Saudi Arabia's net foreign direct investment falls 7% in Q1

The Saudi General Authority for Statistics reported on Sunday that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows reached SAR 22.2 billion (USD 5.9 billion) in Q1 2025, while the unemployment rate declined to 7.8%.

The data indicated a 44 percent increase in FDI inflows compared to the same period last year, when it amounted to SAR 15.5 billion (USD 4.1 billion), despite a 7% decline compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, which recorded SAR 23.9 billion (USD 6.4 billion).

FDI inflows into the Kingdom totaled SAR 24.0 billion (USD 6.4 billion) in Q1 2025, reflecting a 24% year-on-year increase but a 6% drop compared to Q4 2024.

In the labour market, the data showed a decline in the overall unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 and older to 7.8% in Q1 2025, compared to 8.5% in Q4 2024, 3.7% males, and 18.4% females.

The Authority reported Saudi unemployment falling to 7.6%, down from 8.4%, with male unemployment sliding from 5.1% to 4.7% and female easing from 14.3% to 13%.

The labour force participation rate for Saudis stood at 47.6%, with 66.6% for males and 35.4% for females, while the employment-to-population ratio was 92.4%.

The data showed that the majority of Saudi job seekers are in the 20-29 age group, with the highest numbers in Riyadh, Makkah, the Eastern Province, Aseer, and Qassim.

WAM