ع
The Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf released figures on October 18, 2026 showing that industrial investment across the six member states had reached approximately $426 billion. GCC-Stat data places the number of factories at nearly 22,000, with more than 1.7 million workers employed in the sector. Manufacturing contributed about 13 percent of the GCC’s gross domestic product in 2025, according to the centre’s latest indicators.
Those same GCC-Stat figures show Saudi Arabia accounting for 57.6 percent of total regional industrial investment. The kingdom is also home to 45.1 percent of all factories in the GCC. This leading position aligns with sustained efforts to expand non-oil industrial capacity across the bloc.
GCC-Stat reported that around 40 percent of industrial investments concentrate in core sectors such as plastics, refined petroleum products, aluminium, gaseous fuels, and iron and steel. These areas provide a foundation for manufacturing and intermediate industries while supporting integration across regional value chains. The statistical centre noted that such concentration aids broader economic diversification objectives.
Industrial goods make up roughly 69 percent of total GCC exports, GCC-Stat data shows. Key categories include petroleum gases and hydrocarbons, petroleum oils, automobiles, organic chemicals, aluminium, ships, boats and electrical machinery. China supplies about 20 percent of the bloc’s imports, led by machinery, equipment, vehicles, pharmaceuticals, iron and steel, and plastics.
The scale of industrial activity differs among member states in both investment and factory numbers, according to the centre. Saudi Arabia’s outsized contribution builds on national strategies that have lifted non-oil sectors in recent years. Comparable initiatives in other GCC countries have helped lift the overall regional industrial base.
GCC-Stat said the indicators demonstrate the breadth and diversity of industrial capabilities across the Gulf. Expanding production capacity, drawing additional investment and improving access to global markets remain central to future growth plans. The centre’s assessment found that these steps reinforce industry’s contribution to economic development and regional production networks.
