Professional, scientific and technical activities
How the sector's enterprises perform: revenue, operating expenses, employee compensation, operating surplus and where they sit geographically, from the official data.
Activities inside the sector · 2025
البيانات المالية لعام 2025 (مليار ريال) مستندة إلى مسح إحصاءات الأعمال الهيكلية الصادر عن الهيئة العامة للإحصاء لكل أحجام المنشآت.Read more
Worked example: enterprises in «Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis» had operating revenue of SAR 23.3 billion, made up of SAR 7.3 billion of operating expenses and SAR 0.0 billion of employee compensation, leaving an operating surplus of SAR 0.0 billion, which is 0% of operating revenue.
What the terms mean: Operating revenue Total sales and income earned from the main activity. Operating expenses Operating costs, including rent and intermediate purchases. Employee compensation Wages, salaries and benefits in cash and in kind. Operating surplus What is left of operating income before depreciation, interest, zakat and tax, with its share of revenue below it. It is a measure of operating efficiency, not net profit.
Activities with operating revenue of SAR 100 million or more are listed. Source: الهيئة العامة للإحصاء، نشرات إحصاءات الأعمال الهيكلية لعام 2025.
| Economic activity | Operating revenuebillion riyals | Operating expensesbillion riyals | Employee compensationbillion riyals | Operating surplusbillion riyals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 23.3 | 7.3 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy | 17.2 | 5.1 | 4.4 | 7.845% |
| Technical testing and analysis | 4.1 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 1.743% |
| Advertising and market research | 16.3 | 6.8 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| the adIncludes: Advertising agencies, campaign design and the sale of advertising space | 14.3 | 6.1 | 2.3 | 5.941% |
| Market research and public opinion polling | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.259% |
| Legal and accounting activities | 9.8 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Accounting, bookkeeping and auditing activities; tax consultancyIncludes: Accounting, bookkeeping, auditing and tax consultancy | 6.2 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 3.353% |
| Legal activitiesIncludes: Law practice, notarisation and legal consultancy | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 1.244% |
| Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities | 8.6 | 4.4 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Management consultancy activities | 7.0 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 2.536% |
| Activities of head offices | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.326% |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities | 6.5 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c. | 3.4 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.234% |
| Specialised design activities | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.148% |
| Photographic activities | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.241% |
| Veterinary activities | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Scientific research and development | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.00% |
| Research and experimental development on social sciences and humanities | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.252% |
| Research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.144% |
By enterprise size · 2024
| Size | Revenue (SAR billion) | Pay as a share of revenue | Surplus as a share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | 5.1 | 18% | 48% |
| Small | 12.3 | 22% | 35% |
| Medium | 22.6 | 19% | 46% |
| Large | 20.7 | 15% | 44% |
Large-enterprise data: operating revenue and operating surplus are taken from the published bulletins; expenses and employee compensation are derived by subtracting the micro, small and medium figures from the sector total. Source: GASTAT, SME statistics; GASTAT, structural business survey.
Workers and Saudi share · Q2 2026
Saudis as a share of the sector's workers
Workers currently insured at enterprises in this sector. Source: GASTAT, social insurance contributors by sector.
Sector workers by region · Q2 2026
| Region | Workers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh | 183,750 | 61.1% |
| Makkah | 47,754 | 15.9% |
| Eastern Province | 45,443 | 15.1% |
| Al-Madinah | 5,201 | 1.7% |
| Al-Qassim | 5,049 | 1.7% |
| Aseer | 3,579 | 1.2% |
| Tabuk | 2,551 | 0.8% |
| Hail | 2,075 | 0.7% |
| Jazan | 1,886 | 0.6% |
| Najran | 1,437 | 0.5% |
| Al-Jouf | 946 | 0.3% |
| Al-Baha | 572 | 0.2% |
| Northern Borders | 402 | 0.1% |
Workforce figures are assigned administratively to the enterprise's registered head office. Source: GASTAT, workers by administrative region and economic activity.
Bank credit to the sector
Source: Saudi Central Bank, bank credit by sector.
Revenue and surplus, year by year
| Year | Revenue (SAR billion) | Surplus as a share of revenue | SME share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 60.6 | 43% | 66% |
| 2023 | 54.2 | 44% | 66% |
| 2022 | 44.8 | 35% | 66% |
| 2021 | 40.3 | 32% | 66% |
| 2020 | 32.9 | 34% | 63% |
| 2019 | 39.1 | 36% | 66% |
Operating surplus: what is left after operating expenses and employee compensation are taken from total revenue, before depreciation, financing costs, zakat and tax. It is the operating return, and is not net profit. Source: GASTAT, structural business survey.
Revenue month by month
The operating revenue index (2021 = 100). Bankruptcy filings over the last 12 months: 18. Source:: GASTAT, short-term business indicators.
Foreign investment licences
| Year | New licences |
|---|---|
| 2023 | 423 |
| 2022 | 336 |
| 2021 | 82 |
| 2020 | 64 |
| 2019 | 77 |
| 2018 | 40 |
| 2017 | 12 |
Source: Ministry of Investment (Invest Saudi).
Cumulative foreign direct investment stock in the sector: 43.4 مليار ريال بنهاية 2025، وبلغت التدفقات الداخلة خلال العام 14.0 billion riyals. Source: GASTAT, foreign direct investment stock.