Saudi Arabia posts surge in GCC citizen mobility and market access in 2024

Saudi Arabia recorded a 5.83 per cent increase in the entry of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) citizens in 2024, with total arrivals reaching approximately 8.8m, according to new official data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The figure matched the total number of departures, reflecting continued mobility within the region.

The latest findings form part of the 2024 Gulf Common Market Indicators Report, which tracks progress across key areas of economic and social integration among GCC member states.

GCC visitors in Saudi Arabia

The indicators highlight strengthening cross-border movement, investment access and participation in public services across the Kingdom.

According to the data, a total of 988 GCC students were enrolled in public higher education institutions in Saudi Arabia in 2024.

Enrolment in public general education reached 5,036, underscoring the active participation of GCC citizens across multiple levels of the Kingdom’s education system.

The report also showed that the number of companies whose shares GCC citizens are allowed to trade in the Kingdom reached 247 — a figure equivalent to the total number of joint-stock companies listed on the Saudi stock market. These companies have a combined capital of around SR850bn ($227bn), underlining the full openness of the Saudi stock market to GCC investors.

The 2024 indicators emphasise the importance of facilitating the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour among GCC states. This aligns with the bloc’s long-term objectives to deepen economic, social and legislative integration.

GASTAT noted that the indicators were based on administrative data from national entities including the ministries of education, health, justice, and human resources and social development, as well as Saudi Tadawul Group and the Saudi Central Bank.

The new report added that data was collected and analysed using rigorous methodologies to ensure reliability and to support joint economic policymaking across GCC countries.