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LoginReport/ Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Celebrates 96th National Day Tomorrow Under Slogan "Our Pride Is in Our Nature"
Doha, September 22 (QNA) – Under the slogan Our Pride Is in Our Nature, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrates its 96th National Day on Wednesday, commemorating the historic unification achieved by King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud when he announced the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as one unified, strong, and proud nation. The occasion reflects pride in a nation whose story has spanned generations.
The celebration slogan highlights the deeply rooted traits that characterize the Saudi people from birth, including generosity, ambition, chivalry, authenticity, and a commitment to excellence. These values are embodied in their daily conduct and have helped cement the image of the Saudi citizen as a model of pride and honor. Furthermore, the slogan underscores the ambitious vision guiding the Saudi people to build a prosperous future, aligning with the nation's aspirations and its coming generations.
This national occasion arrives as the Kingdom continues to achieve successive milestones through clearly defined development plans, stemming from a comprehensive national vision, under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the direct oversight of HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. These efforts have established the Kingdom as a model of growth and prosperity, and a nation held in high esteem both regionally and internationally.
The renaissance and prosperity the Kingdom is witnessing today are a continuation of a historic journey forged by a wise leader, King Abdulaziz, who established a solid state founded on security, safety, and stability.
His successors continued the journey of construction and development, bringing the Kingdom to its current stage under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
On Sept. 23, 1932, King Abdulaziz issued a historic proclamation, unifying the country and naming it the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, following a struggle and campaign that spanned 32 years, during which he laid firm foundations of this national entity. The newly established state was founded on the principles of Islamic law, embracing its tolerant values and humanitarian teachings, while striving to promote peace and prosperity, encourage knowledge and progress, and look toward a better future for its people, the Islamic nation, and the entire world.
Since King Abdulaziz unified the land of the Two Holy Mosques, the nation has advanced along a path forged by determination and sustained by generations who upheld its values, ensuring that the national identity remains as present in the character of its people as it is in its history. He laid the foundations of the modern state on the principles of modernization and development, establishing various ministries and forging diplomatic relations in accordance with international norms and protocols, appointing ambassadors, consuls, envoys, and ministers to this end.
In 1945, the League of Arab States (LAS) was established in Cairo, and the Kingdom was among its founding members. Guided by Islamic principles, King Abdulaziz advocated for Arab cooperation and Islamic solidarity. Under his leadership, the Kingdom demonstrated a prominent stance on numerous regional and international events and issues.
In his dealings with his citizens, he adopted a policy rooted in consultation (Shura) and mutual counsel with the people, making use of opportunities to exchange views and advice while remaining guided by the teachings of the true Islamic faith. This approach, upheld by his sons after him, had a clear impact on the development being witnessed today, based on cooperation and integration between the state and its citizens.
He also worked to improve the Kingdom's social and economic conditions by prioritizing education, establishing schools and institutes, sending educational missions abroad, and encouraging the printing of books, particularly Arabic and Islamic works. He devoted considerable attention to the Two Holy Mosques, their development, and the service of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
In 1357 AH (1938 CE), oil was discovered in the Eastern Province, boosting the resources that contributed to the Kingdom's development and prosperity.
The founding King laid a solid foundation, leaving future generations a valuable legacy rooted in the principle of unification, which continues to stand in security and stability to this day.
The Kingdom’s monarchs have, across generations, sustained their efforts in construction, education, progress, and prosperity, leading up to the current era under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister, a period defined by a continuous commitment to work and development.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's 96th National Day marks a promising milestone in reaffirming its status as a leading investment destination that attracts both domestic and global capital and serves as a strategic opportunity to highlight the economic and legislative achievements realized under Saudi Vision 2030; achievements that have contributed to improving the business environment and bolstering confidence in the Saudi market as one of the region's largest and fastest-growing markets.
The transformations taking place in the Kingdom can no longer be interpreted solely through mega-projects or economic figures; rather, they are also measured by the Kingdom’s advanced standing in international indices and rankings that track economic efficiency, the quality of government performance, the level of digital transformation, innovation capacity, cybersecurity, and the attractiveness of the investment environment.
The Kingdom has achieved a new milestone in global competitiveness rankings, securing 13th place out of 70 economies in the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitiveness Yearbook 2026, rising four places from the previous year, underscoring its continued progress across global economic indicators. Additionally, the Kingdom ranked third among the Group of 20 (G20), surpassing most members, reflecting the rapid advancement of its business environment and national economy.
The Kingdom recorded notable improvements across several competitiveness pillars, advancing from 17th to 12th place in economic performance, from 17th to 12th in government efficiency, and from 12th to 9th in business efficiency, while also improving its infrastructure ranking from 31st to 28th place.
