The Kingdom’s National Day anniversary comes this year at a time when the comprehensive development renaissance, the foundations of which were laid by the Founder King, is continuing apace. Building on the intellectual, institutional and management foundations laid by the Founder King, and guided by his ideas and practices in development planning and economic management, his sons and successors have continued the efforts that have resulted in remarkable achievements and successes

   Adoption of the first UN report on human development in 1990 triggered a series of international summits and conferences on various human development issues. Goals were set and partners in development, both domestic international, were urged to work cooperatively to achieve them. The process culminated with the adoption of "The Millennium Declaration" at the millennium summit held by the United Nations (UN) in September 2000 to address issues of peace, security and development. The Declaration was signed by all 189 members of the UN, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

   Interest in Saudi Arabia’s economic development has been increasing at the local, regional and international levels. In response to this growing interest, and in order to increase general awareness of these developments, the Ministry of Economy and Planning continues to publish vital economic information and statistical data.


The aim of this publication (“Saudi Economy in Figures: 2009”) is not only to highlight the main features of Saudi economic development, but also to respond to users’ increasing need for the latest information and statistics. This booklet provides summary statistics on the population census; GDP estimates and growth rates; main indicators of public finance, banking, stock market, money supply; prices; foreign trade and balance of payments. It also provides basic information on crude oil production and reserves, water, electricity, roads, industry, and general information about developments in human resource development, health, education and training.This booklet complements Ministry publications, especially development plan documents which provide detailed information on the Kingdom’s economy and its development strategy.

   The Eighth Development Plan marks a fresh chapter in the development process of the Kingdom, whose experience profiles a vivid record of achievements since it was founded and unified by the late King Abdul Aziz, who laid the groundwork for the Kingdom's development, and later by his great sons who followed in his footsteps. As a result, the Kingdom has come to experience wide-ranging and impressive advances in economic, industrial and development fields, coupled with rising ambitions to achieve much more advancement and progress, along with continued improvement of the living standards and quality of life of Saudi citizens in all regions of the Kingdom.

   A major landmark on the socioeconomic development path of the Kingdom, the Eighth Development Plan is the first five-year plan prepared in the context of a long-term development strategy with definite targets and objectives; a strategy designed to provide a framework for four successive five-year plans until 2024, aimed at achieving a comprehensive

   Only available in Arabic

   The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia means different things to different people. For millions of followers of Islam across the world it is the ultimate Holy Land and pilgrimage destination. For a large number of expatriates from Asia, Europe and the United States, it is a land of opportunities. For the rest of the world, Saudi Arabia means oil the lifeline of present and future economies. Saudi Arabia has so far lived up to all these definitions, and is now entering a new phase of its development.

    Allow us to tell you a little bit about ourselves. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a planning tradition that spans over 30 years. The formal planning process, which started in 1970 (1390 Hijra), enabled the Saudi Government to make prudent decisions in the allocation and utilization of its resources for development. During the last three decades, the Kingdom underwent tremendous transformation under the six development plans, which saw the rapid growth of income and living standards of the people, accompanied by dramatic improvements in social and physical infrastructure.

    On 28/08/2000 the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia approved a National Spatial Strategy. This strategy outlines the future desired settlement pattern and spatial distribution of population and supporting services and economic activities to promote balanced development on the national space. The strategy was formulated in house by MOMRA and with technical assistance from the United Nations. The need for such strategy was heightened by the apparent widening of the disparity gap in levels of development between growing and lagging regions and polarization of urban population in few large cities due to fast national development and accelerated urban transition during the 1970 2000 period. The government sought that unless past trends in polarization of urban population and interregional disparities are rectified, national urban development can not be sustained

   Over the last two decades, several international summits and conferences were convened, with the aim of formulating a common development vision that would respond to existing needs and rise to new challenges; all within a framework of partnership at both national and international levels. A large number of topics were addressed, including: population, social development, women and gender equality, human settlements, children, the elderly, education, human rights, information technology, and sustainable developments; and substantial momentum has gathered.