Ministries of the Saudi Arabia

The Ministries of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are the entities responsible for implementing the policies, laws, and legislations of the Saudi government. They work to provide services, execute state programs, and lead and serve citizens in the sovereign, economic, and service sectors. All ministries operate under the umbrella of the Council of Ministers, which is the Supreme Governance Council in the Kingdom.

The Council of Ministers operates in accordance with the provisions of the Council of Ministers Law, which was issued by a royal order in 1993. It is a statutory body with its main headquarters in Riyadh city, and it is permissible to hold its sessions in other cities in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the first ministry established in the Kingdom. It has been responsible for foreign policies and diplomatic relations to establish and protect national interests and enhance the role of the Kingdom in bringing safety, stability, and prosperity to the region and the world. With the consolidation of the pillars of the Kingdom following the unification by the founding King Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, the Kingdom embarked on establishing international relations. Therefore, in 1926, the General Directorate for Foreign Affairs was established in Makkah al-Mukarramah. In 1930, a royal order was issued to establish the ministry.

The Ministry of Finance is one of the most prestigious ministries in the history of the Kingdom. It started as the Directorate of Public Finance for Financial Management in 1926 during the reign of King Abdulaziz. Due to the expansion of its work, it was then transformed to become the Public Financial Agency in 1929. However, after the development of its activities to manage the state's financial affairs, it was named the Ministry of Finance in 1932. The ministry is responsible for regulating and preserving the state funds, ensuring secure revenue and expenditure methods, and serving as the primary authority for financial matters across all regions of the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Defense was established in 1943. Its history dates back to the era of King Abdulaziz, who ordered the establishment of the Department of Military Affairs in 1929, which is considered the nucleus of the ministry. The ministry is responsible for planning and implementing the general principles of the defense policy to safeguard the security, interests, and sovereignty of the Kingdom. It bears the responsibility of protecting the Kingdom and deterring any external aggression against it.

The Ministry of Interior was established during the reign of King Abdulaziz and started as the Public Prosecution in Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1925. It remained as such until the issuance of the Agent Law in 1931 when it was transformed into the Ministry of Interior. The ministry's operations evolved until it was re-established in 1951. It then became responsible for the emirates of provinces and security sectors in the Hijaz region (at that time). After its relocation from Hijaz to Riyadh in 1956, the ministry progressively took over the supervision of all the regions of the Kingdom, completing its oversight by 1960.

The Ministry of Health was established during the reign of King Abdulaziz. It started as the Public Health Department, with its headquarters in Makkah al-Mukarramah, in 1925. Later, in 1925, the Directorate of Public Health and Ambulance was established. In 1951, a royal order was issued to establish the Ministry of Health to take over the full responsibility for health affairs in the Kingdom. With its establishment, a comprehensive health revival began in all regions of the Kingdom. ​

The rapid growth of the Kingdom, following its founding, led to boosting the development process that required the establishment of the Ministry of Transportation in 1953 to supervise all aspects of transportation. In 1975, state ministries and public institutions were re-formed, and the Saudi Ports Authority and the Saudi Railways Organization were established. The ministry became responsible for planning, designing, constructing, and maintaining roads and bridges. The ministry's performance evolved continuously until 2003 when it was renamed the Ministry of Transport. Later, in 2021, a Council of Ministers resolution was issued to change the ministry's name to the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services.

Due to the major role education plays in developing people's abilities, special care has been dedicated to education since the founding of the Kingdom. The first executive regulation in this field was the founding of the Directorate of Knowledge in 1926 to become the cornerstone of the educational system in the Kingdom. The regulation and expansion of the educational process continued through building schools until the establishment of the Ministry of Knowledge (currently Ministry of Education) in 1952, followed by the establishment of the General Presidency of Girls Education in 1959. A royal decree was issued in 2003 to join the General Presidency for Girls Education to the Ministry of Knowledge. The ministry's name was changed to the Ministry of Education one year later. In 2015, another decision was made to join the Ministry of Education with the Ministry of Higher Education under the name of the Ministry of Education. ​

Since the establishment of the Kingdom, agriculture has received special care from the founding King Abdulaziz. His interest in agriculture started in 1927 when he ratified the decision of the Consultative Assembly to exempt all agricultural equipment from customs duties. In 1948, the General Directorate of Agriculture was established. Then, in 1953, the General Directorate of Agriculture was transformed into the Ministry of Agriculture and Water. The development efforts continued until the establishment of an agency for agricultural affairs and another for water affairs in 1962. This was followed in 1970 by the establishment of the ministry's desalination affairs agency. Then, in 2003, the water sector was separated from the Ministry of Agriculture to become an independent Ministry of Water. In 2016, the Ministry of Water and Electricity was abolished, and the name of the Ministry of Agriculture was modified to become the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

The Ministry of Commerce was established after King Abdulaziz directed the establishment of a Commerce Committee to solve disputes between merchants (Merchants' Board) in 1927. With the development of commercial activity, the Law of Chambers of Commerce was issued in 1946. With the constant expansion of commercial activities and works, the Ministry of Commerce was established in 1954 to organize and develop internal and external commerce in general.

The Ministry of Energy is one of the most important ministries of the economic sector. It began as the Public Works and Minerals Authority in 1935. It was affiliated with the Ministry of Finance at the time. Later in 1952, the General Directorate of Petroleum and Minerals Affairs was established and affiliated with the Ministry of Finance before it became the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in 1960.

