Best startup cities in Saudi Arabia in 2027

4 cities in Saudi Arabia make our ranking of 1,000 startup cities worldwide. Riyadh leads at #192 with a total score of 2.42, followed by Jeddah (#294) and Mecca (#695).

For women founders, Jeddah scores highest in Saudi Arabia on the MeanCEO Index with 58/100. Each city page covers funding, company registration, taxes, founder visas, pros and cons, and the ten MeanCEO factors.

Startup cities in Saudi Arabia, ranked

#	City	World rank	Total	Quantity	Quality	Business	MeanCEO
1	Riyadh	#192	2.42	0.39	0.34	1.68	53
2	Jeddah	#294	1	0.23	0.08	0.7	58
3	Mecca	#695	0.21	0.03	0.03	0.15	43
4	Medina	#932	0.12	0.01	0.03	0.09	43

Total = quantity (startups, accelerators, coworking spaces) + quality (traction of top startups, unicorns, exits) + business environment (national conditions), from the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index (2024 edition). The MeanCEO Index (0 to 100) is our own score of how livable and welcoming a city is for women founders.

Other countries in Middle East and North Africa

All countries · All 1,000 cities, ranked