The number of the licensed commercial firms in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia amounted up to the end of 2006 to 640,000. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the number of the working companies in the Kingdom up to the end of 2006 amounted to 16,571 with an invested capital of about SR 501 billion. The joint stock companies, whose number totals 218, topped the list of the commercial companies with their accumulated capital rising to SR 344 billion up to the end of 2006. These were followed by the companies of limited responsibility. Their number amounted to 12, 266 with an accumulated capital of more than SR 142.5 billion. The solidarity companies ranked the third in the list. Their number reached a figure of 2,941 with a capital of about SR 4.5 billion. The offices of the services of free vocations working in the Kingdom amounted up to the end of 2006 to 6, 649. These offices work in various engineering, economic and legal domains. The number of the trading agencies registered up to the end of 2006 amounted to 9, 502. The number of the trade marks amounted to 1, 13, 658 while the number of the certificates of origin of the food commodities exported to foreign countries amounted to 12, 44, 555. The Commerce and Industry Ministry undertakes supervision of the chambers of commerce and industry and the Council of the Saudi chambers, and it has been playing a crucial role in activating the private sector.
