Under the guidance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2016 launched Vision 2030, an ambitious national plan for transformation, aiming to reform the public sector, the economy, and society.
Vision 2030 is focused on 3 main pillars: A Vibrant Society, A Thriving Economy, and An Ambitious Nation. This year marks the 8th anniversary of launching Vision 2030. Saudi Arabia has achieved remarkable progress in various sectors and is moving fast towards fulfilling the ambitious goals of its agenda.
Empowering Citizens
In 2021, the Kingdom launched the Human Capability Development Program to empower citizens and elevate their international competitiveness. It implements a dynamic strategy that involves every stage of learning to ensure that educational outcomes match the labor market needs, focusing on developing skills and fostering innovation.
Saudi Arabia has made great strides towards empowering its citizens and ensuring they have the necessary skills to succeed at every stage of life and keep pace with the ongoing changes.
Under the program, more children are enrolled in early childhood programs, talented students are representing Saudi Arabia on the international stage, receiving academic awards and medals. The Kingdom has opened up new paths for scholarships under the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program and introduced an educational visa for short and long-term study.
The Human Capability Development Program’s targets include getting 40% of children enrolled in kindergarten by 2025, having 6 Saudi universities ranked in the top 200 globally by 2025, achieving 45th ranking in the World Bank Human Capital Index by 2025, and achieving 40% increase in Saudization of highly skilled jobs by 2025.
Progress in Human Development
According to the UN Human Development Index (HDI), Saudi Arabia has made great achievement by scoring 0.875, which put the Kingdom in the “Very High” human development category. This positions Saudi Arabia at 40 out of 193 countries and territories.
Between 1990 and 2022, the Kingdom’s HDI’s value changed by 25.2%, increasing from 0.699 to 0.875. During the same period, life expectancy at birth changed by 9.0 years, expected years of schooling changed by 4.1 years and mean years of schooling changed by 5.7 years. Saudi Arabia’s Gross National Income (NGI) per capita changed by 15.6% between 1990 and 2022.
The HDI assesses average achievement in 3 basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living.
In the Gender Development Index (GDI), Saudi Arabia scored 0.832 for females in contrast with 0.897 for males, resulting in a GDI value of 0.928, putting it into Group 3.
The GDI is a ratio of the female to the male HDI, which measures gender gaps in achievements in three basic dimensions of human development: health (measured by female and male life expectancy at birth), knowledge (measured by female and male expected years of schooling for children and mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and older) and living standards (measured by female and male estimated GNI per capita).
Promoting Non-oil Industries
Launched in 2019, the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, aims to develop high-growth sectors, such as energy, mining, logistics and industry, domestically and support an open economy that attracts foreign investments.
As Saudi Arabia is entering a new green era, the Program, by investing heavily in renewable energy such as wind and solar, encourages a future of clean energy and low carbon, supporting the Kingdom’s goal of net zero emissions by 2060.
Owing to the Kingdom’s strategic position as the crossroad of three continents, the Program is unlocking Saudi Arabia’s potential as a global logistics hub marked by high efficiency, quality and speed.
The Program is setting the stage for Saudi Arabia’s fourth industrial revolution which will employ new technologies for improving society, through programs such as Made in Saudi.
Mega Projects
Saudi Arabia has launched various mega projects as part of its Vision 2030. In 2017, the Kingdom launched its futuristic project NEOM. This visionary project aims to transform the Red Sea coast of Northwest Saudi Arabia to a multi-billion megacity of the future. It is powered by 100% renewable energy.
The mega project will be fueled by $500 billion from the Saudi Public Investment Fund and local and international investors. It aims to diversify the Saudi economy, introduce a new model for urban sustainability, promote effective and productive use of technology, and set new standards of community health and environmental protection.
NEOM, extending over 26.5 km and encompassing 41 islands, is home to other subprojects, including The LINE, a city stretching across 170 km, Oxagon, Trojena, and Sindala.
