Saudi Arabia issued more than 80,000 new commercial registrations in the second quarter of 2025, bringing the total number of active business licenses across the Kingdom to over 1.7 million, the Ministry of Commerce said in its quarterly bulletin on Sunday.
Riyadh led all regions with 28,100 new licenses, followed by Makkah with 14,400 and the Eastern Province with 12,900.
The bulletin highlighted rapid growth in emerging sectors aligned with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 economic diversification agenda, including artificial intelligence technologies, blockchain, big data and data analytics, alongside expansions in financial services, insurance, and entertainment and gaming industries.
The ministry said the surge reflects growing investor interest in innovative and future-focused industries.
Saudi Arabia reported strong growth in commercial registrations across emerging sectors in the second quarter of 2025, as part of broader efforts to diversify its economy under Vision 2030, the Ministry of Commerce affirmed in its latest quarterly bulletin.
The report detailed the geographic distribution of newly issued and existing business licenses, with a focus on high-potential sectors and the rise of e-commerce and business-related events across the kingdom.
Artificial intelligence saw a 34% year-on-year increase in active licenses, reaching 14,400 by the end of Q2, up from 10,700 a year earlier. The big data and data analytics sector expanded even faster, growing 48% to 5,894 licenses from 3,962 in Q2 2024.
Licenses in financial and insurance activities rose by 15% to 13,300, compared to 11,600 at the end of the same period last year.
E-commerce continued to gain momentum, with 39,400 active commercial registrations by the end of June 2025. The sector is a strategic pillar of the National Transformation Program and Vision 2030, as the Kingdom ranks among the world’s top 10 fastest-growing e-commerce markets.
In the industrial sector, pharmaceutical and chemical-based drug manufacturing licenses climbed 24% year-on-year to 1,787, while franchise business registrations jumped 64% to 2,863, from 1,738 in Q2 2024.
Business activity among Gulf and foreign investors also accelerated, with commercial registrations growing 38% to 70,100 by the end of Q2 2025, compared to 50,800 during the same period last year.