According to the report, the Kingdom ranked among the global leaders in several sub-indicators, securing the top spot in areas such as commercial service export growth, terms of trade, banking and financial service support for business activities, corporate cybersecurity, and the number of internet users.
The Kingdom also ranked second globally in indicators measuring social cohesion, early-stage entrepreneurship, and responsiveness to the need for economic and social reforms, as well as in public-private partnerships supporting technological development.
At the same time, the Kingdom ranked third globally in indicators related to government policy adaptability, public finance efficiency, policy transparency, legislative support for business formation, and industrial electricity costs, as well as indicators concerning governance and regulatory compliance.
The Saudi economy recorded real growth of 4.5% in 2025, while gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices reached approximately $1.275 trillion, and Net foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows totaled around $32.5 billion.
Data from the report The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: The Heart of the Gulf Economy and a Partner in Shaping the Future, issued by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) in collaboration with Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), revealed that non-oil activities accounted for 72.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while the non-oil private sector’s contribution reached 54%, reflecting the growing role of productive and service sectors in the Saudi economy.
These indicators come as the Kingdom continues to strengthen its economic presence regionally and internationally, while contributing to the Gulf integration process through trade, investment, the movement of people, energy, technology, and other sectors.
As an indication of expanding commercial activity, the Kingdom’s volume of merchandise trade reached approximately $565.3 billion in 2025, reflecting this growth and the Kingdom’s increasing importance in regional and international trade. Regarding Gulf integration, data showed increased movement of individuals, labor, and investment between the Kingdom and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries; Saudi entry points recorded the arrival of 9.1 million GCC citizens in 2024, while the number of GCC citizens employed in the Kingdom’s private sector reached approximately 7,690.
In the financial market, the number of GCC shareholders in the Saudi stock market reached approximately 5,749, alongside 353 companies listed for GCC trading, reflecting the expansion of investment and ownership activities among citizens of the Council's member states.
In 2016, Saudi Vision 2030 was announced to diversify non-oil revenue sources, and since then, numerous Vision initiatives have been implemented, yielding clear positive results and performance exceeding expectations, including significant economic reforms.
The Vision was designed to be implemented in three main phases, each spanning five years and building on the successes of the preceding one. The first phase laid the foundations for transformation through wide-ranging structural, economic, financial, and social reforms; the second phase focused on accelerating progress and maximizing the benefits derived from priority sectors through development strategies; and the third phase aimed to ensure the sustainability of the transformation’s impact and capitalize on new growth opportunities.
Thanks to the achievements of Saudi Vision 2030 to date, the impact of this transformation has become evident across all sectors, accompanied by accelerating growth and economic opportunities, integrating culture and innovation in parallel to keep pace with and capitalize on global developments while creating broader opportunities for Saudi citizens, residents, and visitors from around the world.
In this context, Saudi culture has evolved from a limited activity into a comprehensive national project that links the present with its roots and establishes creativity as a cornerstone for building a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation, in line with the aspirations of Saudi Vision 2030.
In 2018, the establishment of the Ministry of Culture marked the most significant turning point in the cultural landscape, leading to a comprehensive national project to redefine the concept of culture and integrate it into citizens' daily lives, beyond event organization or supervision of existing institutions.
This was followed by the establishment of 11 specialized cultural commissions and various associations dedicated to cultural and literary arts. Each entity possesses clear strategic plans, dedicated budgets, capacity-building programs, and support platforms for creatives, ensuring a transition from individual efforts to sustainable institutional action. Saudi women have also made remarkable progress in cultural and artistic fields, distinguishing themselves as writers, directors, musicians, critics, and architects, while also assuming leadership roles within cultural institutions.
The tourism sector is a key pillar of Saudi Vision 2030, contributing to the diversification of the national economy. The Kingdom has emerged as a vibrant destination that combines rich historical heritage, natural landscapes, and forward-looking ambitions, offering a distinctive tourism experience to visitors from around the world.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays an influential role on the international stage, leveraging its political and economic weight and its pivotal position in the Arab and Islamic worlds. This standing has enabled it to shape positions on major global issues and serve as a voice whose influence extends beyond its region to the wider international community.
Various regions of the Kingdom have prepared to celebrate this national occasion with a wide range of events and activities that reflect citizens' and residents' pride in this anniversary and the special place National Day holds in their hearts. In celebration of the Saudi National Day, the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), in cooperation with and with the participation of a number of public and private entities, is organizing a series of events and performances across cities throughout the Kingdom, including air, sea, and ground shows, as well as fireworks displays. (QNA)
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