Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s spending on research and development recorded an increase of 30.4 percent reaching SR29.48 billion during the year 2024 compared with the year 2023. This was revealed in the results of the Research and Development Statistics for 2024, released on Thursday by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The business sector ranked first, accounting for 40.3 percent of total spending with SR11.87 billion, followed by the government sector at 40.2 percent with SR11.86 billion, and the higher education sector at 19.5 percent with SR5.75 billion. The number of employees working in research and development rose by 14.7 percent, reaching 56,593.

The authority reported that research and development funding from the government sector reached SR15.69 billion, representing 53.2 percent of total funding. Funding from the business sector amounted to SR12.1 billion (41.1 percent), while funding from the higher education sector constituted 5.7 percent of total R&D funding, amounting to SR1.69 billion.

The report stated that the number of people employed in research and development reached 56,600, representing an annual growth rate of 14.7 percent. Additionally, the number of researchers increased by 12.8 percent compared to 2023, bringing the total number of researchers to over 41,000.

The higher education sector employed over 40,000 people, representing 71.3 percent of the total workforce. This was followed by the business sector with over 12,000 employees, constituting 22 percent of the total workforce, and then the government sector with approximately 4,000 employees or 6.7 percent.

Researchers in the higher education sector comprised 83.4 percent of the total number of researchers, reaching over 34,000. Of these, 72.6 percent were male and 27.4 percent were female. The business sector followed with 11.6 percent, employing 4,800 researchers (73.1 percent male and 26.9 percent female), and the government sector accounted for five percent, employing over 2,000 researchers (59 percent male and 41 percent female).

GASTAT noted that the Research and Development Statistics are issued annually and represent one of the key statistical indicators providing economic insights into the volume of spending, number of workers, and researchers in the field. The data serve as a reliable reference to support national policies and promote innovation and competitiveness across the Kingdom.