Industrial investments in GCC states reach $426 billion, with nearly 22,000 factories

Data from the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) show that industrial investments total approximately $426 billion, while the number of factories stands at nearly 22,000. The industrial sector employs more than 1.7 million people, according to the latest available statistical data as of July 2026.

Manufacturing contributed approximately 13.0 per cent of the GCC states’ gross domestic product in 2025, underscoring the sector’s importance in supporting the economies of the member states, advancing economic diversification and increasing the contribution of non-oil activities.

Around 40 per cent of industrial investments are concentrated in a group of key industries, including plastics, refined petroleum products, aluminium, gaseous fuels, and iron and steel.

These industries form an important foundation for manufacturing and intermediate industries and support the integration of industrial value chains.

In foreign trade, industrial products account for approximately 69 percent of total GCC exports. Key exports include petroleum gases and hydrocarbons, petroleum oils, motor vehicles, organic compounds, aluminium, ships and boats, and electrical machinery and equipment.

On the import side, China accounts for around 20 per cent of total GCC imports, making it the region’s largest source of imports. Major imported goods include equipment and machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, and plastics, with supplies sourced from a diverse range of markets.

These indicators reflect the expanding and diversifying industrial base across the GCC, as well as differences in the scale of industrial activity among the member states in terms of investment and factory numbers.

This is driving efforts to expand production capacity, develop value chains, strengthen GCC industrial integration, localise industries and enhance the competitiveness of Gulf products in global markets.

WAM