Market Intelligence Brief - Saudi Arabia 2022

Saudi Arabia is home to the largest economy in the Middle East and is the world’s second largest producer of oil after the United States. It is one of the leading sources of international students in the UK and other major English-speaking destinations thanks to large-scale scholarship programmes that provide funding for Saudi students studying undergraduate and postgraduate programmes abroad. The country's large foreign population also creates a strong demand for international schools.

Saudi Arabia's education system has achieved strong growth in enrolment but still faces quality challenges. Education plays a critical role in a wider series of reforms that aim to liberalise Saudi society and economy and prepare the country for a post-oil future, with goals in the education sector including improving teaching standards and quality assurance as well better aligning the education system with labour market needs.

This 26-page report gives an overview of the Saudi education system and the country's wider demographic, economic and political context, with a focus on international education trends in the country - including both student mobility and transnational education. It aims to provide useful information to UK education institutions and other UK stakeholders considering partnerships with Saudi counterparts and to support further cooperation and engagement between the UK and Saudi Arabia.