沙特阿拉伯地广人稀,长期来一直以农牧业为主。在第一个五年发展计划之前,工业基础相当薄弱,除少数几个炼油企业和水泥厂外,主要局限于私人经营的食品加工、纤维和木材等行业,而且几乎所有的企业都还停留在手工工场的阶段。但是在最近的十几年内,沙特阿拉伯利用巨额石油收入,大力发挥本国的优势,制定了适合本国国情的工业现代化 Saudi Arabia is sparsely populated and has long been dominated by agriculture and animal husbandry. Before the first five-year development plan, the industrial base was rather weak. Except for a few oil refining companies and cement plants, it was mainly confined to privately-run food processing, fiber, and timber industries, and almost all companies still remained Handwork workshop stage. However, in the past decade or so, Saudi Arabia has used huge amounts of oil revenue, vigorously used its advantages in its own country, and formulated industrial modernization suited to its national conditions.