1,660 industrial licenses issued, 1,201 factories begin ops in 2025

Logo of The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources 

The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 1,660 new industrial licenses for a number of Saudi sites in 2025, at a total investment value of SAR 76.1 billion.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,201 new factories began operations during the same year, with investments exceeding SAR 31 billion.

The total number of outstanding factories in the Kingdom until 2025-end reached about 12,946, while the total number of workers at the licensed industrial facilities amounted to 903,550, with a 31% Saudization rate.

Small-sized facilities accounted for the lion's share in terms of factories distribution across the Kingdom by size, reaching 6,175 facilities. Medium-sized facilities came in next, reaching 4,190.

Most operating facilities (or 36.6%) were located in Riyadh by the end of 2025, with 3,808 factories, followed by Eastern Province with more than 25% (2,626 factories), then Makkah (over 19%).

Riyadh also ranked first in factories under construction with 1,061 plants, representing 44.1% of the total, followed by Eastern Province with 514 factories (21.4%), then Makkah with 388 factories (16.1%). The remainder is distributed across other Kingdom-wide regions.