Minister of Municipalities and Housing: Saudi families own more than 66% of their homes... and we aim to inject 300,000 housing units into Riyadh to enhance real estate balance.

Monday 08 June 2026
وزير البلديات والإسكان: تملك الأسر السعودية يتجاوز 66%.. ونستهدف ضخ 300 ألف وحدة سكنية في الرياض لتعزيز التوازن العقاري

His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Real Estate, Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, affirmed today that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has succeeded in building a smart and balanced real estate system that has contributed to raising the percentage of Saudi families owning homes from 47% in 2016 to more than 66% by the end of 2025, in an indicator that reflects the effectiveness of housing policies and regulatory reforms that the sector has witnessed during the past years.

This came during His Excellency’s speech at the opening of the fifth edition of the Future Real Estate Forum, where he explained that the Kingdom chose the path of “real estate balance” as a strategic approach aimed at enhancing market stability, raising its efficiency, and establishing fairness in it, noting that this path has been translated into precise regulatory tools whose effects have appeared in less than a year since the launch of its programs in 2025.

His Excellency pointed out that the system of non-Saudi ownership has entered into force within a disciplined regulatory framework that enhances the attractiveness of the real estate market and preserves its sustainability, stressing that balanced regulation represents a fundamental pillar in stimulating investment and raising the efficiency of the sector.

In the context of regulating land and stimulating supply, His Excellency explained that the White Land and Vacant Properties Fees Program aims to activate unexploited land, noting that more than 60,000 invoices have been issued since the beginning of 2026, in addition to the availability of land ready for development in the city of Riyadh, exceeding 100 million square meters, which contributes to increasing supply and achieving a balance between supply and demand.

His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing explained that the Ministry, in partnership with the private sector, is working to provide more than 300,000 housing units in the city of Riyadh during the next three years, noting that more than 300,000 housing units have been provided until the end of 2025 in 16 cities in various regions of the Kingdom, while the number of beneficiaries of housing support programs has exceeded one million beneficiaries, in a step that enhances the sustainability and diversity of housing solutions.

On the financing and investment side, His Excellency revealed that the total real estate financing portfolios in Saudi banks represent about 27%, noting that local bonds worth more than 20 billion riyals and an international issuance worth 4.5 billion dollars were issued, in addition to attracting global developers through an investment portfolio exceeding 40 billion riyals, which reflects the strength of the sector and the confidence of investors in it.

The Minister of Municipalities and Housing pointed to the diversity of housing solutions through multiple tools including rent-to-own, fractional ownership, and real estate coding, which expands the options available to beneficiaries and increases market flexibility.

Al-Haqil affirmed that the Kingdom today possesses an advanced digital real estate system that is among the first globally, with the operation of 13 digital platforms serving more than 35 million users, and the completion of about 80% of real estate transactions digitally, in addition to issuing more than 1.3 million real estate records, which enhances governance and transparency and raises performance efficiency.

Regarding real estate coding, His Excellency explained that its regulatory journey is going through seven stages, with the launch of a regulatory experiment for the private sector with the participation of nine companies, while the journey of the future of coding extends through three main stages, in a step aimed at building a more open and innovative real estate market.

His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing concluded his speech by emphasizing that the Saudi real estate sector is confidently moving towards a new stage of maturity and sustainability, supported by regulatory, financial and digital reforms that enhance its position as one of the main drivers of the national economy.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia