The Business Year Saudi Arabia 2021

This publication is the result of months of on-the-ground research at a time of unprecedented upheaval. Not only was Saudi Arabia already in the midst of an economic revolution aimed at diversifying away from oil and gas, but COVID-19 also upended the very way business is conducted, putting to the test many of the digitalization initiatives carried out in recent years. The pandemic thus served as a validation of many of Saudi Arabia's internal reforms. It also created massive opportunities for some of the nation's up-and-coming businesses. In this 246-page publication, we show how technology completely changed the Kingdom during the pandemic. Things will never be the same. It covers finance, payments and fintech, IT and digitalization, industry, water and energy, aviation and defense, transport and logistics, construction and real estate, agriculture, health, education, and tourism.

We conducted more than 200 face-to-face interviews with Saudi Arabia’s business leaders and government representatives in preparation for this special 10th anniversary edition of The Business Year in Saudi Arabia. In partnership with the Federation of Saudi Chambers, we have compiled a comprehensive analysis of the burgeoning trends defining the economy of Saudi Arabia, with a strong focus on Vision 2030, the Gulf nation’s transformative blueprint for economic diversification. This over 300-page publication features interviews from every major sector of the economy, as well as a range of articles and analysis.

The Business Year conducted more than 200 face-to-face interviews with leading investors, business leaders, and government representatives from all key sectors driving the country’s economic growth for this 336-page publication. In partnership with the Federation of the Saudi Chambers, we have created a comprehensive analysis of the trends defining the economy of the Kingdom, focusing on its resilience and the efforts of the government to build a new image and position the country as a leading player both at a regional and international level.

For the Saudi Arabia 2020 publication, our sixth annual edition on the Kingdom's economy, we placed heavy emphasis on technology and innovation as a catalyst for change, as well as the developments in the digital economy. Across numerous industries, technology is playing an increasingly greater role—as a global trend but no less true for Saudi Arabia, which has in recent years committed large-scale investment into digital transformation. The Business Year's country-specific publications, sometimes featuring over 150 face-to-face interviews, are among the most comprehensive annual economic publications available internationally. This 280-page publication covers finance, green economy, energy, water, industry, defense, transport, aviation, digital economy, real estate, construction, food, agriculture, health, education, entertainment, culture, and sports.

Angola’s economy stood at the crossroads of transformation throughout 2023, with officials confronting the challenges that have swept the globe of late, including inflationary pressure, while attempting to draw up plans for more sustainable development. The country’s fortunes remain tightly intwined with those of the oil and gas sector, which continues to represent a sizeable portion of GDP. This renders the country susceptible to the undulations of global oil prices, something that will need to change longer term. It is against this backdrop that we teamed up with AIPEX and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Angola (CCIA) to produce this 170-page publication featuring interviews with business leaders from every major sector of the economy, as well as a range of articles and analysis.

The Business Year has charted the course of the Omani economy for a decade, and this year we focused on the Sultanate’s diversification plan and its sustainability agenda. While the country is less hydrocarbons rich than its GCC neighbors, infrastructure and renewable energy development, as well as green hydrogen, could be driving forces for growth in the years to come. Both the public and private sectors closely follow the tenets of Vision 2040, a wide-ranging blueprint for growth the kind of which has become ubiquitous across the region. The Business Year: Oman 2023 features interviews, articles, and analysis over 185 pages.

Seventeen in a series of annual reports comparing business regulation in 190 economies, Doing Business 2020 measures aspects of regulation affecting 10 areas of everyday business activity.

This 56-page special report, one of a series examining the resilience of GCC economies in the face of COVID-19 and produced in partnership with Parsons, casts an eye across key sectors of the economy during this period, including transformative technologies, resources, logistics, education, and investment, drawing on the words of the businesspeople we have spoken with in recent months. It aims to paint a picture of the resilience of Saudi Arabia at this crucial time, as well as one of the country's potential fortunes in the post-COVID-19 environment.

Saudi Arabia has in recent years committed large-scale investments in digitalizing its economy. In this special report, we delve deeper into these developments through the eyes of the business and political leaders who are leading the charge. This special report comes in a new series of online publications, focusing on a certain aspect or industry in one of our 35 global markets. Our reports are consumed by investors, analysts, and decision makers around the world. This 74-page report covers digital governance, financial technology, telecoms and cybersecurity, logistics, industry, and education.

The Business Year's latest report on the Saudi economy, Special Report: Digital Kingdom—How COVID-19 Changed the Conversation in Saudi Arabia, examines how COVID-19 accelerated digitalization efforts across the public and private sectors and better helped the kingdom see beyond oil and gas. This 112-page special report contains interviews with top business leaders from across the economy, as well as a range of news and analysis.