Foreign direct investments in Saudi Arabia reached 1.05 trillion riyals ($280 billion) by the end of the third quarter of 2025 in what was a 10 per cent annual increase, official data showed, reports the Arab News.
Figures released by the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, revealed that total foreign investments in the kingdom increased by 17pc year on year to reach 3.2trn riyals.
FDI occurs when a foreign entity invests in a business in another country, gaining a long-term interest and significant influence over its management and operations.
The increase reflects the kingdom’s broader efforts to attract long-term foreign capital under its Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to diversify the economy beyond oil revenues. Under the programme, Saudi Arabia is targeting $100bn in annual FDI by 2030.
SAMA data added that portfolio investments by foreign firms in the kingdom, which include equity, investment funds, and debt bonds, amounted to 1.31trn riyals by the end of the third quarter of 2025, marking an increase of 24pc compared to the same quarter in the previous year.
The release also showed that other foreign investments, which include loans, currency, and deposits, as well as other accounts, stood at 843.56bn riyals in the third quarter of 2025, up 17pc year on year.
The figures indicated that Saudi Arabia’s total assets stood at 5.99trn riyals during the same period, reflecting a 5pc rise compared to the third quarter of 2024.
Direct investment abroad reached 953.66bn riyals in the third quarter of 2025, up 16pc annually.
During the same quarter, the kingdom’s portfolio investments, which include equity and fund investments as well as debt securities, totalled 1.94trn riyals, up around 4pc compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
Other asset-side investments, including trade credit, loans, currency and deposits, and various other accounts, increased by 8.9pc year-on-year, reaching 1.41trn riyals in the third quarter.
Reserve assets, including monetary gold, Special Drawing Rights, the reserve position in the Fund, and other reserve assets, reached 1.68trn riyals in the same quarter, reflecting a 1.4pc decline compared to the previous year.
In December, a report by the General Authority for Statistics revealed that Saudi Arabia’s foreign direct investment net inflows reached 24.9bn riyals in the third quarter of 2025, marking a 34.5pc increase from the same period in 2024.
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