The ministry has seen ongoing changes in its departments and designations to align with the evolving landscape of the energy sector. In 2016, a royal order amended the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources to the Ministry of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources. Subsequently, in 2019, another royal order revised the name of the Ministry of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources to the Ministry of Energy.

The establishment of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah dates back to 1946 with the establishment of the first General Directorate of Hajj under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Its main responsibility was to provide services to the pilgrims, set laws to preserve the rights and interests of pilgrims, and provide them with the best care.

The Ministry of Media is the official spokesperson of the state. The Saudi media was first launched during the reign of King Abdulaziz by founding the Umm al-Qura newspaper in 1925. Umm al-Qura was the cornerstone of the official Saudi media system. It publishes all matters issued by the state, whether decisions or government announcements concerning Saudi citizens. The ministry was established in 1963. In 2003, the culture sector was integrated into the ministry only to be separated again in 2018 to establish an independent Ministry of Culture.

King Abdulaziz laid the foundation of the judiciary system, aligned with Islamic Sharia, by establishing the first judicial presidency in the western area of Makkah al-Mukarramah in 1926 to supervise the courts of Hijaz and its associated areas The courts' activities expanded in various regions of the Kingdom, performing their judicial and justice roles. Then, in 1962, a royal order was issued to establish the Ministry of Justice to oversee the courts and meet their financial and administrative needs. The ministry began its operations and duties in 1970.

The activity of communications started early in the Saudi state as King Abdulaziz gave his attention to the post and communications. The Directorate of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone was founded under his orders in 1926. With the growing need for communication services and maintaining communication with the world, the state established the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone in 1975 to take charge of the post and communications sectors. In 2001, the Saudi Communications Commission was established, and information technology was later added to the commission's tasks to become the Communications and Information Technology Commission in 2003. In the same year, a royal decree was issued to change the name of the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

The Kingdom adopted development plans to achieve balanced and comprehensive development in all provinces of the Kingdom. This led to the founding of the Ministry of Planning in 1975. Its beginning was by establishing the Central Planning Organization in 1965, which continued to evolve and specialize until the issuance of a royal decree in 2003, which stipulated the separation of the economy from finance and merged it into one ministry called the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

The establishment of this ministry dates back to 1975 under the name of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, in charge of urban planning of the Kingdom's cities. In 2021, the Ministry of Housing was integrated into it under the designation of the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. The Ministry of Housing, which was established in 2011, was responsible for all mandates and affairs related to housing, including the powers designated to the Housing Authority.

The development of the executive system in the Kingdom required creating ministries and authorities to realize Saudi Vision 2030. In this context, the Ministry of Civil Service was integrated with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development in 2019 and the name was amended to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Guidance was founded in 1993 by royal order to supervise all matters related to mosques' endowment, the development of their notables, and the affairs of mosques and prayer halls. The ministry also services the programs and initiatives related to calling people to embrace Islam, whether inside or outside the Kingdom, supervises Islamic centers, helps Islamic minorities and communities abroad, cooperates with Islamic authorities, supports Islamic universities and institutes, and highlights the Kingdom's efforts in supporting Islamic work.

The National Guard is one of the most important military units, which has had an influential role in establishing the state and maintaining national security. During the establishment of institutions, King Abdulaziz ordered the establishment of the Jihad Office in 1949; it was the cornerstone of the Ministry of National Guard. It wasn't long before the office demonstrated high combat efficiency and organization. A royal order was issued in 1955 to form the National Guard throughout the Kingdom. The foundational phase continued until 1962. This development continued until a royal order was issued in 2013, transforming the Presidency of the National Guard into the Ministry of the National Guard.

The Ministry of Culture specializes in all matters related to Saudi culture, its development, and communicating it to the world. It is a newly established ministry to keep up with the cultural developments and highlight Saudi culture internationally. The ministry was founded in 2018 and contributes to the ongoing transformation within the Kingdom as part of Saudi Vision 2030.

Industry and mineral resources were separated from the Ministry of Energy by royal order in 2019. The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources was founded. The powers, tasks, and responsibilities related to the industry and mineral resources sectors were reallocated to this ministry, commencing its work in January 2020.

In line with the efforts made by the Kingdom in economic and investment diversity and to attract investments as per Saudi Vision 2030, the General Authority of Investment was changed into the Ministry of Investment in 2020. The ministry aims to provide flexible and advanced services to local and international companies, whether major or emerging ones, to establish an investment environment renowned for its high efficiency and ease of practice.

The Ministry of Sport was first established in 2020 and aimed at achieving its goals over five aspects: The increase of practicing sports and physical activities, creating a highly competitive sports industry, enhancing the efficiency and quality of sports facilities, enhancing the financial sustainability and contribution of the sector in the national economy, improving the institutional performance and instilling a culture of excellence, accountability, and transparency.

 The Kingdom's array of distinctive tourist attractions spurred the inception of a specialized tourism body specialized in tourism activities. In 2000, the Council of Ministers issued a resolution to form the Supreme Tourism Authority and elevate tourism into a significant and productive sector within the country.

Due to the connection between artifacts, heritage, and tourism, a resolution by the Council of Ministers was issued in 2008 to change the name of the Supreme Commission for Tourism to the General Commission for Tourism and Antiquities. Then, its name was modified in 2015 to the General Commission for Tourism and National Heritage before a royal order was issued in 2020, converting the name of the General Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to the Ministry of Tourism.