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Saudi Arabia’s booming export economy and record budget surpluses have provided a golden opportunity to reinvest these profits in the country’s future. The education sector has thus been designated a chief priority. More than half of the Kingdom’s population is under the age of 25, with close to 30% under 15. These numbers make providing a strong education system an even higher priority. As of...

The Saudi Agriculture show on the outskirts of Riyadh in September 2012 was testament to the buzz surrounding one of the most interesting agricultural sectors in the Middle East. Investors from Europe and Asia were out in force, promoting everything from irrigation equipment to new animal feeds and fertilisers. According to the Ninth Development Plan, investment in the sector is expected to...

While the construction industry in many countries may still be in the doldrums, in Saudi Arabia it is proving to be the driving force behind economic growth. Indeed, all the parts are in place for construction to remain a growing industry over the coming decade. Saudi Arabia has the region's largest market; with its population of 29.2m people – as of 2012 – growing at an annual rate of 2.9%, the...

Having avoided the major boom and bust cycles of its Gulf neighbours, Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector is considered relatively stable. For several years, and certainly since the global financial crisis, the sector has been viewed as a safe haven for local capital; prices in the market have held firm and returns have been solid. With demographic trends and a solid economic base supporting a...

Spurred on by strong demand for services, the government is planning to bolster and upgrade infrastructure capacity across all segments of the transport industry. Indeed, with a rising population and increasing trade volumes, the sector is poised for growth. The transport, storage and communications sector accounted for 7.7% of GDP in 2011 and is growing at a rate of 10.63% per year. Planned road...

Ranked as one of the world’s leading destinations for retail investment, Saudi Arabia is in many respects unrivalled in the Gulf. With a young and rapidly growing consumer base of some 29m people, the Kingdom is the obvious point of entry for retailers looking to start branching out into other promising markets in the wider Middle East region. Indeed, pessimistic forecasts for Saudi Arabia’s...