Saudi State of Culture 2025: streaming leads film viewing, cinemas set a record.

The Ministry of Culture has published the State of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2025, the seventh edition of its annual review of the sector. Released in Arabic on 7 October, the 288-page report is subtitled A Decade of Vision and adds a chapter looking back on culture's first ten years under Vision 2030.

For marketers, the most useful numbers are about audiences. The ministry's survey puts participation in cultural activities at 74.8% once cinema-going is counted, and finds that streaming platforms are now the preferred way to watch films. Yet cinemas had their best year, selling 18.77 million tickets in 2025.

Key findings

• Participation is steady, and the young lead. On the measure used since 2021, about 70% took part in at least one cultural activity, up from 54% in 2021 and level with recent years. The youngest age group takes part most (83%), against 62% among older groups, and frequent participation rises with income.
• Streaming leads the cinema for films. 44.9% prefer to watch films on streaming platforms such as Shahid and Netflix, while the share preferring cinemas fell to 17.8% from 21% in 2023. More than half of 18- to 34-year-olds prefer streaming. Print still leads for reading: 38% prefer paper books and 23% e-books.
• Cinemas still had a record year. Tickets rose 7.2% to 18.77 million and revenue 8.9% to about SAR 921m. The ministry says initiatives and regulatory measures brought the average ticket price down to SAR 49. But the number of cinemas fell from 64 to 62, and four regions, Northern Borders, Al-Baha, Najran and Al-Jouf, have none.
• Local production is uneven. 54 films premiered in 2025, about half the 2023 figure. Performing arts shows nearly doubled to 238, stand-up comedy shows tripled alongside the Riyadh Comedy Festival, and Saudi authors published 715 literary works, up 40%.
• Big venues keep drawing crowds. The Riyadh International Book Fair had more than 1.38 million visitors, the National Museum 444,540 and the King Fahd National Library 399,605, up 164%. Literary cafés grew 168% to 222, and amateur clubs passed 1,400, up 76%.
• Cultural tourism slipped. Tourists taking part in cultural activities fell from about 50 million to about 45 million. Domestic cultural tourists fell 12% to 29.9 million, and inbound ones from 16.1 million to 15.1 million.
• Jobs and funding are growing. Cultural occupations employed about 283,000 people, three-quarters of them in culinary arts and fashion. Saudisation is 8.5% overall but 36% outside culinary, fashion and hairdressing jobs. Support from the Cultural Development Fund rose 93% to SAR 376m.

Ten years in numbers

The thematic chapter tracks the decade since Vision 2030 began. Cultural workers rose from about 172,000 in 2021 to about 283,000 in 2025, and active businesses in cultural activities from 38,000 in 2021 to more than 51,000 in 2023. Cinema tickets went from 6.9 million in 2019 to 18.8 million in 2025, visitors to the Riyadh book fair from about 350,000 in 2016 to almost 1.4 million, and inbound tourists taking part in cultural activities from 5.1 million in 2019 to 15.1 million in 2025.

How the research was done

The report draws on data from 119 organisations and on the seventh round of the ministry's cultural participation survey. The survey was run by phone with the Saudi Center for Public Opinion Polling between 4 and 18 May 2026, using a random sample of 3,009 citizens and residents aged 18 and over in all 13 regions, with a margin of error of 1.99%. It asks about the previous 12 months and follows UNESCO's reference standards for measuring cultural participation. Men made up 74% of respondents, and Saudi responses were weighted to match the population.

What it means for marketers

The streaming and cinema numbers sit side by side rather than in conflict. More people in Saudi Arabia prefer streaming films to the cinema, and more than half of under-35s do, yet more cinema tickets were sold than ever. Brands planning film and entertainment partnerships need both: streaming for reach among younger audiences and cinema for big shared moments, bearing in mind that four regions still have no cinema.

Live culture is where provision is growing fastest, from comedy and theatre to literary cafés and amateur clubs, though the survey found participation fell in most activities. These offer sponsorship and community routes that are less crowded than the biggest events. The falls in cultural tourism and in local film production are worth watching for brands that tie campaigns to heritage sites or Saudi-made content.

About this report

Published by Ministry of Culture, October 2026. Free, in Arabic. Get the full report from the Ministry of Culture

Sources

• Ministry of Culture, State of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2025: A Decade of Vision (تقرير الحالة الثقافية في المملكة العربية السعودية 2025م: عقد من الرؤية), 7 October 2026