Amna Puri-Mirza
Research Expert covering the Middle East
Business service industry in the Middle East - statistics & facts
Business services are an accumulation of activities facilitating the smooth running of an operation. Leading business services are markets research, consulting, IT services as well as staffing and employment services. The sub-sector of market research globally had a revenue projection of 82.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.
In the Middle East and Africa, around 3.85 billion U.S. dollars was generated for the market research sector. In comparison, the United States alone was responsible for 48 billion U.S. dollars of revenue worldwide in this sector.
Although the global market research industry grew overall worldwide by 0.3 percent in 2020, in the Middle East and Africa it declined by 10.4 percent.
Consulting industry The consulting segment of business services was recently valued at 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Within the region, Saudi Arabia lead in terms of market size in the region. The leading consulting services implemented in the Gulf Cooperation Council were in the segments of technology, strategy, and operations. Furthermore, consulting firms play an important role for companies and businesses outside of the Middle East, which need advice and business intelligence support to enter the Middle Eastern market and manage the associated risks.
Import and export of business services in the Middle East The supply of business services is no longer tied to a fixed location thanks to technology and the internet. The service industry in the Middle East and North Africa is also integrated in the global trade. Saudi Arabia was the leading importer of business services within the Middle East and North Africa, while the emirate of Qatar was the leading exporter of business services in the region.
Consulting industry The consulting segment of business services was recently valued at 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Within the region, Saudi Arabia lead in terms of market size in the region. The leading consulting services implemented in the Gulf Cooperation Council were in the segments of technology, strategy, and operations. Furthermore, consulting firms play an important role for companies and businesses outside of the Middle East, which need advice and business intelligence support to enter the Middle Eastern market and manage the associated risks.
Import and export of business services in the Middle East The supply of business services is no longer tied to a fixed location thanks to technology and the internet. The service industry in the Middle East and North Africa is also integrated in the global trade. Saudi Arabia was the leading importer of business services within the Middle East and North Africa, while the emirate of Qatar was the leading exporter of business services in the region.
