GASTAT highlights deepening AI use across Saudi sectors

Published: 2026-06-15T11:31:03.000Z

Saudi Arabia keeps producing official numbers on AI adoption that would be the envy of most economies, and the latest is no exception. GASTAT says the share of Saudi businesses using artificial intelligence rose to 33.1 percent in 2025, up about 20 percent compared with 2024.

Saudi Arabia keeps producing official numbers on artificial intelligence adoption that would be the envy of most economies, and the latest set is no exception. According to the General Authority for Statistics, known as GASTAT, the share of Saudi businesses using AI rose to 33.1 percent in 2025, up by about 20 percent compared with 2024. That figure sits inside a wider ICT report that paints a picture of a business sector almost entirely connected, with 98.1 percent of establishments now having an active internet connection. For a country that has wrapped its national strategy around technology, the data offers a useful reality check on whether the rhetoric is showing up in the day to day economy. The sector breakdown is where things get more interesting. Information and communications led the kingdom in AI adoption, with 61.1 percent of establishments using the technology, followed by financial and insurance activities at 52.9 percent and education at 51 percent. Transportation and storage came in at 44.4 percent, while professional activities reached 43.9 percent. Those numbers track with what you would expect, since these are the industries where data is plentiful, processes are repeatable, and the case for automation is easiest to make to the finance department. The trend line is just as important as the headline figure. The 33.1 percent share for 2025 is up from the 27.6 percent GASTAT recorded for 2024, with sector readings climbing across the board. Information and communications has moved from 52.8 to 61.1 percent, finance and insurance from 44.7 to 52.9 percent, and education from 42.1 to 51 percent. Internet adoption at the business level has effectively plateaued near full coverage, so the next frontier is what companies actually do with that connectivity, and AI usage is the cleanest proxy for that. The report stretches well beyond AI. Reliance on e-government services among businesses sits at 93.2 percent and internet use for transactions and e-banking at 79.1 percent. Cloud computing has reached 51.3 percent adoption, while 71.4 percent of establishments use the Internet of Things for building security, with smart cameras, alarms and connected locks. E-commerce activity has expanded too, with 33.5 percent of establishments selling or displaying goods online and the financial and insurance sector leading at 48.5 percent. Together those numbers describe a private sector that is digitizing fast on several fronts at once. The regional read is straightforward and unflattering to neighbors that have been slower to measure their own progress. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and a handful of other Gulf states have positioned themselves at the front of AI adoption across the Middle East and North Africa, but the kingdom now stands out for the quality and frequency of its official data. As governments and corporates across the region increasingly use AI deployment as a competitive yardstick, having clean, year over year statistics like these is itself becoming a soft power asset.