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Research spending in Saudi Arabia reached $3.86 bln in 2021: GASTAT
A total of $3.86 billion was spent on research and development in Saudi Arabia in 2021, the Kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) said in a statement on Wednesday.
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The number of people employed in the field reached 30,220, including 24,808 researchers.
Government spending made up 50 percent of the total expenditure on research and development, while the private sector made up 35 percent and the education sector 15 percent.
Most of the research and development employees were working in the education sector (83 percent).
Government workers made up 10 percent of the total, while private sector workers were seven percent.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince announced new targets for research and development spending in June of 2022.
Annual spending is due to reach 2.5 percent of GDP by 2040, which the Crown Prince said will add $16 billion to the economy.
Research will focus on water and food security, green energy, and the Kingdom’s mega-projects.
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