Saudi Arabia Led Region in Sustainable Building Performance in 2025

Saudi Arabia recorded the highest regional score in sustainable building performance and environmental impact in 2025, achieving 76.31 points on the Saaf index developed by the Saudi Green Building Forum.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the Kingdom certified more than 1.03 million square metres of sustainable building space during the year. The results place Saudi Arabia at the top of the regional ranking under the Saaf framework, which applies the Sufficiency and Resilience Composite Index to measure efficiency and resilience across the built environment.

The 2025 findings reflect cumulative efficiency gains across 6,662 projects completed since 2010. The index evaluates performance across project delivery standards, professional capacity building, market innovation and climate action, offering a composite measure of institutional and operational maturity.

The Saudi Green Building Forum stated that the outcomes demonstrate a strategy combining implementation quality with institutional development and scale. Environmentally, certified green building projects achieved an estimated 62,800 tonnes of carbon equivalent in annual emissions reductions.

The review also noted 29 professional recognitions linked to sustainable building initiatives. In 2025, more than 7,300 professionals across 22 Arab countries engaged with the Saaf platform, alongside business-led initiatives aimed at expanding the regional footprint of sustainable development practices.