Saudi Arabia released 15,000+ housing plots this year despite the war

Wars disrupt trade, push up borrowing costs and make builders nervous. Yet Saudi Arabia's property market is still moving, and the numbers show it.

What happened?

The Ministry of Municipalities and Housing says it has released more than 15,000 residential plots through Sakani (the government housing platform) between January and the end of October 2026. The plots are spread across the kingdom. Private developers have added projects of their own on top of that.

The money is arriving too. Arad Real Estate Development has announced its entry into the Saudi market in partnership with local firm Extopia. Their portfolio of land and projects is worth 50 billion riyals (about 13.3 billion dollars). It starts with a 14-billion-riyal housing project in the Al Rimal district of Riyadh.

A 50-year deal in north Riyadh

There is also a first for the capital. The Riyadh Region Municipality, the housing ministry and the National Center for Privatization have opened the expression-of-interest and bidding stage for a joint-investment project. It covers a plot of land in north Riyadh, to be developed with the private sector for 50 years.

It is the first project the municipality has offered under this joint-investment model. Specialists say the long timeframe encourages developers to invest in better construction and services. They also say it could widen the choice of housing in one of the capital's priciest areas.

Is more land enough?

Not on its own, says developer Ahmed Omar Basaudan. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the real test is getting homes to the people who need them at prices they can afford. That means infrastructure, services and controlled building costs, not just a bigger supply.

The government's stated aim, announced by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is a balanced property market. More land can ease pressure on land prices in the medium term, but only if locations and plot sizes match what buyers actually need.

What's next?

Sakani has been running since 2017, when it launched as part of Vision 2030 (the kingdom's economic reform plan). The question now is whether the new supply turns into homes people can buy and build. Builders, engineering firms and materials suppliers are expecting more work as it does.