Women in Saudi Arabia now own 59,800 establishments in the accommodation and food service sector, representing 49.7 per cent of the total businesses in this sector, according to data released by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at).
The report revealed that the accommodation and food service sector employed 712,000 workers in 2024, distributed across various enterprise sizes.
The workforce distribution shows 250,000 workers in micro enterprises, 258,600 in small enterprises, 115,000 in medium-sized enterprises, and 88,000 in large enterprises, the Saudi Gazette reported, citing the Monsha’at report.
This growth in women-owned businesses comes amid a broader expansion of commercial activity in the Kingdom.
The Ministry of Commerce reported a 48 per cent increase in commercial registrations issued during the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
More than 154,000 commercial registrations were issued in Q1 2025, bringing the total number to more than 1.68 million across all regions of Saudi Arabia, the report said.
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