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Saudi Arabia Sees 144% Surge in Mining Exploration Licenses in H1 2025

Prime Highlights

  • 22 new mining exploration licenses were issued in H1 2025, an increase of 144% YoY.
  • Investment was more than SR 134 million with estimated mineral production of 7.86 million tonnes per annum.

Key Facts

  • 23 companies were licensed for the half year of 2025 for the first time, out of which 16 were new ones.
  • 239 strategic and industrial minerals active exploitation licenses.

Key Background

Saudi mining continues to gain momentum as a result of vision-led strategic reforms and investment strategies under Vision 2030. The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources reported, in the first half of 2025, a 144% surge in new mining exploration permits issued—22 compared to nine for the same period in 2024. Growth is proof of escalating investor confidence and the Kingdom’s development into a world-class mining hub.

New licenses have attracted 23 companies, 16 of them entering the Saudi mining sector for the first time. The value of investment of funds allocated to the licenses has exceeded SR 134 million, with an exploration area of approximately 47 square kilometers. Total production per year of 7.86 million tonnes of industrial minerals such as salt, clay, silica sand, feldspar, gypsum, and low-grade iron ore will be achieved by the projects.

The Kingdom currently owns 239 exploitation permits, with 32 of them being for strategic minerals including gold, copper, phosphate, and bauxite and 207 for industrial minerals including limestone, gypsum, and clay. This reflects Saudi Arabia’s aspiration towards the production of value-added as well as ancillary mineral commodities in order to diversify its economy.

Deputy Minister Khalid Al-Mudaifer further said the cost of prospecting for minerals was twice 2018 at $100 per square kilometer on average in a year that had an average growth rate of 32%, higher than the growth rate elsewhere in the world. To date, SR 120 billion ($32 billion) has been invested in mining projects, almost one-third of the government’s $100 billion plan to invest in mining by the year 2030. The projects reinforce Saudi vision plan to raise the proportion of the mining sector in GDP from $17 billion to $75 billion in 2035, driven by the significant, untapped mineral resources of the country.