RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s nonprofit organizations posted a 22 percent rise in revenue in 2024, reaching SR73.1 billion ($19.48 billion) as activity accelerated across the education, health and cultural sectors, according to new government data.
The General Authority for Statistics said education and research groups accounted for 29 percent of total revenue, followed by health organizations at 24 percent and culture and recreation entities at 19 percent.
In March, a report by the King Khalid Foundation showed the nonprofit sector’s economic contribution surpassed SR100 billion in 2024 for the first time, making up 3.3 percent of Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product.
The figures align with Vision 2030’s target of lifting the sector’s contribution to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.
In its latest report, GASTAT stated: “Nonprofit organization statistics indicate that total revenues in 2024 amounted to SR73.1 billion, while the revenues of the nonprofit sector amounted to SR60 billion in 2023.”
It added that total expenditure increased to SR60.8 billion in 2024, compared to SR51.8 billion in 2023.
“The distribution of spending in 2024 was concentrated on culture and recreation and education and research activities, each accounting for 24 percent, in addition to health activities at 23 percent, together constituting the activities that contribute most to total nonprofit sector expenditures,” the GASTAT report added.
Total compensation paid to employees reached SR28.9 billion in 2024, up 15.6 percent from SR25 billion a year earlier. Education and research and health activities each accounted for 23 percent of the total, followed by social services at 19 percent.
GASTAT noted that 42 percent of employees in the nonprofit sector work in culture and recreation, followed by social services at 20 percent, development and housing at 9 percent, and health, education and research at 8 percent.
The sector recorded SR4.37 billion in fixed asset purchases in 2024, while total sales stood at SR1.38 billion. Gross fixed capital formation amounted to SR2.9 billion, led by health activities at SR1.4 billion, followed by culture and recreation at SR566 million and social services at SR471 million.
