RIYADH: As to a report by the General Authority for Statistics, the logistics industry in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant expansion, with the number of facilities rising by 267 percent since 2021. With 22 hubs totaling more than 34 million square meters in 2023, the Kingdom demonstrated its ambition to lead regional logistics as part of its Vision 2030 plan. The Eastern Province region had six hubs totaling 6.3 million square meters, making it the region with the most logistics centers.
However, with five centers totaling 20 million square meters, the Makkah region had the most total area. Riyadh came in second with five centers totaling 4.9 million square meters. In 2023, the Kingdom had 12,451 warehouses totaling 22.8 million square meters, according to the research. With an area of 10.6 million square meters, Riyadh made up 52.9 percent of the total, followed by Makkah (17.9 percent), the Eastern Province (14.3 percent), and other regions (14.9 percent).
The survey found that, with 6,923 licenses, or 55.6% of all licenses, general warehouse licenses were the most common type. Refrigerated warehouses made up 16 percent of the total with 2,006 licenses, followed by humidity-controlled warehouses with 2,115 licenses, or 17 percent.
With 308.7 million tonnes, the maritime industry led the way in terms of quantity of goods transported, followed by 24.9 million tonnes conveyed by land, 14.3 million tonnes transported by rail, and 918,000 tonnes transferred by air. Additionally, the survey showed that 7,963 valid permits were recorded in the goods transport segment, with 1,996 active licenses in the Riyadh region topping the pack.
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