Skip to main content

Saudi Arabia’s growth and infrastructure investment

Of all the fast-growing economies of the Arabian Gulf region, Saudi Arabia is by far the largest in terms of population and gross national product. Due to rising oil prices and increased foreign investments, Saudi Arabia's national economy has grown exponentially over the last ten years - having doubled in size since 2002 to $481.6bn. With a surface area of 2,150,000km2 (roughly equivalent to one quarter of the surface area of the continental United States), Saudi Arabia has a much greater need for high
August 28, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
Of all the fast-growing economies of the Arabian Gulf region, Saudi Arabia is by far the largest in terms of population and gross national product. Due to rising oil prices and increased foreign investments, Saudi Arabia's national economy has grown exponentially over the last ten years - having doubled in size since 2002 to $481.6bn.

With a surface area of 2,150,000km2  (roughly equivalent to one quarter of the surface area of the continental United States), Saudi Arabia has a much greater need for highway infrastructure to connect its many cities and ports.  Accordingly, the Kingdom has a much larger highway project pipeline in terms of total length of the network.

On the urban side, the cities of Riyadh, Damman, Jeddah, and Medina are growing rapidly. As rising populations and incomes drive demand for vehicles, freeway and road construction projects are increasingly larger and more complex – including road safety equipment and intelligent transport systems deployments.

According to industry estimates, investment in Saudi Arabia's entire transport sector is set to reach $100bn by 2020, with over $30bn allocated for new transport projects in the government's next five-year plan.

Related Content

  • Terex looks for internal growth and strong margins
    January 6, 2017
    Terex Corporation chairman and CEO Ron DeFeo is predicting strong growth over the next three years, with the aim of US$10bn revenues by 2015, up from $7.3bn in 2012. However, unlike so often in the past, he is not looking for acquisition but to develop the existing business. Indeed, the company has recently sold off much of its road construction business, as it was struggling to expand that division.
  • Terex looks for internal growth and strong margins
    April 17, 2013
    Terex Corporation chairman and CEO Ron DeFeo is predicting strong growth over the next three years, with the aim of US$10bn revenues by 2015, up from $7.3bn in 2012. However, unlike so often in the past, he is not looking for acquisition but to develop the existing business. Indeed, the company has recently sold off much of its road construction business, as it was struggling to expand that division.
  • ITS innovation will benefit transport in the Middle East
    May 29, 2013
    *Zeina Nazer, secretary general of ITS-Arab, introduces the rapid evolution of Intelligent Transport Systems in the Middle East and North Africa and talks about the special challenges and opportunities this represents, both for the industry and her organisation. Over the past six years, ITS-Arab has focused on promoting Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) at the policy and decision making echelons, while developing ITS specifications at a project design level throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MEN
  • Roads a priority in Oman’s $14.8bn infrastructure spend
    May 29, 2013
    An upcoming summit will look at opportunities offered by Oman’s infrastructure plans. Oman is planning to spend some US$14.8 billion on infrastructure in the coming years. The figure, almost half of the country’s 8th Five-Year Development Plan for 2011-2015, has been earmarked for overhauling roads, ports and airports with the objective to link the three modes of transport to improve interconnectivity. Oman’s huge infrastructure will include numerous road projects, bridge structures, tunnel constructions an