Saudi Arabia

Basic Law of Governance (1992) + General Auditing Bureau Law (Royal Decree A/9/1971, reformed M/17/2019) + Government Tenders and Procurement Law (Royal Decree M/128/2019)

Basic Law of Governance (Royal Decree A/90, 1412H/1992 CE), Arts. 72-80 (Financial Affairs and Audit), Art. 76 (31-day advance budget); General Auditing Bureau Law (Royal Decree A/9, 1391H/1971 CE, reformed by Royal Decree M/17, 2019); Government Tenders and Procurement Law (Royal Decree M/128, 1441H/2019 CE); NAZAHA (Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, Royal Decree A/38, 1438H/2017 CE)

Statute text →

Fiscal Transparency: 53/100 (moderate)
53
out of 100
limited
36 of 37 scored fields populated. Higher = stronger statutory transparency requirements.

Saudi Arabia's fiscal framework centers on the Basic Law of Governance (Royal Decree A/90, 1412H/1992), Arts. 72-80 (Financial Affairs and Audit), particularly Art. 76 which mandates budget issuance 'at least one month before the beginning of the fiscal year' — the shortest constitutional budget timeline in the MENA-A cluster. The General Auditing Bureau (GAB) was established by Royal Decree A/9 (1971) and substantially reformed by Royal Decree M/17 (2019), which expanded the GAB's mandate and reporting obligations. The GAB head (Auditor General) is appointed by Royal Decree of the King, who chairs the Council of Ministers; the Shura Council has no role in executive appointments. GAB is an INTOSAI and ARABOSAI member. The Government Tenders and Procurement Law (M/128/2019) modernized Saudi procurement with the Etimad e-government platform for contract management and budget execution payments. NAZAHA (Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, 2017) expanded anti-corruption oversight. OBS 2021 T=23 (partial publication; budget proposal documents available via mof.gov.sa but pre-budget statement absent). Saudi Arabia has never undergone a PEFA assessment. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) manages ~$925B in sovereign wealth off-budget. Vision 2030 fiscal reforms have improved budget transparency metrics since 2015. FY: January 1 - December 31. Currency: SAR.

Transparency Requirements

Budget Publicationmax 12 pts

Budget publication required ✓ Yes
Budget published online ✓ Yes
Budget publication timeline 31 days before fiscal year
Machine-readable budget format No
Draft budget required before adoption ✓ Yes

Expenditure Disclosuremax 12 pts

Expenditure disclosure required ✓ Yes
Expenditure granularity department
Public expenditure portal required No
Expenditure reporting frequency quarterly

Independent Auditmax 12 pts

Audit required ✓ Yes
Auditor independent of entity ✓ Yes
Auditor selection method appointed executive
Audit frequency annual
Audit reports public ✓ Yes
Audit scope financial performance

Contract & Procurementmax 10 pts

Public bidding required ✓ Yes
Contract publication required ✓ Yes
Bid award disclosure ✓ Yes
Beneficial ownership disclosure No

Debt & Liability Disclosuremax 10 pts

Debt disclosure required ✓ Yes
Pension liability disclosure No
Contingent liability disclosure No
Voter approval required for new debt No

Fiscal Reporting Frequencymax 10 pts

Interim reporting required ✓ Yes
Interim reporting frequency quarterly
Year-end report deadline
Citizens budget required No

Enforcement & Oversightmax 10 pts

Non-compliance penalties ✓ Yes
Fiscal oversight body No
Whistleblower protections No
Legislative budget office No

Revenue & Tax Transparencymax 8 pts

Tax expenditure reporting No
Revenue forecasting required ✓ Yes
Tax rate publication ✓ Yes
Fee schedule publication ✓ Yes

Compensation & Payrollmax 8 pts

Salary disclosure required No
Salary disclosure scope
Pension benefit disclosure No
Overtime reporting No

Capital & Asset Disclosuremax 8 pts

Capital plan required ✓ Yes
Asset inventory required No
Surplus asset disposal transparency No

All Fiscal Transparency Laws