Saudi Arabia had issued a total of 268 new industrial licences in May with investments estimated at SAR2.23 billion ($595 million), said the kingdom' Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.
The projects are expected to create more than 2,484 jobs across the kingdom, according to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources’ monthly report, prepared by the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information (NIIC).
A total of 149 factories started production during the month, with investments of SAR1.43 billion that led to the creation of 2,410 jobs, stated the NIIC data.
The number of industrial facilities in Saudi Arabia reached 13,870 at the end of May, up about 12% from 12,433 a year earlier and roughly 2% from 13,660 at the end of April.
The total includes operational factories as well as facilities under construction or stalled, according to the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources’ monthly report.
The expansion forms part of the National Industrial Strategy, which identifies the industrial sector as a key component of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to diversify its economy, strengthen local production capacity and develop industrial value chains.
The strategy targets increasing the number of factories in Saudi Arabia to about 36,000 by 2035. The target was reiterated by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources at the Budget Forum in December.
The kingdom's industry and mineral resources ecosystem recently highlighted the mining sector development journey and growth opportunities across priority industrial sectors during its participation in two workshops held as part of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) 2026.-TradeArabia News Service
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