Saudi Arabia's industrial sector employed 1.2 million people last year, a 7.5% annual increase. The latest statistics detail a simultaneous surge in investment and a strategic shift in workforce composition.
Key Takeaways
- Industrial employment totaled 1.2 million jobs in 2023, up 7.5% YoY
- Foreign direct investment in industry reached SAR 120 billion by end-2023, up 15% YoY
- National Industrial Strategy launched 50 initiatives in 2023
- In 2023, the Saudi industrial production index rose by 3.8% year-on-year, with the mining sector contributing 1.2 percentage points to the growth
- Industrial non-oil exports reached SAR 300 billion in 2023, up 14% YoY
Saudi Arabia’s industry statistics show steady growth driven by rising production and new investment opportunities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Employment28 stats
01
Industrial employment totaled 1.2 million jobs in 2023, up 7.5% YoY
02
Saudization rate in industry reached 28% in 2023
03
Manufacturing sector employed 850,000 workers in 2023, +6.8%
04
Mining employment 150,000 in 2023, up 4.2%
05
Female industrial workforce 120,000 in 2023, +15% YoY
06
Vocational training graduates for industry: 50,000 in 2023
07
SME industrial jobs 400,000 in 2023
08
Expat workers in industry 750,000 in 2023, down 2%
09
Youth employment in industry 250,000 aged 18-30 in 2023
10
Petrochemical sector jobs 200,000 in 2023
11
Construction materials employment 180,000 in 2023
12
Food industry workforce 300,000 in 2023, +5%
13
Metals sector employed 120,000 in 2023
14
Plastics jobs 90,000 in 2023
15
Pharmaceuticals employment 25,000 in 2023, +12%
16
Automotive sector jobs 40,000 in 2023
17
Electronics workforce 30,000 in 2023
18
Textiles jobs 50,000 in 2023
19
Furniture employment 60,000 in 2023
20
Machinery sector 70,000 jobs in 2023
21
Chemicals workforce 110,000 in 2023
22
Fertilizers jobs 20,000 in 2023
23
Glass sector 25,000 employees 2023
24
Rubber employment 15,000 in 2023
25
Leather jobs 10,000 in 2023
26
Jewelry workforce 18,000 2023
27
Average industrial wage SAR 8,500/month in 2023
28
Industrial training programs enrolled 100,000 workers in 2023
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
Saudi industry is sprinting ahead on a path paved with 50,000 fresh graduates and rising female participation, yet it’s carefully remodeling its workforce by gently reducing expat numbers while still relying on their 750,000-strong foundation to keep the gears turning.
02 · Category
Investments30 stats
01
Foreign direct investment in industry reached SAR 120 billion by end-2023, up 15% YoY
02
Total industrial investments amounted to SAR 850 billion in 2023
03
Incentives under National Industrial Strategy disbursed SAR 25 billion in 2023
04
Private sector industrial capital reached SAR 600 billion in 2023, +12%
05
New industrial licenses issued: 2,800 in 2023, up 18%
06
Venture capital in industrial tech: SAR 10 billion in 2023
07
Public-private partnerships in industry valued at SAR 150 billion by 2023
08
Financing for SMEs in industry: SAR 40 billion via Kafalah program in 2023
09
Industrial zone investments totaled SAR 300 billion in 2023
10
Petrochemical sector FDI inflows SAR 50 billion in 2023
11
Mining investments hit SAR 200 billion cumulative by 2023
12
Renewable energy manufacturing investments SAR 30 billion in 2023
13
Automotive industry investments SAR 25 billion since 2020 to 2023
14
Pharmaceutical investments SAR 15 billion in 2023
15
Food processing FDI SAR 20 billion in 2023
16
Plastics and packaging investments SAR 18 billion YoY 2023
17
Metals sector capital expenditure SAR 40 billion in 2023
18
Electronics manufacturing FDI SAR 12 billion 2023
19
Cement industry expansions SAR 10 billion in 2023
20
Textile investments SAR 8 billion, up 10% in 2023
21
Furniture sector FDI SAR 6 billion 2023
22
Machinery investments SAR 22 billion in 2023
23
Chemicals FDI SAR 35 billion 2023
24
Fertilizer plants investments SAR 14 billion 2023
25
Glass manufacturing capital SAR 9 billion 2023
26
Rubber investments SAR 7 billion 2023
27
Leather FDI SAR 4 billion 2023
28
Jewelry investments SAR 5 billion 2023
29
Toys investments SAR 3 billion 2023
30
Printing investments SAR 2.5 billion 2023
Interpretation
Investments Interpretation
Saudi Arabia's industrial sector is open for business with gusto, as evidenced by an SAR 850 billion investment mountain, a flurry of new licenses, and a private sector now joyfully pouring capital into everything from petrochemicals to plastic toys.
