Islamabad, May 19, 2025: Saudi Arabia has establish itself as the leadinf digital economy in Middle East and North Africa, with its market now valued at SR495 billion ($131.9 billion) in 2024. This is equivalent to 15 percent of the country total gross domestic product.
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology on the day of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day.
This milestone is another step as Saudi Arabia continues to grow its influence as a regional and global digital hub, supported by progress in artificial intelligence, data centers, e-government, and human capital development.
Saudi Arabia has invested more than SR55 billions in artificial intelligence and data center development, leading to a 42 percent boost in national data center capacity in 2024, now reaching 290.5 megawatts.
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The Kingdom’s most standout initiative is the launch of Humain, a state-backed AI company, which reflects country long-term vision. Humain is working to build AI technologies and infrastructure, including large data centers and Arabic-language AI models, with a purpose of positioning Saudi Arabia as a global AI hub.
The Kingdom has also pursued partnerships with leading global tech giants. One of the major collaboration is Nvidia, which set to supply 18,000 of its advanced AI chips to Saudi Arabia under its partnership with Humain.
Fiber-optic internet now reaches to over 3.9 million homes, and the country boost an internet penetration of 99 percent.
These infrastructure improvements support advanced digital services, cloud-based platforms, and intelligent technologies.
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Moreover, Saudi Arabia hosts the largest concentration of digital talent in the region, with over 381,000 individuals employed in the technology industry.
Women’s participation in the sector has also grown from 7 percent in 2018 to 35 percent in 2024, the highest in the region and exceeding both seen in the G20 and the European Union.
In the area of digital governance, the Kingdom has earned a top global ranking. It ranked fourth globally in the UN’s Online Services Index, sixth in the E-Government Development Index, and second among G20 nations.
However, on regional level, it holds the number one position in digital government services. Additionally, it ranks first place worldwide in digital skills and open digital government, and seventh in e-participation.
