{"id":104112,"date":"2026-01-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2026\/01\/15\/revised-down\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T00:00:00","slug":"revised-down","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2026\/01\/15\/revised-down\/","title":{"rendered":"Revised down"},"content":{"rendered":"

The World Bank revised down its projection for Saudi Arabia\u2019s GDP growth in 2026<\/strong>, saying in its Global Economic Prospects report (pdf)<\/a> that it now sees the economy expanding 4.3% this year. That\u2019s a slight revision of 0.2% from the bank\u2019s previous forecast in June<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Remember the non-oil escape velocity:<\/strong> Most analysts<\/a> agree that growth will be driven by the non-oil sector, fueled by high private consumption, a large youth demographic, and low unemployment. Conversely, the oil sector is expected to remain stagnant in early 2026 due to ongoing OPEC+ production caps.<\/p>\n

The GCC at large <\/p>\n

The GCC is poised to grow at a clip of 4.4% in 2026<\/strong> and 4.6% in 2027 \u2014 well above projected global growth rates of 2.6% in 2026 and 2.7% in 2027. This acceleration is underpinned by a \u201csteady expansion of non-hydrocarbon activity\u201d and a strategic pivot as Opec+ begins to reverse production cuts.<\/p>\n

The hydrocarbon rebound:<\/strong> After a larger-than-expected production increase in 2025, further Opec+ increases and expanding natural gas production \u2014 particularly in Qatar \u2014 will support the growth trajectory, according to the report.<\/p>\n

Non-oil dynamism:<\/strong> Non-hydrocarbon activities now account for over 60% of total GCC GDP. This sector is being shored up by \u201cexpected large-scale investments\u201d in infrastructure and technology, particularly in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Fiscal deficits are expected to shrink across the GCC in 2026-27<\/strong>, courtesy of a boost to oil revenues \u2014 despite lower oil prices \u2014 as well as tax reforms, including in the UAE, the World Bank said. <\/p>\n

Risks for the region are \u201ctilted to the downside,\u201d <\/strong>however, the World Bank says, pointing to regional conflicts, trade uncertainty, and lower oil prices as potentially harmful for demand, business confidence, and capital spending. Meanwhile, upside risks include further investments in AI and additional structural reforms across MENA. <\/p>\n

(** Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links<\/strong> to our background and outside sources.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GCC growth rates projected at 4.4% in 2026 amid non-hydrocarbon expansion<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2571],"tags":[27,10,442],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-104112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-economy","tag-economy","tag-enterpriseam-ksa","tag-world-bank","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"c011b1e4-9d4d-4ec5-8691-4df261746acd","order":"4","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"1","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/1\/515.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"World Bank sees slightly slower growth this year","related_issue":[104109],"teaser":"GCC growth rates projected at 4.4% in 2026 amid non-hydrocarbon expansion"},"yoast_head":"\nRevised down - 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