The General Authority for Statistics has reported a year-on-year decrease of 2.4 percent in net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Saudi Arabia, totaling SR 23.1 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down from SR 23.7 billion in the same period of 2025. This decline is even more pronounced when compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, where net inflows reached SR 48 billion, marking a staggering drop of 51.9 percent. Despite this downturn in net inflows, total FDI inflows into the Saudi economy have shown a positive trajectory, increasing by 2.4 percent year-on-year to SR 26.6 billion, up from SR 26 billion in Q1 2025. Nevertheless, total inflows have also seen a significant decline of 49.9 percent compared to the previous quarter's SR 53.1 billion. On the other hand, outward FDI flows have surged by 50.6 percent year-on-year, reaching SR 3.5 billion compared to approximately SR 2.3 billion in Q1 2025, although they have decreased by 31.8 percent quarter-on-quarter from SR 5.2 billion in Q4 2025.
Source: Saudi Gazette
