Saudi Arabia’s Voluntary National Review ties sustainability to Vision 2030’s final years

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is entering the final years of Vision 2030 with a sustainability agenda increasingly aligned with economic diversification, regional development, and private-sector investment, a new review report showed.

According to the Kingdom’s 2026 Voluntary National Review, issued by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, Saudi Arabia requires renewed commitment, adaptive strategies, and accelerated action to maintain momentum toward its development goals.

It identifies sustained non-oil gross domestic product growth, attracting sustainable foreign direct investment, reducing regional economic disparities, and strengthening sustainability across industry and mining as priorities through 2030 and beyond. 

The report opens by linking those priorities to the Kingdom’s broader development agenda, with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman saying: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to unleash its enormous economic, geographical and cultural potential, and its pioneering efforts in sustainability and environmental conservation.” 

King Salman was also quoted at the beginning of the report, saying: “The development approach in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aims to make a comprehensive and sustainable renaissance, whose center and goal is the human being who will manage the development of the present, and make the development of the future with knowledge.” 

In his foreword, Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim said that the Kingdom’s development trajectory has “fundamentally shifted” thanks to the Vision 2023 initiative.  

He added: “Our economy has crossed the one trillion-dollar threshold, non-oil activities’ contribution to GDP is growing faster than that of oil activities and our cities and natural environments are being reshaped by ambitious investments in green infrastructure, public transport, and conservation.” 

Environmental industries 

The report identifies environmental industries as an area for expansion, highlighting their potential contribution to investment, employment, gross domestic product, and industrial competitiveness.

It points to developments under the Saudi Green Initiative, including emissions reduction, afforestation, land protection, renewable energy and waste management, as key areas supporting that transition. 

Saudi Arabia has set a target of reducing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 278 million tonnes annually by 2030, while a waste management project in Riyadh aims to divert 94 percent of waste from landfills and compost more than 1.3 million tonnes of biodegradable waste. 

These initiatives are expected to create demand for companies operating in clean energy, recycling, environmental monitoring, carbon management and water efficiency. 

The report also identifies reducing regional disparities in GDP as a priority, indicating that the next stage of development will need to broaden economic growth beyond the Kingdom’s main economic centers. 

That approach aligns with Vision 2030’s broader objective of using investment, infrastructure and sector development to expand participation in the non-oil economy. 

Diversification priorities 

Maintaining non-oil GDP growth remains central to the Kingdom’s development strategy. The report identifies sustained non-oil GDP growth as one of Saudi Arabia’s priorities through 2030 and beyond. 

The priority reflects the Kingdom’s broader effort to sustain economic diversification as Vision 2030 enters its final years. 

Attracting sustainable foreign direct investment is another key priority identified in the report. It lists sustainable FDI alongside sustained non-oil GDP growth, reduced regional GDP disparities, and stronger sustainability in the industrial and mining sectors as part of the Kingdom’s plans beyond 2030. 

Industry and mining are also expected to play a larger role in the economy. The report highlights the need to strengthen sustainability across both sectors, which are central to Saudi Arabia’s plans to build new export industries and deepen local supply chains. 

Mining, in particular, is positioned as a future pillar of economic diversification, although its expansion will require stronger environmental governance and greater investor confidence.