03 · Category
Policies24 stats
01
National Industrial Strategy launched 50 initiatives in 2023
02
Industrial cities development program expanded to 35 cities by 2023
03
Local content requirement set at 40% for industrial goods by 2023
04
Green industry incentives provided to 500 firms in 2023
05
SME industrial support program aided 10,000 enterprises in 2023
06
Digital transformation grants SAR 5 billion for industry in 2023
07
Export development program boosted non-oil exports by 12% in 2023
08
Mining licensing reforms approved 200 new licenses in 2023
09
Automotive assembly policy mandated 40% local content by 2023
10
Pharmaceutical localization strategy achieved 35% local production 2023
11
Food security industrial plan invested SAR 20 billion by 2023
12
Plastics recycling initiative recycled 300,000 tons in 2023
13
Metals downstream policy added 15 new projects in 2023
14
Electronics manufacturing incentives attracted 20 firms 2023
15
Cement capacity optimization policy saved SAR 2 billion 2023
16
Textile revitalization program trained 20,000 workers 2023
17
Furniture export promotion aided 500 SMEs in 2023
18
Machinery localization reached 25% in 2023
19
Chemicals safety regulations complied by 98% firms 2023
20
Fertilizer export quotas set for 5 million tons in 2023
21
Glass industry energy efficiency improved 15% by policy 2023
22
Rubber downstream processing policy launched 10 plants 2023
23
Leather value chain development funded SAR 1 billion 2023
24
Jewelry hallmarks issued to 2,000 products 2023
Interpretation
Policies Interpretation
Saudi Arabia isn't just building factories anymore; it's meticulously constructing a whole new industrial ecosystem, seeding everything from sand and steel to software and smarts with a level of focus that suggests they've read the chapter on not putting all their eggs in one oil basket.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production and Output30 stats
01
In 2023, the Saudi industrial production index rose by 3.8% year-on-year, with the mining sector contributing 1.2 percentage points to the growth
02
The manufacturing sector's output value reached SAR 450 billion in 2023, marking a 5.1% increase from 2022, primarily from chemicals and petrochemicals
03
Non-oil industrial production grew by 4.7% in Q4 2023, with food products up 6.2% and plastics up 5.8%
04
The cement production capacity in Saudi Arabia stood at 85 million tons annually as of 2023, with utilization rate at 72%
05
Steel production totaled 9.2 million metric tons in 2023, a 2.8% increase driven by Hadeed's expansions
06
Petrochemical production volume hit 28.5 million tons in 2023, up 4.3% from previous year
07
Plastic products manufacturing output value was SAR 120 billion in 2023, growing 7.1%
08
Pharmaceutical manufacturing production reached SAR 25 billion in 2023, with local content at 45%
09
Food and beverage sector produced 15.4 million tons in 2023, up 3.9% YoY
10
Metal products output increased by 5.5% to SAR 180 billion in 2023
11
Rubber products production volume was 1.2 million tons in 2023, +6.4%
12
Electrical equipment manufacturing output hit SAR 40 billion, up 8.2% in 2023
13
Textile production value reached SAR 15 billion in 2023, with 12% growth
14
Paper and wood products output grew 4.1% to SAR 22 billion in 2023
15
Machinery manufacturing production was SAR 60 billion, +7.3% YoY in 2023
16
Fertilizer production totaled 6.8 million tons in 2023, up 5.6%
17
