NCA Report Puts Saudi Arabia's Cybersecurity Market at SAR 16.3 Billion

The National Cybersecurity Authority's 2026 economic indicators report values the Kingdom's cybersecurity market at SAR 16.3 billion in 2025, with the private sector accounting for 69% of spending.

What was announced

On 14 October 2026 the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) published its report "Key Economic Indicators in the Cybersecurity Sector 2026", according to the Saudi Press Agency. The report measures market size, the sector's contribution to GDP, workforce numbers and demand by product and service category.

Key figures

• Market size: SAR 16.3 billion in 2025, with compound annual growth of 10.7% between 2023 and 2025.
• Who is spending: private-sector spending of SAR 11.2 billion (69% of the market) against about SAR 5.1 billion (31%) from government entities.
• Products versus services: SAR 8.3 billion on products (51%) and SAR 7.9 billion on services (49%).
• Economic contribution: about SAR 20 billion to GDP in 2025, equal to 0.42% of total GDP and 0.71% of non-oil GDP.
• Workforce: more than 22,000 cybersecurity professionals in 2025, with women making up 33%.
• Highest demand: endpoint security and management, network security, security operations solutions, system integration and data security.

Why it matters for businesses

The figures show that private companies, not only government bodies, now drive most cybersecurity spending in the Kingdom. That reflects regulatory expectations, including NCA controls and data protection rules, as well as growing digital operations. For vendors and service providers, the report offers an official baseline for market sizing. For buyers, it confirms strong competition for skilled staff, which affects hiring costs and the case for managed or outsourced services.

Earlier in the month, on 2 October 2026, the NCA also reminded providers of cybersecurity services, products and solutions to register through the national "Haseen" portal, particularly for activities that do not require a formal NCA licence. Together, the two announcements point to closer oversight of the supplier market as it grows.

What to watch next

Businesses should follow whether the NCA links these indicators to new programmes for local capability, licensing or workforce development, and how demand shifts as more organisations adopt cloud and AI services.

What businesses may want to do: benchmark current security spending and coverage against the categories the NCA highlights, check that any cybersecurity supplier is registered or licensed with the NCA as required, and plan for skills shortages when budgeting security operations.

Sources

• Saudi Press Agency: Saudi Arabia's Cybersecurity Market Reaches SAR16.3 Billion, NCA Report Shows
• Saudi Press Agency: NCA Emphasizes Importance of Registration to Boost Cybersecurity Services

How Sokrab can help

• Cybersecurity in Saudi Arabia
• Cybersecurity risk assessment