Council of Economic and Development Affairs reviews key topics, reports

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's flag

The Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a meeting via video conference today, during which it reviewed a number of key topics and reports.

During the meeting, the council reviewed several issues and the periodic report submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, which provided an analytical assessment of the global economic landscape and its growth prospects amid prevailing regional geopolitical tensions, as well as the implications of these developments on the national economy, state-run news agency SPA reported.

The report highlighted the Kingdom’s strong financial resilience, the readiness of the logistics sector in managing crises, and the effectiveness of proactive government measures in safeguarding food security and ensuring the continuity of supply chains through alternative routes. It also noted that ongoing regional developments will not halt the Kingdom’s major development projects.

The council further reviewed updates on key economic and financial indicators, which confirmed the high flexibility of the national economy, with real GDP growing by 3.0% in the first quarter of the current year, driven by growth in oil and non-oil activities as well as government services. The report also highlighted a decline in annual inflation, an increase in the non-oil private sector index, and an improvement in the trade balance.

In addition, the council reviewed the annual report of the Digital Content Council for FY 2025, which included an executive summary of the digital content sector in the Kingdom, the council’s objectives, and sector performance in terms of direct contribution to GDP, revenues, and market size. It also outlined key achievements of the Digital Content Program, reinforcing sector development and its economic impact in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The council examined a number of procedural matters, including the draft guideline for models of government entities and the draft national policy to enhance emergency safety in public places and workplaces.

It was briefed on the outcomes of the committee for improving the balance of payments and economic diversification, the quarterly report of the permanent committee for price monitoring, a summary of the quarterly real estate price index report, and the monthly foreign trade executive summary. It also reviewed summaries of the two monthly reports on the consumer price and wholesale price indices, as well as the basic reports on which the summaries were based. The council adopted several decisions and recommendations regarding these matters.