Aluminum production reached 2.1 million tons, with 3.2% growth in 2023
18
Glass products output value SAR 18 billion, +4.9% in 2023
19
Automotive parts production hit 250,000 units in 2023, up 10%
20
Electronics manufacturing output SAR 12 billion, +9.5% YoY 2023
21
Leather products production value SAR 8 billion, +3.7% in 2023
22
Furniture manufacturing output SAR 30 billion, up 6.8% 2023
23
Jewelry production value SAR 25 billion, +5.2% in 2023
24
Toys and sports equipment output SAR 5 billion, +11% YoY 2023
25
Printing and publishing production SAR 10 billion, +4.5% 2023
26
Other manufacturing output grew 3.9% to SAR 50 billion in 2023
27
Industrial production index for mining was 102.4 in 2023 (base 2021=100)
28
Quarrying output value SAR 35 billion, up 2.8% in 2023
29
Overall industrial capacity utilization rate averaged 78% in 2023
30
Total industrial establishments numbered 12,500 in 2023, +4.2% from 2022
Interpretation
Production and Output Interpretation
While Saudi Arabia’s economy is often seen through an oil lens, these numbers show it's also busy baking more bread, bottling more chemicals, and building everything from steel to sneakers, proving its industrial ambitions are firmly cemented and currently running at a respectable 78% throttle.
05 · Category
Trade24 stats
01
Industrial non-oil exports reached SAR 300 billion in 2023, up 14% YoY
02
Petrochemical exports volume 25 million tons in 2023
03
Plastics exports value SAR 80 billion in 2023, +16%
04
Chemical products exports SAR 120 billion 2023
05
Metals exports 7.5 million tons valued SAR 90 billion 2023
06
Cement exports 12 million tons in 2023
07
Food products exports SAR 40 billion, up 10% 2023
08
Pharmaceuticals exports SAR 5 billion in 2023, +20%
09
Automotive parts exports SAR 10 billion 2023
10
Electronics exports SAR 8 billion, +25% YoY 2023
11
Textiles exports SAR 15 billion in 2023
12
Furniture exports SAR 12 billion 2023
13
Machinery exports SAR 20 billion in 2023
14
Fertilizers exports 5.2 million tons SAR 18 billion 2023
15
Aluminum exports 1.8 million tons SAR 25 billion 2023
16
Glass products exports SAR 6 billion 2023
17
Rubber products exports SAR 4 billion 2023
18
Leather goods exports SAR 3 billion 2023
19
Jewelry exports SAR 7 billion in 2023
20
Top export destination: UAE with SAR 50 billion industrial goods 2023
21
EU imports of Saudi industrial goods SAR 30 billion 2023
22
Imports of industrial machinery SAR 150 billion in 2023
23
Trade balance for non-oil industry surplus SAR 180 billion 2023
24
Number of industrial exporters 4,200 in 2023, up 8%
Interpretation
Trade Interpretation
Saudi Arabia is strategically assembling a formidable industrial portfolio, proving it’s far more than a petrochemical powerhouse as its factories now profitably export everything from car parts and pharmaceuticals to jewelry and furniture, all while running a massive trade surplus and steadily growing its army of exporters.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Kevin O'Brien. (2026, February 13). Saudi Ministry Of Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-ministry-of-industry-statistics
MLA
Kevin O'Brien. "Saudi Ministry Of Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/saudi-ministry-of-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Kevin O'Brien. 2026. "Saudi Ministry Of Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-ministry-of-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level