Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program, one of the flagship initiatives supporting Vision 2030, has unveiled its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting significant progress across multiple sectors and exceeding several key performance targets. The report outlines the program’s role in advancing national development, enhancing public services, and improving living standards throughout the Kingdom.
The program generated an economic contribution of more than SAR78 billion to Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product (GDP), outperforming its target of SAR77.1 billion for the year. Non-government investments supported by the initiative reached SAR21.8 billion, while the local content rate climbed to 44%, well above the planned 37%. Employment also continued to grow, with the program contributing to the creation of 387,000 jobs, representing an annual increase of 6.35%.
A major milestone in 2025 was the launch of the Global Quality of Life Index, which has attracted participation from over 90 cities across 35 countries. The index has since been integrated into the strategic framework of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), strengthening Saudi Arabia’s international leadership in urban development and providing policymakers worldwide with a benchmark for improving city living standards.
The report also highlighted progress in urban development. The Saudi Architecture Characters Map, introduced under the direction of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman, established 19 distinct architectural styles inspired by the Kingdom’s cultural and geographical diversity. The initiative is designed to preserve Saudi architectural identity while encouraging modern, locally inspired design. Public satisfaction with municipal services also rose to 85%, comfortably exceeding the year’s target of 74%.
Supporting urban investment, the Furas platform connected 49 government entities with private investors by offering more than 19,000 investment opportunities. Contracts facilitated through the platform generated returns exceeding SAR9 billion, demonstrating the growing effectiveness of public-private partnerships.
Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector maintained its strong momentum during the year. More than 32 million domestic and international visitors travelled across the Kingdom during the Saudi Summer season, marking a 26% increase compared with the previous year. Tourism spending surpassed SAR53.2 billion, reflecting annual growth of 15%.
Internationally, Saudi Arabia ranked first worldwide for growth in international tourism receipts during the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2019, according to the UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer. The Kingdom also recorded a 102% increase in international visitor arrivals over the same period, significantly exceeding the global average growth of 3% and the Middle East’s regional average of 44%. These results positioned Saudi Arabia as the third-ranked destination globally and second in the region for international tourism growth.
The entertainment sector also expanded considerably, with 954 licensed entertainment venues operating across the Kingdom and 40 major entertainment events taking place during the year. Workforce development remained a priority, with more than 42,000 participants benefiting from training programmes across 10 cities. The sector also supported innovation by incubating 33 startups and assisting 110 businesses through financing and loan guarantee initiatives.
In culture, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Global Center for Arabic Calligraphy in Madinah and opened the Red Sea Museum in Historic Jeddah, further strengthening the country’s cultural infrastructure. Cultural event activity exceeded expectations, reaching 6,314 event days, more than double the annual target of 3,010 days. Meanwhile, the number of accessible national heritage sites increased to 232, achieving the program’s planned objective.
The sports sector also recorded notable progress, with 59.1% of adults participating in regular physical activity, surpassing the target of 55%. More than 230,000 people also engaged with the Sports for All platform, which now hosts over 9,000 sports groups, reflecting growing public participation in healthy lifestyles.
In public safety, the Kingdom opened the Unified Security Operations Center (911) in Madinah, the fourth facility of its kind nationwide. The centre consolidates operations from 28 control rooms into a single integrated system, improving coordination among security, government and emergency service agencies.
According to the report, the achievements recorded during 2025 demonstrate continued progress toward the objectives of the Quality of Life Program while strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a global leader in urban development, sustainability, tourism, and quality of life under the Vision 2030 framework.
