Please wait...
GulfBase Live Support
Leave a message and our representative will contact you soon
- Qatar Investors Group reports 3.45 pct decline in Q1 2025 profits
- KFH achieves net profit of KD 168.1 million for first quarter of 2025 for shareholders
- Bahrain Islamic Index closes higher
- Commercial Bank awarded 'Best in-class Straight Through Processing rates' by JP Morgan
- Emaar pumping in $1bn to boost Dubai's global brand experience
- Bitcoin rallies above $90,000 to extend rebound to more than 20%
- How UAE Free Zone firms can capitalise on 0% corporate tax
- Saudi Arabia tops emerging markets' venture capital funding, overtakes Singapore
- Pakistan's finance chief seeks deeper US trade ties, welcomes reform efforts at global lenders
- 33% of Dubai government jobs at risk from AI, clerical roles most exposed, study finds
23/04/2025 03:00 AST
Saudi Arabia's real gross domestic product is expected to grow by 3 percent in 2025, with further acceleration to 3.7 percent in 2026, according to the latest World Economic Outlook released by the International Monetary Fund.
The forecast marks a downward revision of 0.3 percentage points for 2025 and 0.4 percentage points for 2026 compared to the IMF's projections issued in January. Despite the slight adjustment, the Kingdom's anticipated economic performance continues to outpace the global average, which the IMF estimates at 2.8 percent for 2025 and 3 percent for 2026.
"The swift escalation of trade tensions and extremely high levels of policy uncertainty are expected to have a significant impact on global economic activity," the IMF noted in its report.
Regionally, Saudi Arabia is expected to outperform several of its Gulf neighbors. The IMF projects Bahrain's GDP to grow by 2.8 percent in 2025, followed by Qatar at 2.4 percent, Oman at 2.3 percent, and Kuwait at 1.9 percent.
The UAE is forecast to lead the Gulf Cooperation Council with a 4 percent growth rate in 2025 and 5 percent in 2026.
The IMF also predicts that inflation in Saudi Arabia will remain contained, with the average annual rate holding steady at 2.1 percent in 2025 and easing slightly to 2 percent the following year.
In a separate analysis released in December, Mastercard Economics estimated a 3.7 percent expansion for the Saudi economy in 2024, driven largely by growth in non-oil sectors.
Underscoring the Kingdom's economic momentum, ratings agency S&P Global upgraded Saudi Arabia's sovereign credit rating to "A+" from "A" in March, citing the country's ongoing social and economic transformation as a key factor for the stable outlook.
Across the broader Middle East and North Africa region, the IMF anticipates economic growth to average 2.6 percent in 2025, before climbing to 3.4 percent in 2026.
Globally, the US is forecast to record GDP growth of 1.8 percent in 2025 and 1.7 percent in 2026.
Among emerging markets, India is expected to lead with projected growth of 6.2 percent in 2025 and 6.3 percent the following year. China's economy, meanwhile, is expected to expand by 4 percent annually during the same period.
Arab News
| Ticker | Price | Volume |
|---|
23/04/2025
Free zones are vital to the UAE economy, driving growth both domestically and internationally.
These zones offer businesses significant advantages including relaxed foreign ownership rules,
Gulfnews
23/04/2025
Saudi Arabia has overtaken Singapore as the premier destination for venture capital funds across emerging markets after it secured $391 million in the first quarter of 2025.
The 53 percent y
Arab News
23/04/2025
Approximately 33 per cent of Dubai government jobs are at a high risk of exposure to generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a new study. It also found that clerical support workers wer
Khaleej Times
23/04/2025
Saudi Arabia's National Debt Management Center raised SR3.71 billion ($990 million) through its riyal-denominated sukuk issuance for April, reflecting a 40.5 percent increase compared to the previous
Arab News
23/04/2025
Saudi Arabia issued 105 new industrial licenses in February, marking a 66.7 percent increase compared to January, supporting the Kingdom's drive for economic growth and diversification.
A t
Arab News
Financial Information Co.
P.O. Box 69410, Jeddah 11547, Saudi Arabia