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The International Telecommunication Union ranked Saudi Arabia first in its ICT Development Index while Ookla data placed the country among the G20’s top five for mobile internet speeds. Saudi Arabia has also established itself as the regional leader in digital government services according to the UN e-Government Development Index and chaired an International Organization for Standardization technical committee on standards for wound dressings. The country additionally set a Guinness World Record for the world’s largest fintech hackathon as part of initiatives to expand its technology ecosystem.
Saudi Arabia obtained new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certifications for several building projects and received recognition from the Slow Food organization for preservation efforts. The World Health Organization named a Saudi center as one of its collaborating centres while Saudi representatives took leadership roles in the International Civil Aviation Organization, Codex Alimentarius Commission, International Organization for Standardization and Arab Civil Aviation Organization. A food safety standard developed domestically won adoption by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and both UNESCO and the WHO extended additional recognitions to Saudi programs in culture and public health.
King Saud University Medical City gained multiple subject-specific international rankings in medical disciplines and King Abdulaziz University earned global sustainability recognition from independent evaluators. Jouf University received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a research innovation while Saudi entrants collected 14 awards at the International Competition on Artificial Intelligence in Education. The country further obtained recognition at the World Summit on the Information Society for programs advancing digital access and inclusion.
Saudi fencers won the Kingdom’s first medal at the senior Fencing World Championships and athletes delivered strong performances in handball, swimming, jiu-jitsu, boxing and weightlifting events. A Saudi competitor established a new world youth record in an athletics discipline and the country expanded its governance role within the Asian Polo Federation. Saudi Arabia additionally topped the club championship standings at the Esports World Cup reinforcing its position as a global center for competitive gaming.
The Kingdom hosted the 57th International Physics Olympiad bringing together student competitors from more than 100 countries for the event held this year. United Nations World Tourism Organization statistics showed Saudi Arabia recorded the highest growth rate in international tourist arrivals among major destinations. The sector has expanded through new visa facilitation measures and development of entertainment and hospitality infrastructure across multiple regions.
A World Bank assessment found Saudi non-oil GDP grew at an average annual rate exceeding 4 percent in the years following the 2016 launch of the Vision 2030 program. Central Statistical Bureau figures indicate the services sector including tourism and technology now accounts for a rising share of economic output. The International Monetary Fund has projected continued diversification with non-hydrocarbon revenues expected to rise further through the end of the decade.
