From producing nearly double the feature films in a single year to shattering records in music streams and art sales, Saudi Arabia's creative industries are not just growing but exploding onto the global stage with unprecedented momentum.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Saudi Arabia's film industry produced 44 feature films, a 63% increase from 27 in 2022, supported by the Saudi Film Commission.
- The number of cinema screens in Saudi Arabia grew to 620 by end of 2023, up from 350 in 2018, with attendance reaching 38 million tickets sold.
- Red Sea International Film Festival in 2023 attracted over 150 films from 67 countries, with 120,000 attendees across events.
- In 2023, music streaming platforms in Saudi Arabia recorded 5.2 billion streams, with local artists contributing 25%.
- Saudi Music Commission licensed 1,200 concerts and events in 2023, up 50% from 2022.
- Number of Saudi musicians signed to labels reached 450 in 2023, with 30% female artists.
- In 2023, Saudi visual arts market sales reached SAR 250 million, with 60 galleries operational.
- Edge of Arabia gallery sales grew 40% to SAR 50 million in 2023 auctions.
- 1,500 Saudi artists exhibited internationally in 2023, up from 500 in 2020.
- In 2023, Saudi design exports reached SAR 1.5 billion, led by fashion and furniture.
- Fashion Week Riyadh 2023 featured 50 designers, with SAR 200 million in orders.
- 300 Saudi fashion brands registered by 2023, 60% women-owned.
- Saudi gaming market revenue reached SAR 8.4 billion in 2023, growing 12% YoY.
- 22 million gamers in Saudi Arabia in 2023, 67% of population.
- SGA organized 50 esports tournaments with SAR 100 million prize pools in 2023.
Saudi Arabia's creative industry is booming with impressive growth across film, music, and arts.
Design Fashion and Advertising
- In 2023, Saudi design exports reached SAR 1.5 billion, led by fashion and furniture.
- Fashion Week Riyadh 2023 featured 50 designers, with SAR 200 million in orders.
- 300 Saudi fashion brands registered by 2023, 60% women-owned.
- Advertising spend in Saudi hit SAR 12 billion in 2023, 30% digital.
- Graphic design firms grew to 1,200 in KSA by 2023, employing 15,000.
- Saudi Made branding initiative certified 5,000 products in 2023.
- Furniture design exports up 25% to SAR 800 million in 2023.
- Digital ad agencies: 400 operational, revenue SAR 4 billion in 2023.
- Luxury fashion retail sales SAR 20 billion, 20% local designers.
- Industrial design patents filed: 2,500 by Saudis in 2023.
- Branding projects for SMEs: 10,000 completed via Monsha'at in 2023.
- Packaging design market valued at SAR 3 billion in 2023.
- Fashion incubator graduates: 200 brands launched in 2023.
- OOH advertising boards: 50,000 installed across highways by 2023.
- E-commerce design UI/UX specialists: 5,000 certified in 2023.
- Jewelry design exports SAR 1 billion, 70% gold craftsmanship.
- Creative agency revenue growth 18% to SAR 8 billion in 2023.
- Textile design innovation centers: 10 established, producing 1M meters fabric.
Design Fashion and Advertising Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s creative sector is confidently strutting out of its oil-rich shadow, tailoring a new identity from fashion runways to digital ad campaigns, all while ensuring the stitching—from patents to products—is unmistakably Saudi Made.
Film and Cinema
- In 2023, Saudi Arabia's film industry produced 44 feature films, a 63% increase from 27 in 2022, supported by the Saudi Film Commission.
- The number of cinema screens in Saudi Arabia grew to 620 by end of 2023, up from 350 in 2018, with attendance reaching 38 million tickets sold.
- Red Sea International Film Festival in 2023 attracted over 150 films from 67 countries, with 120,000 attendees across events.
- Saudi box office revenue hit SAR 500 million in 2023, with local films contributing 15% of total earnings.
- Over 1,200 Saudi nationals trained in film production through SDFC programs since 2020, with 70% now employed in the sector.
- In 2022, 25 Saudi films participated in international festivals, winning 12 awards globally.
- Cinema complexes increased to 65 in Saudi Arabia by 2023, located in 25 cities across the kingdom.
- Female participation in Saudi film production reached 35% in 2023, up from 10% in 2019.
- Investment in Saudi film infrastructure exceeded SAR 2 billion from 2020-2023 via PIF funding.
- Average ticket price for cinemas in Saudi Arabia was SAR 35 in 2023, contributing to 25% YoY revenue growth.
- Saudi Film Days events screened 50 films to 100,000 audiences in GCC countries in 2023.
