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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment issued 2,056 new investment licenses to foreign companies in the fourth quarter of 2021, a rise of 358% from 449 licenses a year earlier.
The number of foreign investment licenses in Saudi Arabia increased by 38% year-on-year (YoY) to 478 in Q1 2021, by 264% YoY to 575 in Q2 2021 and 333% YoY to 1,330 in Q3 2021.
Accordingly, the total number of new foreign investment licenses reached 4,439 in 2021, up 251% compared with a year earlier, due to economic recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
The following table illustrates the number of foreign investment licenses issued since early 2016:
Foreign Investment Licenses in Saudi Arabia |
||
Period |
No. |
YoY Variation |
Q1 2016 |
72 |
-- |
Q2 2016 |
54 |
-- |
Q3 2016 |
44 |
-- |
Q4 2016 |
86 |
-- |
Q1 2017 |
66 |
(8%) |
Q2 2017 |
85 |
+57% |
Q3 2017 |
84 |
+91% |
Q4 2017 |
142 |
+65% |
Q1 2018 |
157 |
+138% |
Q2 2018 |
146 |
+72% |
Q3 2018 |
197 |
+135% |
Q4 2018 |
238 |
+68% |
Q1 2019 |
292 |
+86% |
Q2 2019 |
294 |
+101% |
Q3 2019 |
254 |
+29% |
Q4 2019 |
291 |
+22% |
Q1 2020 |
352 |
+21% |
Q2 2020 |
158 |
(46%) |
Q3 2020 |
307 |
+21% |
Q4 2020 |
449 |
+54% |
Q1 2021 |
478 |
+38% |
Q2 2021 |
575 |
+264% |
Q3 2021 |
1330 |
+333% |
Q4 2021 |
2056 |
+358% |
The highest number of foreign investment licenses in the fourth quarter of the year was granted in the retail & e-commerce sector, accounting for more than 44% of the total number of licenses. It was followed by industrial & manufacturing with 16%.
New Foreign Investment Projects by Sector in Q4 2021 |
|
Sector |
No. |
Retail & E-Commerce |
907 |
Industrial & Manufacturing |
330 |
Building & Construction |
297 |
Foods |
155 |
Academic & Professional Activities |
79 |
ICT |
77 |
Transport & Logistics |
39 |
Administrative & Support Services |
39 |
Education |
16 |
Health and Social Work |
13 |
Water Supplies |
13 |
Mining & Minerals |
11 |
Finance & Insurance Services |
10 |
Real Estate Activities |
10 |
Arts, Entertainment & Recreation |
5 |
Electricity & Power |
6 |
Agriculture, Forests & Fishing |
6 |
Other |
43 |
Total |
907 |
Yemen topped in terms of new foreign investment projects in the Kingdom with 663 projects. India came second with 198 projects, followed by Syria (162) and Egypt (157).
Investment Licenses for Top 10 Countries in Q4 2021 |
|
Sector |
Number of Licenses |
Yemen |
663 |
India |
198 |
Syria |
162 |
Egypt |
157 |
Pakistan |
101 |
Jordan |
75 |
Lebanon |
41 |
US |
31 |
UK |
30 |
Total |
1458 |
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