Commerce ministry: AI commercial registrations soar 240% in 5 years

RIYADH — The Ministry of Commerce revealed that commercial registrations in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector have witnessed remarkable growth over recent years, reaching 19,600 by the end of 2025. This figure marks a 240 percent increase from 2021, when there were only 5,762 registrations. The ministry noted that commercial registrations in the AI sector reached 14,600 in 2024, approximately 10,300 in 2023, around 7,200 in 2022, and 5,762 in 2021. It is noteworthy that the Council of Ministers recently issued a decision approving the designation of 2026 as the “Year of Artificial Intelligence.” This reflects the Kingdom’s vision to enhance its global standing in advanced technologies and represents a significant move towards creating broad national momentum around these technologies and their role in shaping a smarter and more sustainable future of the nation. Artificial intelligence is one of the most prominent drivers of the global economy. Developed countries rely on it to bolster their economies, develop their populations, improve their quality of life, and enhance the efficiency of vital sectors such as health, education, transportation, energy, and security, as well as accelerate innovation and strengthen their competitiveness. The Kingdom has become a global leader in data and artificial intelligence technologies and actively contributes to shaping international decisions related to these technologies through its participation and membership in several influential international organizations and committees in the field. Most recently, it joined the Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), becoming the first Arab country to do so. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Commerce has released its Business Sector Bulletin for the first quarter of 2026, highlighting key developments in the Kingdom’s commercial sector. During this period, over 71,000 commercial registrations were issued, bringing the total active registrations to more than 1.89 million. The bulletin emphasized a 240 percent increase in commercial registrations over the past five years, with significant growth in sectors targeted by Vision 2030, including e-commerce, virtual reality, and data analytics.The media sector also experienced notable growth, with the number of establishments rising by 10 percent to over 1.27 million. Limited liability company registrations exceeded 597,000, recording a 138 percent increase, while joint-stock company registrations surpassed 5,000, reflecting a 40 percent growth since 2021.