Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia

Mohammed bin Salman

Known worldwide as MBS. A verified record of the man reshaping half a century of Saudi order in a single decade — the Vision 2030 programme, the megaprojects, the reforms, and the criticism, each with its source attached.

Born31 Aug 1985, Riyadh
Crown PrinceJune 2017
Prime MinisterSeptember 2022
ChairsPublic Investment Fund
ProgrammeVision 2030
Head of StateKing Salman bin Abdulaziz

Life and career

1985 to 2026

31 Aug 1985
Born in Riyadh, eldest son of Fahda bint Falah Al Hithlain and Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, then Governor of Riyadh
2009
Appointed special adviser to his father at the Riyadh governorate
2013
Head of the Crown Prince's Court, with the rank of minister
January 2015
His father accedes to the throne. Named Minister of Defence — the youngest in the world at the time — and head of the Royal Court
March 2015
Saudi-led military operation begins in Yemen
April 2015
Named Deputy Crown Prince
April 2016
Announces Vision 2030 and gives his first television interview
June 2017
Named Crown Prince, replacing Muhammad bin Nayef
November 2017
Anti-corruption operation detains hundreds at the Riyadh Ritz-Carlton
June 2018
The ban on women driving is lifted
October 2018
Journalist Jamal Khashoggi is killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul
December 2019
Aramco lists on Tadawul in one of the largest public offerings on record
September 2022
Appointed Prime Minister
March 2023
Diplomatic relations with Iran restored, brokered by China
December 2024
FIFA awards the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia
September 2025
Mutual defence agreement signed with Pakistan. Construction on The Line is suspended
November 2025
Visits Washington after a seven-year absence
July 2026
Thirty-year civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed with the United States

Where the record stands

$1.21T

Public Investment Fund assets under management, end-2025

36%

Female labour force participation, 2025 — against a 30% target

122M

Visitors to Saudi Arabia in 2025 — against a 100M target

Sections

Ten files, one standard of proof

File 01 · Updated 30 July 2026

Vision 2030

Announced in April 2016 to cut the kingdom's dependence on oil revenue, grow the private sector and modernise public services. The programme turned ten in 2026, which means it can now be judged on published figures rather than intentions.

Indicators · Exceeded target

Female labour force participation

36%Exceeded

20% in 2017Target 30%

Unemployment, Saudi nationals

7.2%Near target

12.3% at launchTarget 7% by 2030

Annual visitors

122MExceeded

Target 100MSAR 300bn spend

Indicators · Behind target

Non-oil exports as share of non-oil GDP

22.1%Declined

25.2% in the 2024 reportTarget 50%

Foreign direct investment, share of GDP

2.8%Behind

Target 3.4%

Ten years

2016 against 2026

Indicator20162026

Non-oil share of GDP45.4%55%+

Female participation~20%36%

Unemployment12.3%7.2%

PIF assets~$150bn$1.21T

Cinemas0Nationwide

Tourist visasNoneSince 2019

Women drivingBannedSince 2018

S&P ratingA-A+

Third phase

The programme entered its final five-year phase in 2026. The weight has shifted from signature architecture to ports, energy, data centres and AI infrastructure. PIF's 2026–2030 strategy uses the same language: from aggressive deployment to return discipline.

File 02 · Updated 30 July 2026

Projects

Status as recorded, not as announced. Every card carries the date its status was last confirmed.

The LineSuspended

Tabuk · Announced 2017 · Halted Sept 2025

Designed as a 170 km linear city, 500 m tall. Construction was suspended by PIF in September 2025 with roughly 2.4 km of foundations and partial cores complete. The 2030 population target was cut from 1.5 million to under 300,000.

OxagonUnder construction

Tabuk · Announced 2021

Industrial port and manufacturing zone extending over the water. With its green hydrogen plant, it is the part of NEOM still advancing.

SindalahOperational

Red Sea · Opened January 2026

Luxury island resort. Costs came in at roughly double the original estimate; the resort entered service in January 2026.

DiriyahUnder construction

Riyadh · UNESCO World Heritage site

Cultural and residential district built in traditional Najdi mud-brick architecture around the At-Turaif quarter, the birthplace of the Saudi state.

Riyadh MetroOperational

Riyadh · Opened 2024 · Six lines, 176 km

Opened to passengers in 2024 after a decade of construction. One of the largest urban rail systems built in a single programme.

The MukaabHalted

Riyadh · Inside New Murabba

Cube-shaped landmark planned for the New Murabba district. Work beyond foundation level has been stopped.

Map view loads on request. Twelve projects with region and status filters.

File 03 · Updated 30 July 2026

Saudi Arabia

Country file

Official nameKingdom of Saudi Arabia
CapitalRiyadh
Area~2.15m km²
Population32.2m (2022 census)
GovernmentAbsolute monarchy
CurrencyRiyal, pegged 3.75
ExchangeTadawul
MembershipsUN, OPEC, G20

Timeline

From 1932

1932
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia founded under King Abdulaziz
1938
Oil found in commercial quantities at Dammam
1960
OPEC founded; Saudi Arabia a founding member
1973
Oil embargo and price shock
2015
King Salman accedes to the throne
2016
Vision 2030 announced
2017
Mohammed bin Salman named Crown Prince
2019
Tourist visas introduced; Aramco listing
2022
Mohammed bin Salman appointed Prime Minister
2024
2034 World Cup awarded; Riyadh Metro opens
2026
Vision 2030 enters its third phase