المملكة: 914 licenses for radiological practices in the Kingdom during 2025… and Riyadh leads

The Saudi nuclear sector is witnessing rapid development, especially after the signing of the Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreement “Agreement 123” between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America in July 2026, which aims to develop the uses of civil nuclear energy, enhance cooperation in the fields of nuclear technology, and build capabilities, while adhering to the highest standards of security, safety, and non-proliferation.
A recent report issued by the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority showed that the total number of licenses for radiation practices in the Kingdom during the year 2025 amounted to 914 licenses distributed among various cities and sectors, while the city of Riyadh topped the list with 182 licenses, representing about 20% of the total licenses, followed by Jeddah with 111 licenses, then Jubail with 90 licenses, Dammam with 88 licenses, and Al-Khobar with 74 licenses.
The report indicated that the use of radioactive sources for measurement and exploration came at the forefront of the areas of licensed radiological practices, with a total of 274 licenses, which reflects the increasing reliance on radiological techniques in the industrial sectors and the oil and gas sectors.

Radiological practices

Industrial radiography came in second place with 175 licenses, followed by medical radiation diagnosis with 153 licenses, then nuclear medicine with 77 licenses, while the number of licenses for radiological services reached 58 licenses, and examination for security purposes reached 57 licenses, in addition to 44 licenses for medical radiation treatment, and 41 licenses for dental radiological diagnosis.
At the level of detailed radiological practices, industrial radiography using sealed sources of high radioactivity topped the list with 157 licensed practices, followed by the use of nuclear radiation sources to measure density or humidity with 151 practices, then diagnostic medical imaging using X-rays with 147 practices, and computed tomography with 129 practices.
The report also recorded a wide spread of a number of other medical and industrial applications, most notably mobile fluoroscopic radiography in 112 practices, medical imaging by fluoroscopy in 100 practices, industrial use of fixed sealed radiation sources in 98 practices, in addition to mammography in 96 practices, and bone density measurement in 88 practices.
The distribution of licenses reflects the growing use of radiological applications in the fields of health care, industry, energy and security services, in parallel with the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Authority’s continued regulation of the sector, raising radiation safety standards, and supporting the peaceful uses of nuclear technologies, in line with the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, and establishing a new phase of expansion in civil nuclear energy projects and advanced radiological applications.