A statement from the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources reported that Saudi Arabia reached a 220 percent year-on-year surge in new mining exploitation licenses in 2025, issuing 61 permits.
The ministry said in a statement that this is indicative of the appeal of the mining investment environment in the Kingdom and the continued efforts of the ministry to fast-track exploration and development of mineral resources, which have been estimated to be in excess of SR9.4 trillion ($2.5 trillion).
Saudi Arabia has picked mining as the third pillar of its industrial economy, a plan that has witnessed the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product increase twofold to SR136 billion in 2024.
Investments in the industry have exceeded SR170 billion, and expenditures on exploration have increased fivefold since 2020, reaching SR1.05 billion in 2024 alone.
There has been a booming interest among investors, with the number of active exploration companies increasing by 38 times, up to 226, in 2024, compared to only six in 2020, and the proportion of foreign investors has reached 66 percent of the total number of license bidders, a testament to international confidence in the mining potential of the Kingdom.
Jarrah bin Mohammed Al-Jarrah, the ministry’s official spokesperson, stated that the number of mining and small-mine exploitation licenses issued by the ministry in 2025 reached 61 licenses, compared to 19 licenses in the previous year.
He said, “Total investments in the new licensed projects exceed SR44 billion for the extraction of high-quality mineral ores, including gold and phosphate.”
By the end of 2025, he had observed that the valid mining exploitation licenses in the Kingdom had increased to 275 and occupied a total area of 2,160 sq. km.
He confirmed that the ministry will remain active to allow mining investments and the involvement of international and local investors to achieve the maximum sector returns in accordance with Saudi Vision 2030, making mining one of the major sources of economic diversification.
The release of the ministry underscored the fact that this shows how effective the reforms carried out have been effective in terms of enhancing the investment environment and regulating the mining sector.
Saudi Arabia has opened 11 mining sites at the Eastern Province’s Al-Summan Crushers Complex for competitive bidding in the previous year. Thus, the sites, designated for the extraction of aggregates and crusher materials, cover a combined 9 sq. km.