- 15 new film studios established in Riyadh and Jeddah since 2021, creating 500 direct jobs.
- Local content quota for cinemas set at 30% by 2025, with 18% achieved in 2023.
- Post-production facilities in Saudi handled 80% of local films in 2023, reducing outsourcing costs by 40%.
- Youth under 25 accounted for 60% of cinema-goers in Saudi Arabia in 2023 surveys.
- Government subsidies for film projects totaled SAR 150 million in 2023, funding 60 projects.
- Saudi Arabia hosted 5 international film co-productions in 2023 with UAE and Egypt.
- Digital streaming of Saudi films reached 20 million views on Shahid platform in 2023.
- Film festival submissions from Saudi filmmakers rose 200% from 2019 to 2023.
- 300 film professionals certified via SDFC academies in 2023 alone.
Film and Cinema Interpretation
Saudi Arabia's film industry has enthusiastically sprinted from the starting blocks, with more screens, more seats, and more homegrown stories funded, filmed, and filled by a new generation of talent—all suggesting that this is far more than a flash in the pan.
Gaming Animation and Digital
- Saudi gaming market revenue reached SAR 8.4 billion in 2023, growing 12% YoY.
- 22 million gamers in Saudi Arabia in 2023, 67% of population.
- SGA organized 50 esports tournaments with SAR 100 million prize pools in 2023.
- Mobile gaming apps downloads hit 500 million in KSA App Store 2023.
- Saudi-developed games: 150 launched on Steam, 20 million downloads.
- Animation studios: 40 operational, producing 200 hours content yearly by 2023.
- PIF invested SAR 2 billion in gaming firms like Savvy Games Group in 2023.
- Esports viewership: 1.2 billion hours watched on Twitch Saudi 2023.
- Gaming cafes: 1,500 across KSA, hosting 5 million visits annually.
- Female gamers: 48% of total, up 10% from 2022 in surveys.
- VR/AR content creators: 2,000 registered, projects valued SAR 500M.
- Riyadh Esports World Cup 2023 had 1 million attendees, SAR 60M prizes.
- Digital content creators on YouTube: 50,000 Saudis with 10B views 2023.
- Metaverse events hosted: 20, with 500,000 virtual participants in 2023.
- Game development bootcamps graduated 5,000 students since 2021.
- NFT gaming transactions: SAR 200 million on Saudi platforms 2023.
- Short-form video platforms like TikTok: 15 billion views of Saudi gaming content.
- Cloud gaming subscribers: 3 million, 25% market penetration 2023.
- Animation exports to Netflix: 10 series, 50 million global streams.
- Gaming jobs created: 20,000 since 2020, projected 40,000 by 2030.
Gaming Animation and Digital Interpretation
Saudi Arabia isn't just playing games; it’s building a formidable, multi-billion-riyal digital empire where nearly everyone is a participant, investor, or creator.
Music and Performing Arts
- In 2023, music streaming platforms in Saudi Arabia recorded 5.2 billion streams, with local artists contributing 25%.
- Saudi Music Commission licensed 1,200 concerts and events in 2023, up 50% from 2022.
- Number of Saudi musicians signed to labels reached 450 in 2023, with 30% female artists.
- Live music revenue generated SAR 1.2 billion in Saudi Arabia in 2023.
- Riyadh Season 2023 featured 200 music performances, attracting 15 million visitors.
- Over 500 music studios operational in Saudi cities by 2023, 40% in Jeddah.
- Saudi songs topped Anghami charts 120 times in 2023, leading MENA region.
- Music education programs trained 10,000 students since 2020 via SMC initiatives.
- Festival attendance for music events hit 2.5 million in 2023 across 50 festivals.
- Vinyl and merchandise sales for Saudi artists grew 300% to SAR 50 million in 2023.
- 25% of Spotify's top streamed tracks in KSA were local in 2023.
- Investment in music infrastructure reached SAR 800 million by PIF in 2023.
- SoundCloud uploads from Saudi users exceeded 1 million tracks in 2023.
- Performing arts venues increased to 120 nationwide by 2023, with 80% refurbished.
- Saudi female singers' streams rose 150% YoY to 1 billion in 2023.
- Music tech startups funded: 35 in Saudi Arabia in 2023, raising SAR 200 million.
- Concert ticket sales online hit SAR 400 million via platforms like Webook in 2023.
- Traditional music preservation projects digitized 5,000 recordings in 2023.
- Music exports to GCC generated SAR 100 million in royalties 2023.
Music and Performing Arts Interpretation
Saudi Arabia's creative engine is roaring to life, with every statistic from booming streams and sold-out concerts to surging female artists and massive infrastructure investments revealing a nation not just tuning in to music, but dynamically composing its own cultural future at a deafening volume.
