Reviewed national transformation indicators..

Minister of Municipal and Housing Affairs Affirms Kingdom's Progress in Urban Development at the United Nations

His Excellency Minister of Municipal and Housing Affairs, Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, affirmed that Saudi Arabia has established an advanced model in sustainable urban development, transitioning from the planning and policy formulation stage to the implementation and impact achievement stage, based on the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, which made quality of life, housing, municipal development, and sustainability key pillars of national transformation.

This came during the Kingdom's speech delivered by His Excellency at the High-Level General Assembly meeting on the urban agenda in New York City.

His Excellency explained that the Kingdom submitted its updated national report for 2026 to the UN-Habitat program, which documents the urban transformation the Kingdom has witnessed in recent years and highlights the transition from building frameworks and policies to expanding implementation and achieving tangible results on the ground.

His Excellency reviewed the key indicators achieved by the Kingdom, noting that the homeownership rate for Saudi families rose from 47% in 2016 to 66.24% by the end of 2025, approaching the 2030 target of 70%, while more than 25% of Saudi families benefited from housing support services under housing programs between 2018 and 2025.

He pointed out that urban development has witnessed rapid progress, with per capita public space increasing from 5.2 square meters to 6.9 square meters, while the Bahja program added more than 12 million square meters of community spaces, and the Riyadh Metro recorded over 100 million passengers in its first nine months of operation, and the number of city bus users exceeded 96.8 million in 2025, reflecting the development of the mobility

urban and improving quality of life.

His Excellency affirmed that the urban transformation in the Kingdom extended to social aspects, as women's participation in the labor force rose from 22.8% to 36%, the employment rate of persons with disabilities doubled, and the number of non-profit sector organizations exceeded 7,213, achieving a growth of over 341%, indicating the expansion of community participation in the development process.

He explained that the Kingdom continues to develop the urban governance system by enhancing the financial independence of municipalities, integrating urban data, and incorporating climate risk assessment into urban planning, in addition to continuing the implementation of the Saudi Green Initiative and the National Renewable Energy Program, thereby enhancing the sustainability of cities and their ability to face future challenges.

His Excellency pointed out that partnerships and investments formed a key pillar of this transformation, as the Kingdom signed more than 56 partnership agreements with the private sector to support infrastructure and municipal services projects, in addition to signing a strategic cooperation agreement with the UN-Habitat program and the United Nations Development Program for the period 2024-2027. The Kingdom also issued green bonds and sustainable sukuk worth $9.1 billion in 2024, in addition to the green financing framework of the Public Investment Fund, with commitments exceeding $10 billion by 2026.

In conclusion of his speech, His Excellency the Minister of Municipal and Housing Affairs affirmed the Kingdom's commitment to continue supporting the goals of the New Urban Agenda, enhancing international cooperation, and expanding access to sustainable financing, contributing to building more inclusive and sustainable cities and improving the quality of life for future generations.