Riyadh: The second half of January was defined by the cementing of Saudi Arabia's economic transformation and its emergence as a global hub for innovation and humanitarian leadership.
According to Saudi Press Agency, the Kingdom moved from planning to execution in its fiscal reforms with the official launch of the National Privatization Strategy. This concludes the foundational phase, with the National Center for Privatization and PPP having already developed over 200 projects worth $213 billion. This structural shift is supported by robust market confidence, evidenced by Fitch affirming Saudi Arabia's A+ rating and the Saudi Electricity Company successfully issuing $2.4 billion in international sukuk with orders exceeding $10 billion. Simultaneously, the innovation economy reached a new peak, with Saudi Arabia leading the region in venture capital for the third consecutive year, attracting a record $1.72 billion in 2025 - a 145% annual increase driven by fintech and gaming.
Saudi Arabia's investment in advanced capabilities yielded global headlines. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre achieved a world-first medical milestone by performing a fully robotic living-donor liver transplant, executing both the donor and recipient surgeries robotically. In the environmental sciences, the National Center for Wildlife published a groundbreaking study in Nature regarding the discovery of naturally mummified cheetahs in Saudi caves dating back 4,800 years, providing a genetic roadmap for reintroduction programs.
The Kingdom continued to expand its global footprint. The aviation sector recorded a historic 140.9 million passengers in 2025, a 9.6% growth that outpaced regional rates, while Saudia strengthened ties with India through a new codeshare agreement with Air India.
The period revealed numbers that reflect a nation leveraging its financial strength to fuel future growth. The new Saudization rate mandated for marketing and sales professions in the private sector is now set at 60%. The Saudi economy reached SAR4.7 trillion in 2024, nearly doubling from SAR2.6 trillion in 2016. Additionally, 14.8 million Umrah performances were recorded during the month of Rajab, while $39 million was pledged by Saudi Arabia to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
Further, the annual growth rate in the number of SFDA-licensed factories and warehouses in 2025 was 18%, and 2.1 million trees were planted by the National Water Company in Madinah to date. The case completion rate achieved by the Board of Grievances in 2025 was 97%, and 41 million electronic transactions were processed by the Absher platform in December 2025 alone. The Prophet's Mosque received 25 million worshippers during the month of Rajab, while 60,000 sacrificial animals (Adahi) were delivered to Egypt and Palestine as part of the Kingdom's support.
In terms of agriculture and environmental initiatives, 2.7 billion liters of raw milk were produced by specialized dairy farms in the Kingdom in 2024, with 95% certified under Saudi GAP. Riyadh also announced the development of two new parks covering a total area of 317,200 square meters. Lastly, the number of seafarers in the Kingdom increased by 24% during 2025, reaching 2,948.