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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment issued 2,056 new investment licenses to foreign companies in the fourth quarter of 2021, a rise of 358% from 449 licenses a year earlier.
The number of foreign investment licenses in Saudi Arabia increased by 38% year-on-year (YoY) to 478 in Q1 2021, by 264% YoY to 575 in Q2 2021 and 333% YoY to 1,330 in Q3 2021.
Accordingly, the total number of new foreign investment licenses reached 4,439 in 2021, up 251% compared with a year earlier, due to economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
The following table illustrates the number of foreign investment licenses issued since early 2016:
|
Foreign Investment Licenses in Saudi Arabia |
||
|
Period |
No. |
YoY Variation |
|
Q1 2016 |
72 |
-- |
|
Q2 2016 |
54 |
-- |
|
Q3 2016 |
44 |
-- |
|
Q4 2016 |
86 |
-- |
|
Q1 2017 |
66 |
(8%) |
|
Q2 2017 |
85 |
+57% |
|
Q3 2017 |
84 |
+91% |
|
Q4 2017 |
142 |
+65% |
|
Q1 2018 |
157 |
+138% |
|
Q2 2018 |
146 |
+72% |
|
Q3 2018 |
197 |
+135% |
|
Q4 2018 |
238 |
+68% |
|
Q1 2019 |
292 |
+86% |
|
Q2 2019 |
294 |
+101% |
|
Q3 2019 |
254 |
+29% |
|
Q4 2019 |
291 |
+22% |
|
Q1 2020 |
352 |
+21% |
|
Q2 2020 |
158 |
(46%) |
|
Q3 2020 |
307 |
+21% |
|
Q4 2020 |
449 |
+54% |
|
Q1 2021 |
478 |
+38% |
|
Q2 2021 |
575 |
+264% |
|
Q3 2021 |
1330 |
+333% |
|
Q4 2021 |
2056 |
+358% |
The highest number of foreign investment licenses in the fourth quarter of the year was granted in the retail & e-commerce sector, accounting for more than 44% of the total number of licenses. It was followed by industrial & manufacturing with 16%.
|
New Foreign Investment Projects by Sector in Q4 2021 |
|
|
Sector |
No. |
|
Retail & E-Commerce |
907 |
|
Industrial & Manufacturing |
330 |
|
Building & Construction |
297 |
|
Foods |
155 |
|
Academic & Professional Activities |
79 |
|
ICT |
77 |
|
Transport & Logistics |
39 |
|
Administrative & Support Services |
39 |
|
Education |
16 |
|
Health and Social Work |
13 |
|
Water Supplies |
13 |
|
Mining & Minerals |
11 |
|
Finance & Insurance Services |
10 |
|
Real Estate Activities |
10 |
|
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation |
5 |
|
Electricity & Power |
6 |
|
Agriculture, Forests & Fishing |
6 |
|
Other |
43 |
|
Total |
907 |
Yemen topped in terms of new foreign investment projects in the Kingdom with 663 projects. India came second with 198 projects, followed by Syria (162) and Egypt (157).
|
Investment Licenses for Top 10 Countries in Q4 2021 |
|
|
Sector |
Number of Licenses |
|
Yemen |
663 |
|
India |
198 |
|
Syria |
162 |
|
Egypt |
157 |
|
Pakistan |
101 |
|
Jordan |
75 |
|
Lebanon |
41 |
|
US |
31 |
|
UK |
30 |
|
Total |
1458 |
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