Welcome to "Around the World with Bidease," our blog series that takes a closer look at emerging mobile advertising markets in Eastern Europe and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). In each post, we’ll explore a different country or region, highlighting key trends, opportunities, and insights for mobile marketers and app developers. Stay with us as we guide you through these markets, offering insights on new audiences and growing your mobile advertising efforts. To learn more about Bidease and how we tap into emerging markets to grow your app, visit www.bidease.com.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, a dynamic nexus between ancient heritage and modern digital transformation, offers a fascinating landscape for mobile marketers. Although the Gulf giant has become a leading country in the Middle East due to its access to natural resources and strong political relations, it has more recently focused on diversifying its economy with technological advancements. With a robust smartphone penetration and significant daily engagement with mobile apps, Saudi Arabia stands out as a prime environment for app developers and advertisers aiming to tap into the Middle Eastern market.

At a glance:

Country: Saudi Arabia
Official language: Arabic
Capitol: Riyadh
Population: 35 million
Most popular app by downloads: Nusuk | نسك
Most popular app category: Gaming
OS breakout: 53% Android, 47% iOS
Mobile Rank: High



Getting to Know the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, with its vast deserts and pivotal role in Islam as the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad and home to Mecca and Medina, has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. The Kingdom has evolved from a sparsely populated region of desert tribes to a modern state at the forefront of the Arab world, largely due to the discovery of oil in the 20th century. This transformation has propelled Saudi Arabia into a key player on the global stage, balancing traditional values with modernization and playing a significant role in regional politics and the global energy market.

Saudi Arabia’s rich tapestry of history is matched by its rapid embrace of the digital age.

The Saudi population is young, with 63% under the age of 30. This demographic is tech-savvy, highly connected, and shows a strong preference for mobile-first digital experiences. As young Saudis look for employee opportunities and the world seeks alternatives to fossil fuels amidst global climate change, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has tried to modernize and future-proof his country with a new economic plan. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to diversify the economy and develop public service sectors such as health, education, infrastructure, recreation, and tourism. Digital transformation is a key pillar of this vision, with significant investments in enhancing digital infrastructure and increasing internet and mobile device accessibility.

As home to Islam’s two holiest cities, Saudi Arabia is a country where tradition and cultural norms govern much of everyday life. These norms greatly influence media consumption and online behavior. For example, media consumption peaks during Ramadan and Muslim holidays such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha (typically in the spring and summer). Additionally, national events like Saudi National Day in September witness heightened social media activity.

Saudi Arabia as an Emerging Mobile Market

Saudi Arabia is ranked among the top 30 countries worldwide by number of smartphones, according to Statista. In fact, smartphone penetration in Saudi Arabia is among the highest in the world, with rates stabilized at 97% of the population for the past few years.

Saudis are also highly engaged with their mobile devices and hungry for new downloads. Despite having a population only 43% the size of a large, mobile-mature market like Germany, users in Saudi Arabia are expected to download nearly 34 million more apps than Germans by the end of 2024.

The most popular app categories reflect the Saudi preference for social interaction and entertainment, with a significant uptick in gaming apps, social media, and streaming over the next few years. As a result, app revenue from games is expected to increase nearly 28% by 2027 to $741M USD. Likewise, social media and streaming app revenue is expected to increase by 26% and 41%, respectively.

Promising revenue growth and popularity of these app categories means most advertisers spend here, as well. Over the next four years, social media is expected to remain the top vertical for in-app ad spending. However, it represents the slowest growth rate during that time at 22%. Gaming and streaming, on the other hand, are expected to grow 67% each as programmatic gains a stronger foothold in the region.

Interestingly, photo and video apps are more popular — and generate more revenue — in Saudi Arabia than other parts of the world. Downloads for photo and video apps make up nearly 10% of the country’s projected 2.97 billion app downloads for 2024. This is significantly higher than the share of downloads in markets like Japan (6%), the United States (6%), and Germany (5%). Photo and video apps are also a profitable market in Saudi Arabia. Compared to the previously mentioned markets, where photo apps make up approximately 2% of their respective total app revenues, in Saudi Arabia the category is projected to bring in $158.4M USD, or 8.5% of total app revenue this year. Perhaps because of the design of most photo and video apps, this vertical unfortunately sees little in-app advertising.

Unlocking Programmatic Advertising in Saudi Arabia

Although the primary mobile app developers in the region are government-owned (think Absher, Tawakkalna Services and Tawakkalna Emergency), other prominent MENA apps like noon E-commerce and STCPay (MENA’s first fintech unicorn) are headquartered in the Kingdom’s capital city, Riyadh. As a user-base, Saudis are highly engaged and spend 5.5 hours each day on apps, with nearly 40% of Saudi mobile devices set to English. This means entering Saudi Arabia as a new market is significantly easier for app developers and marketers who already have an app in English.

Programmatic advertising acts, therefore, as a key driver for precision and efficiency in reaching the engaged and tech-savvy Saudi audience. The Kingdom’s mobile infrastructure and high engagement lay the groundwork for sophisticated programmatic strategies that can dynamically target users across a myriad of apps, languages, and cities.

The promising mobile market in Saudi Arabia, characterized by high smartphone penetration, extensive app engagement, and a rich cultural landscape, offers numerous untapped opportunities for app marketers. By embracing localized strategies that resonate with the Saudi audience, advertisers can unlock significant growth potential. Bidease is poised to guide advertisers through Saudi Arabia’s dynamic mobile ecosystem, leveraging deep market insights and localized expertise to help brands connect meaningfully with Saudi users and thrive in this burgeoning digital marketplace. Sign up today to start capitalizing on performant, untapped markets like Saudi Arabia, or learn more about emerging mobile markets in Eastern Europe and MENA.