Saudi Mining Activity Jumps 19% as Investment Grows

Saudi Arabia's mining and quarrying activity rose by about 19% month-on-month in July 2026, official data show, as the Kingdom accelerates investment to unlock a mineral wealth now valued at more than SAR 9.4 trillion. The jump helped push the overall Industrial Production Index up 10.4% for the month.

The momentum builds on steady sectoral gains. Real GDP for the broader mining and quarrying sector grew 3.7% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, while the mining Industrial Production Index rose 5.0% in June compared with May. The sector's share of total employment reached 0.9% in the first quarter of 2026.

Earlier estimates put the Kingdom's mineral resources at around USD 1.3 trillion. Following new geological surveys and a revaluation carried out in 2024 and 2025, that figure was revised to roughly SAR 9.375 trillion, or about USD 2.5 trillion, and is now often stated at more than SAR 9.4 trillion. The resource base spans phosphate, gold, copper, zinc, nickel, iron, uranium, bauxite, limestone, rare earth elements and other critical minerals, with phosphate, gold and copper highlighted as leading components.

Investment and licensing on the rise

Mining exploitation licences issued in 2025 grew by about 220% compared with 2024, with total investment linked to the new licences exceeding roughly SAR 44 billion. Exploration licence issuance has climbed from about 65 to more than 300 in recent years, and active exploration companies rose from single digits in 2020 to more than 200 by mid-2025, holding over 700 active licences.

Government plans target lifting capital deployed in the sector from around SAR 45 billion in 2024 to nearly SAR 92 billion between 2025 and 2030, part of a multi-year investment plan of around USD 100 billion through 2030. The framework is anchored by the Mining Investment Law issued in 2020, which modernized licensing and shortened processing timelines. For residents, the expansion signals new jobs, industrial growth and a diversifying economy under رؤية السعودية 2030.

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