Visual Arts and Galleries
- In 2023, Saudi visual arts market sales reached SAR 250 million, with 60 galleries operational.
- Edge of Arabia gallery sales grew 40% to SAR 50 million in 2023 auctions.
- 1,500 Saudi artists exhibited internationally in 2023, up from 500 in 2020.
- Diriyah Biennale 2023 featured 200 artists, attracting 500,000 visitors.
- Art residency programs hosted 300 international artists in Saudi in 2023.
- Saudi contemporary art prices averaged SAR 1.2 million per piece at Sotheby's 2023.
- 50 new art galleries opened in Riyadh and Jeddah since 2021.
- Public art installations numbered 1,000 across KSA cities by 2023.
- Female Saudi artists represented 45% of gallery shows in 2023.
- Art education enrolled 20,000 students in universities and academies 2023.
- NFT art sales by Saudi creators hit SAR 30 million on platforms like OpenSea 2023.
- AlUla Arts Festival 2023 showcased 100 sculptures, viewed by 1 million tourists.
- Grants for visual artists: SAR 100 million distributed to 2,000 recipients in 2023.
- Museum visits to modern art venues reached 2 million in 2023.
- Street art murals painted 500 in urban renewal projects by 2023.
- Saudi Pavilion at Venice Biennale 2023 won 3 awards for installations.
- Art market growth projected at 15% CAGR to 2027 from SAR 250M base in 2023.
- 15,000 artworks acquired by Saudi museums since 2020.
Visual Arts and Galleries Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s art scene, having swiftly graduated from a quiet student to a boisterous curator, is now holding a record-breaking exhibition where the paint is barely dry but the checks are already cashed.
Sources & References
- Reference 1MOCmoc.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 2STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 3REDSEAFILMFESTredseafilmfest.comVisit source
- Reference 4ARABNEWSarabnews.comVisit source
- Reference 5SDFCsdfc.org.saVisit source
- Reference 6VARIETYvariety.comVisit source
- Reference 7PWCpwc.comVisit source
- Reference 8PIFpif.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 9SCREENARABIAscreenarabia.comVisit source
- Reference 10SHAHIDshahid.netVisit source
- Reference 11IFPIifpi.orgVisit source
- Reference 12RIYADHSEASONriyadhseason.saVisit source
- Reference 13ANGHAMIanghami.comVisit source
- Reference 14MUSICCOMMISSIONmusiccommission.saVisit source
- Reference 15BILLBOARDbillboard.comVisit source
- Reference 16NEWSROOMnewsroom.spotify.comVisit source
- Reference 17SOUNDCLOUDsoundcloud.comVisit source
- Reference 18MISKmisk.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 19WEBOOKwebook.saVisit source
- Reference 20ARTSYartsy.netVisit source
- Reference 21EDGEOFARABIAedgeofarabia.comVisit source
- Reference 22DIRIYAHBIENNALEdiriyahbiennale.saVisit source
- Reference 23ATHRARTathrart.comVisit source
- Reference 24SOTHEBYSsothebys.comVisit source
- Reference 25OCULAocula.comVisit source
- Reference 26COINDESKcoindesk.comVisit source
- Reference 27EXPERIENCEALULAexperiencealula.comVisit source
- Reference 28MISKmisk.artVisit source
- Reference 29THMthm.org.saVisit source
- Reference 30KAUSTkaust.edu.saVisit source
- Reference 31LABlab.artVisit source
- Reference 32RIYADHFASHIONWEEKriyadhfashionweek.saVisit source
- Reference 33SAUDIMADEsaudimade.saVisit source
- Reference 34IABEUROPEiabeurope.euVisit source
- Reference 35BAINbain.comVisit source
- Reference 36SAIPsaip.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 37MONSHAATmonshaat.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 38MISKmisk.org.saVisit source
- Reference 39ETAeta.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 40GOLDgold.orgVisit source
- Reference 41WARCwarc.comVisit source
- Reference 42NEWZOOnewzoo.comVisit source
- Reference 43SGAsga.gov.saVisit source
- Reference 44SENSORTOWERsensortower.comVisit source
- Reference 45STOREstore.steampowered.comVisit source
- Reference 46ESPORTSOBSERVEResportsobserver.comVisit source
- Reference 47ESPORTSWORLDCUPesportsworldcup.saVisit source
- Reference 48SOCIALBLADEsocialblade.comVisit source
- Reference 49THEMETAVERSEthemetaverse.saVisit source
- Reference 50TIKTOKtiktok.comVisit source
- Reference 51ABOUTabout.netflix.comVisit source