“Economic Affairs”: The Saudi economy shows strength and flexibility in the face of regional and global developments

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The Saudi Council of Economic and Development Affairs held a meeting today, Thursday, via video conference, and reviewed the monthly report of the Ministry of Economy and Planning, which dealt with the most prominent developments in the global economic scene in light of the accelerating geopolitical changes, and the resulting rise in inflationary pressures globally and the tightening of monetary policies by the major central banks, and addressed the impact of this on the Saudi economy, and the challenges and opportunities offered by these changes.

The report confirmed the strength of the national economy and its flexibility in the face of regional and global developments, pointing to the continued growth in private sector activity, represented by the rise in the Purchasing Managers’ Index to 53.8 points in August 2026 compared to 53.1 points in the previous month, continuing its growth for the fifth month in a row despite regional tensions, in addition to the business confidence index recording 56.7 points, an increase of 0.2 points from the previous month, which reflects the business sector’s confidence in the prospects of the national economy and its ability to continue... Growth.

He discussed the report submitted by the Strategic Management Office of the Council of Economic and Development Affairs regarding the performance of the programs to achieve (Saudi Vision 2030) and the national strategies for the second quarter of 2026 AD, which reviewed the transformational efforts over the past ten years and the solid foundations they have laid, with which the vision moves to the stage of maximizing impact, consolidating gains, and sustaining the achievements achieved in its three axes: (a vibrant society, a prosperous economy, and an ambitious nation). The report highlighted qualitative developments that reflect the vision’s flexibility and ability to adapt to all changes, according to the Saudi News Agency (SPA).

The Council reviewed the annual report of the Quality of Life Program Center, which included the center’s most prominent work in 2025 in enabling the Quality of Life Program, one of the programs to achieve (Saudi Vision 2030), to implement its strategic goals, and the progress made in implementing its initiatives.

The report included a number of achievements achieved by the program during the year, including: the contribution of its initiatives to local content reaching 44% by the end of 2025, exceeding the target of 37%, and its contribution to the gross domestic product reaching $20.8 billion (78 billion riyals), exceeding the target of $20.56 billion (77.1 billion riyals), which reflects its growing role in supporting the national economy and contributing to achieving the goals of (Saudi Vision 2030).

He also reviewed the annual report submitted by the Secretariat of the Citizen Account Program Committee, regarding the program’s annual report for the year 2025 AD, and reviewed the program’s most prominent efforts by directing support to eligible families and individuals, and the beneficiary’s journey through registration, eligibility, and entitlement, in addition to the operational, economic, and financial impact of the program, as the total support provided through the Citizen Account Program since its launch amounted to about $69.87 billion (262 billion riyals), and the total number of beneficiaries of support reached about 2.4 million beneficiaries, which reflects the role of The program supports beneficiary families and strengthens the social protection system.

The Council discussed the quarterly presentation submitted by the National Center for Measuring the Performance of Public Agencies regarding the performance of public agencies for the second quarter of the year 2026 AD, the performance of indicators and initiatives of government agencies in (Saudi Vision 2030), the work that was done in the areas of supporting and enabling government agencies to achieve their goals, and the results of evaluating the management practices of these agencies, stressing the continuation of the Center’s work in activating the measurement of national strategies and reviewing strategic documents, and ensuring that indicators and initiatives cover all strategic objectives, while continuing efforts to support those agencies by holding review sessions, to address challenges, follow up on plans, and highlight opportunities. improvement and follow up on its implementation, in order to enhance the improvement of government performance.

During the meeting, a number of procedural transactions were considered, including: the strategy for developing the judicial facility, and the draft clinical studies system. The Council was also informed of the results of the monthly executive summaries of the consumer price index and wholesale prices, the quarterly report on the results of the work of the Permanent Price Control Committee, the monthly executive summary of foreign trade, and the basic reports on which those summaries were based. The Council took the necessary decisions and recommendations regarding these topics.