapid growth is fuelled by a large, young population and a wealthy middle class, as well as by the pursuit of ambitious development projects to achieve goals outlined in Vision 2030.

Statistical Information

50%

of new units built using new technology

70%

home ownership target by 2030

1.2BN M²

built-up area expected to be developed by 2030

Financial Services

Saudi Arabia's position as a leading international finance centre has been fostered by a stable economic and political environment, support for innovation, deep local capital markets and favourable legal and tax policies.

Statistical Information

$1.3TRN

estimated total credit demand by 2030

20%

increase in the share of MSME financing by banks by 2030

53%

increase in the share of capital markets assets by 2030

Agriculture & Food Processing

Saudi Arabia's agricultural and food processing sector is well established and poised to expand rapidly in the future years. Domestic, regional and worldwide demand for Saudi food items is growing, with the seafood, dates and halal market segments leading the way.

Statistical Information

85%

food processing localization target rate by 2030

$42BN

food and beverage market size, expected to grow at 3% per year over the next five years

Information and Communication Technology

Saudi Arabia has outlined an ambitious vision to become an ICT hub for the region and beyond with a focus on digital innovation in smart cities, Industry 4.0, digital education and digital health.

Statistical Information

$2.5BN

in expected gaming market size by 2030

73%

social media penetration

Aerospace and Defence

With one of the world’s highest military expenditures, Saudi Arabia is transforming its defence and security sector in order to localize over 50% of its military expenditure by 2030. The industry has witnessed noticeable changes over the recent years in Saudi Arabia, with major business climate reforms, including the establishment of the General Authority of Military industries (GAMI) as the regulatory body; easy online licensing process; and 100% foreign ownership for companies operating in the sector.

Statistical Information

50%

localization target by 2030, up from 8% in 2020

6th

largest military spender around the world in 2020

100%

foreign ownership allowed

Industrial value proposition

Critical Raw Material Availability

Saudi Arabia offers easy access to key raw materials such as metals, chemicals, oil and gas for manufacturing and industrial development. The Kingdom is a source of a number of precious and basic minerals, including gold, silver, copper, zinc, chromium, manganese, tungsten, lead, tin, aluminum and iron. It also offers extensive sedimentary formations containing industrial minerals such as gypsum, feldspar, mica, sulphur and salts.

Robust Industrial Infrastructure

40+ industrial and economic clusters have been developed or are being developed. These developments include five special economic zones designed to attract investment through a competitive package of financial incentives and regulatory exemptions. Saudi Arabia also boasts strong digital economy and cybersecurity capabilities.

Strong Economy in a Strategic Location

Saudi Arabia has demonstrated strong GDP growth in recent years, with extensive progress on economic diversification. The Kingdom is located at the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds and center of three continents, providing an up to 10% distribution cost advantage to the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and Arabian Peninsula markets. It is also at the center of global trade – bordering two of the world’s busiest shipping routes (Red Sea and Arabian Gulf).

Competitive Production Costs

Saudi Arabia offers competitive costs for production inputs such as electricity, water, natural gas and land, comparing favorably against both global manufacturing hubs and emerging regional peers.

Ambitious Sustainability Agenda

Saudi Arabia is aiming to install 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of a rapid shift in the country’s energy mix. Domestic solar and wind LCOEs have recorded all-time low prices, exceeding previous projections, over the past few years. The Kingdom also aims to be a leading supplier of hydrogen, producing 4 million tons of green hydrogen by 2030.

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