Market Research and Customer Experience Market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2026

About the Estimates and Forecasts

This report is based on Steady Pace Consultancy’s estimates of the size and structure of the market research and customer experience market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The estimates draw on the monitoring of companies operating in the sector, publicly available professional data, and relevant local and international sources.

The 2024 data represent the baseline year for the analysis, while the 2026 figures represent near-term market forecasts. The 2029 figures are forward-looking estimates based on scenarios for market growth and developments in spending, demand, and the number of companies and employees in the sector.

Given the absence of an independent official statistical classification covering the full scope of market research and customer experience, the figures should be treated as analytical estimates and forecasts rather than official statistics. They may change as the market evolves and new data become available.

The market research and customer experience market in Saudi Arabia is evolving rapidly, driven by economic transformation, the expansion of non-oil sectors, and growing interest among government and private-sector organizations in understanding markets and customers, improving experience quality, and supporting data-driven decision-making.

According to Steady Pace Consultancy’s estimates, the market grew by approximately 15% in 2025. Growth is expected to slow to around 6% in 2026 before regaining momentum during the 2027–2029 period.

Market Research and Customer Experience Market Size

Indicator	Saudi Market	Global Market
Market size in 2024	USD 350–400 million (SAR 1.31–1.50 billion)	USD 93 billion
Market size in 2025	USD 403–460 million (SAR 1.51–1.73 billion)	—
Expected market size in 2026	USD 427–488 million (SAR 1.60–1.83 billion)	Approximately USD 97 billion
Market growth in 2025	15%	—
Expected growth in 2026	6%	Approximately 3–4%
Source	Steady Pace Consultancy estimates	Specialized global sources

Despite the expected slowdown in growth from 15% in 2025 to 6% in 2026, the Saudi market remains supported by economic transformation, growth in non-oil sectors, and rising demand for consumer research, customer experience, market intelligence, and data analytics.

Characteristics of the Saudi Market

Criterion	2024 Baseline	2026 Forecast	2029 Estimate
Total monitored companies	69	84	105
Saudi companies	33	40	52
Foreign companies	36	44	53
Central Region	61	74	90
Western Region	8	10	15
Saudis in foreign companies	15% or less	Approximately 18%	Approximately 22%
Saudis in Saudi companies	60% or more	Approximately 64%	Approximately 70%
Number of employees per company	6–88 employees	6–107 employees	6–125 employees
Average employee experience in foreign companies	11 years	12 years	13 years
Average employee experience in Saudi companies	7 years	8 years	10 years
Average age of foreign companies	57 years	59 years	62 years
Average age of Saudi companies	9 years	11 years	14 years
Total market employment	—	1,600–1,900 employees	2,100–2,500 employees

The size of companies operating in the market varies considerably. During the baseline year, the monitored companies employed between 6 and 88 people, and this range is expected to widen gradually as existing companies grow and new entrants join the market.

Estimates of the number of companies, Saudi employment ratios, team sizes, average experience, and total market employment are based on Steady Pace’s monitoring and publicly available professional data at the time the study was prepared.

Market growth is not expected to translate fully into a corresponding increase in the number of companies or employees. Part of the anticipated growth is expected to come from higher client spending, the expansion of existing companies, increased productivity, and greater adoption of digital solutions, analytics, and artificial intelligence.

Key Solutions and Services in the Market

Key services and solutions offered by companies operating in the market include market studies, consumer research, customer experience, customer satisfaction measurement, customer loyalty measurement, customer effort measurement, brand research, product testing, mystery shopping, market intelligence, competitive intelligence, and data analytics.

Demand for market intelligence, customer intelligence, continuous analytics, early-warning capabilities, and AI-powered solutions is expected to increase over the coming years.

Outlook Through 2029

Steady Pace expects 2026 to represent an exceptional period of slower market growth, with an anticipated growth rate of approximately 6%, followed by a recovery in growth momentum beginning in 2027.

Under the base-case scenario, the market research and customer experience market in the Kingdom is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 10% per year from 2027 to 2029.

Indicator	Saudi Market	Global Market
Market size in 2026	USD 427–488 million (SAR 1.60–1.83 billion)	Approximately USD 97 billion
Growth rate in 2026	6%	Approximately 3–4%
CAGR 2027–2029	Approximately 10% per year	Approximately 4–5% per year
Estimated market size in 2029	USD 568–650 million (SAR 2.13–2.44 billion)	Approximately USD 111 billion
Cumulative growth 2026–2029	Approximately 33%	Approximately 14–15%

The compound annual growth rate means that each year’s growth is calculated based on the market size in the preceding year. For example, using the lower end of the estimate: USD 427 million in 2026 → USD 470 million in 2027 → USD 517 million in 2028 → USD 568 million in 2029.

Accordingly, the market research and customer experience market in the Kingdom is estimated to exceed USD 500 million annually by 2029, reaching approximately SAR 2.13–2.44 billion.

The number of monitored companies is also estimated to increase from 84 in 2026 to approximately 105 by 2029, alongside an increase in total employment to around 2,100–2,500 employees and a gradual rise in Saudi employment ratios and average experience levels.

The market’s transformation over the coming years is expected to be more qualitative than quantitative, with a growing share of demand shifting toward market intelligence, customer intelligence, customer experience, advanced analytics, real-time data, and AI-powered solutions.

Sources and Methodology

Saudi market: Estimates and monitoring by Steady Pace Consultancy. The 2024 data represent the baseline year, the 2026 data represent market forecasts, and the 2029 figures represent forward-looking estimates based on the base-case scenario for market growth and structural development.

Company and workforce data: Based on monitoring and publicly available professional data at the time the study was prepared; these figures do not represent official workforce records.

Global market: International sources specializing in market research and related services. Market definitions may vary between global sources and the scope used in Steady Pace’s analysis; therefore, global comparisons are used as reference indicators.