Saudi Arabia is on course for a huge budget deficit this year after posting a $22.5bn shortfall in Q3. Last quarter’s results bring the cumulative deficit for the year-to-date to $65.1bn, already within touching distance of the Ministry of Finance’s revised full year estimate of $65.3bn (MEES, 2 October).
Absent a significant improvement this quarter, the 2026 deficit will surpass last year’s $73.8bn and could threaten 2020’s $78.4bn (see chart 1). (CONTINUED - 578 WORDS)
