Riyadh jumps 60 ranks in Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved a new milestone in entrepreneurship, with its capital, Riyadh, advancing 60 places over the past three years to rank 23rd among the top 100 emerging startup ecosystems globally. This achievement was featured in the "Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2025," published by Startup Genome in partnership with the Global Entrepreneurship Network, SPA reports.
The Kingdom's remarkable progress underscores its rapid development in the entrepreneurship environment, particularly reflected in robust venture capital indicators, advanced infrastructure, and increasing levels of innovation and investment in emerging technologies. This success is largely supported by strong government backing, notably from the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at). Monsha’at plays a key role in building an integrated entrepreneurship environment through initiatives and programs that support startup growth and expansion. It also works to enhance the legislative and regulatory environment for entrepreneurs.
These efforts aim to increase the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
According to the report, Saudi Arabia recorded the second-highest performance in the Middle East and North Africa region. It ranked third in terms of funding volume and investment value relative to impact, and fourth in the availability of skills and expertise—further strengthening its capacity to attract and retain entrepreneurial talent. The report also highlighted several key high-potential sectors that contributed to these outcomes, foremost among them artificial intelligence, FinTech, cybersecurity, smart cities, infrastructure, and digital health. These sectors represent essential pillars in the Kingdom’s economic transformation strategy.
As reported previously, Saudi Arabia ranked first globally in government trust and future outlook in Edelman Trust Barometer 2025.
