United States Emerges as Top Greenfield Investor in Saudi Arabia for H1 2025
Deal News | Aug 20, 2025 | Zawya
In the first half of 2025, the United States became the largest source of greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) in Saudi Arabia, leading with 61 projects worth $2.7 billion. This accounted for nearly one-third of both project count and capital investment. The report by Emirates NBD highlights Egypt's significant contribution, ranking second in capital investment with $1.81 billion from 11 projects, focused on real estate. China and France also contributed, with investments of $858.3 million and $771.7 million, respectively. The UAE marked its presence with 25 projects amounting to $205.3 million. The total number of greenfield projects rose by 30.1% year-on-year to 203 in H1 2025, with investment inflows growing by 1.7% to $9.34 billion. Riyadh, Dammam, and Jeddah were the top destinations for these investments. The business services sector led in project numbers, while the communications sector attracted the most capital investment, significantly aided by Equinix's $1 billion data center project announced at LEAP 2025.
Sectors
- Foreign Direct Investment
- Communications
- Real Estate
Geography
- Saudi Arabia – Saudi Arabia is the central location for the greenfield FDI projects and investments discussed in the article.
- United States – The US emerged as the top source of FDI into Saudi Arabia, leading in both project count and investment value.
- Egypt – Egypt ranked second in capital investment in Saudi Arabia, focusing mainly on real estate projects.
- China – China contributed significantly to Saudi Arabia's FDI projects, with a notable amount of $858.3 million in investment.
- UAE – The UAE strengthened its regional investment footprint in Saudi Arabia with multiple projects.
Industry
- Foreign Direct Investment – The article discusses greenfield foreign direct investments in Saudi Arabia, highlighting projects and capital investments from various countries.
- Communications – The communications sector attracted the highest capital investment in Saudi Arabia, with a notable investment by Equinix.
- Real Estate – Real estate was a significant contributor to FDI with major investments, particularly noted in investments from Egypt.
Financials
- $2.7 billion – Total value of 61 projects contributed by the United States to Saudi Arabia's FDI.
- $1.81 billion – Capital investment from Egypt in Saudi Arabia, focusing on real estate projects.
- $9.34 billion – Total foreign direct investment inflows into Saudi Arabia in the first half of 2025.
- $1.92 billion – Investment in the communications sector, including Equinix's data center investment.
Participants
| Name | Role | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Investor | Country | The top source of greenfield foreign direct investment (FDI) in Saudi Arabia in H1 2025. |
| Emirates NBD | Source | Company | The bank provided the report that detailed the FDI inflows to Saudi Arabia. |
| Equinix | Investor | Company | Equinix announced a significant $1 billion data center investment in Saudi Arabia. |