Gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Gross capital formation was 31.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia, 1968–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia stood at 31.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia peaked at 36.3% in 1978 and was at its lowest, -13.4%, in 1973.
That places Saudi Arabia 27th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 27.6% | — |
| 1969 | 24.5% | -11.5% |
| 1970 | 22.4% | -8.4% |
| 1971 | 24.0% | +7.0% |
| 1972 | 20.2% | -15.9% |
| 1973 | -13.4% | -166.5% |
| 1974 | 30.9% | -330.7% |
| 1975 | 17.4% | -43.8% |
| 1976 | 30.8% | +76.8% |
| 1977 | 30.6% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 36.3% | +18.6% |
| 1979 | 26.3% | -27.6% |
| 1980 | 22.9% | -12.8% |
| 1981 | 21.2% | -7.6% |
| 1982 | 25.9% | +22.2% |
| 1983 | 34.4% | +32.9% |
| 1984 | 32.8% | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 21.5% | -34.7% |
| 1986 | 19.5% | -9.3% |
| 1987 | 17.7% | -8.9% |
| 1988 | 19.7% | +11.1% |
| 1989 | 19.4% | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 15.7% | -19.3% |
| 1991 | 20.0% | +27.4% |
| 1992 | 23.0% | +14.9% |
| 1993 | 25.1% | +9.1% |
| 1994 | 20.4% | -18.8% |
| 1995 | 20.3% | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 18.6% | -8.5% |
| 1997 | 18.8% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 22.9% | +22.2% |
| 1999 | 21.5% | -6.3% |
| 2000 | 19.3% | -10.2% |
| 2001 | 19.6% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 19.7% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 19.5% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 19.9% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 20.2% | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 22.2% | +10.1% |
| 2007 | 26.5% | +19.2% |
| 2008 | 27.3% | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 31.7% | +16.2% |
| 2010 | 30.9% | -2.5% |
| 2011 | 26.8% | -13.5% |
| 2012 | 26.5% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 26.3% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 28.5% | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 32.4% | +13.7% |
| 2016 | 28.1% | -13.3% |
| 2017 | 25.5% | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 22.4% | -12.2% |
| 2019 | 25.6% | +14.2% |
| 2020 | 23.3% | -8.8% |
| 2021 | 26.3% | +13.0% |
| 2022 | 26.5% | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | +12.2% |
| 2024 | 31.7% | +6.4% |
| 2025 | 31.6% | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 26.0% | 24.5% | 27.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 22.5% | -13.4% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 23.5% | 17.7% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 20.6% | 15.7% | 25.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.6% | 19.3% | 31.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.3% | 22.4% | 32.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 28.2% | 23.3% | 31.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More economy & growth data for Saudi Arabia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), annual growth rate 3.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per unit of GDP 1.12 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU), per capita 38,523 current LCU per person (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 8.9 % change on previous year (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2104 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$), per capita 7,266 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), annual growth rate 0.1026 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross fixed capital formation (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3011 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia?
- Gross capital formation in Saudi Arabia was 31.6% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest gross capital formation recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 36.3% in 1978.
- What is the lowest gross capital formation recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was -13.4% in 1973.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for gross capital formation?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 27th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is gross capital formation rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of Gross capital formation (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Gross capital formation includes acquisitions less disposals of produced assets for purposes of fixed capital formation, inventories or valuables. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.