Saudi Commerce Sector 2025: Strategic Milestones Bolster Global Competitiveness, Private Sector Expansion

The commerce sector achieved significant milestones in 2025, as detailed in the Saudi Vision 2030 annual report. The Kingdom secured the 17th position globally in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, a result of over 1,000 economic, procedural, and technological reforms implemented through the Saudi Competitiveness and Business Center in partnership with 65 government entities. These efforts have streamlined the regulatory environment and successfully stimulated broad economic activity.
 Economic indicators for 2025 exceeded expectations, with the private sector’s contribution to GDP reaching 51%, a 4% increase over the previous year. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contributed 22.9%, growing at a rate of 1.8%. This growth is reflected in the total number of active commercial registrations, which surpassed 1.8 million, including 259,000 new registrations and 13,103 foreign company entries.
 The shift toward a digital economy accelerated, with artificial intelligence registrations rising 34% to reach 19,042. The Saudi Business Center facilitated this transition by providing over 10 million services, converting 666 licenses to "instant" status, and offering 189 electronic services via the "business" platform. Additionally, the launch of the unified electronic code service saw more than 500,000 codes issued to commercial establishments.
 Entrepreneurship remains a vital pillar of the economy, with 39 establishments listed on the financial market and SAR130.6 billion in financing provided through the Kafalah program. Furthermore, franchise registrations increased to 2,637. These results underscore the Kingdom’s progress in developing a competitive legislative environment and empowering the private sector as the primary driver of sustainable economic growth under Vision 2030.