Gulf Economic Index

Data and analysis on Gulf economics, investment, and Vision 2030 progress. Published by Gateway Partners Group ·

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Introducing @GulfEconIndex — data and statistics on Gulf economics, investment, and Vision 2030 progress.

Published by Gateway Partners Group.

Thread: Saudi Arabia by the numbers in 2025. 🧵

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

AWS confirms first Saudi Arabia cloud region launches December 2026, backed by a $5.3B infrastructure investment and a new 50MW AI Zone partnership with HUMAIN by 2028 🇸🇦

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

93% of Vision 2030 indicators hit interim targets entering the final phase 🇸🇦

📊 225/1,290 initiatives fully implemented
📈 309/390 indicators hit interim goals
🏭 Non-oil share of GDP: 55%
🌍 FDI stock +119% since 2017 to SR293.3B

Source: Vision 2030 Annual Report 2025

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

UAE cuts September fuel prices: Super 98 down to Dh3.80/litre, diesel now 8.3% below its 2026 peak 🇦🇪

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Adobe commits $4B+ for 12 months of free AI creative tools to 27M+ Saudi citizens and residents, via MCIT-HUMAIN partnership at LEAP 2026 🇸🇦

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@elerianm Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@business Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@Newsforce Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@_MAGA_NEWS_ Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@hehe_samir Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@RealWaqarMaliks Government debt, % of GDP (IMF, 2026):

Japan 204
Bahrain 152
Italy 138
US 126
France 118
UK ~95
Saudi Arabia ~34

23 countries now owe more than they produce in a year. Saudi Arabia is not one of them, and isn’t close.

Borrowing is the global condition, not a Saudi one.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@clashreport Worth sizing before reacting.

The 2026 borrowing plan — SR217bn (~$58bn) — was approved in January, before hostilities began.

A $6–8bn loan is 10–14% of that. NDMC said in May it had already covered ~90% of the year’s needs.

Debt/GDP ~34%. S&P A+, Moody’s Aa3, both stable.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@business Worth sizing before reacting.

The 2026 borrowing plan — SR217bn (~$58bn) — was approved in January, before hostilities began.

A $6–8bn loan is 10–14% of that. NDMC said in May it had already covered ~90% of the year’s needs.

Debt/GDP ~34%. S&P A+, Moody’s Aa3, both stable.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

@GlobeEyeNews Worth sizing before reacting.

The 2026 borrowing plan — SR217bn (~$58bn) — was approved in January, before hostilities began.

A $6–8bn loan is 10–14% of that. NDMC said in May it had already covered ~90% of the year’s needs.

Debt/GDP ~34%. S&P A+, Moody’s Aa3, both stable.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Qatar's non-hydrocarbon GDP grew 3.5% year-on-year in Q1 2026 🇶🇦

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Saudi Arabia's tech minister announces $15B+ in new AI and data-centre investment commitments from AMD, Nvidia, xAI, Cisco, Qualcomm and AWS on LEAP 2026's opening day 🇸🇦

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

UAE FDI inflows hit $48.3B in 2025, a 4th straight record year 🇦🇪

📈 FDI inflows 2025: +6% YoY to AED177.3B
🌍 Global FDI rank: 9th (UNCTAD)
💰 Total FDI stock: AED1.17T
🏗️ Greenfield projects: 1,562, $34.1B capex

Source: WAM / UAE Ministry of Investment

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Saudi Arabia's 2026 growth pegged at 1.7%, below the 3.0% global average 🇸🇦

🇸🇦 Real GDP growth (2026): 1.7%
🌍 Global growth (2026): 3.0%
📈 Non-oil GDP growth (2026): 2.6%
🔮 Real GDP growth (2027): 5.5%

Source: IMF Article IV Consultation, Jul 2026

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Context most coverage will skip: Saudi military spending reached $83.2bn in 2025, up 1.4% — but still well below its 2015 peak in real terms.

The Kingdom is not spending more. It is trying to spend differently.

Vision 2030 targets localising 50% of military procurement. That target is what this meeting is about.

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Oman real GDP +3% YoY in Q1 2026 🇴🇲

📈 Real GDP: OMR 9.6B ($25B), +3% YoY
🏭 Non-oil activities: OMR 6.7B, +2.4% YoY — more than double oil income
🌾 Agriculture: +12% YoY
⛏️ Mining: +36% YoY

Source: Oman National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), Q1 2026 national accounts

[Gulf Economic Index @GulfEconIndex]

Saudi wholesale & retail trade revenue index +3.2% YoY in Q2 2026, e-commerce sales within the sector +9.8% YoY 🇸🇦