Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Global Health Exhibition 2025 concluded its eighth edition today with a clear message: global collaboration, investment and innovation are key to transforming healthcare. With $35.5 billion USD in signed agreements, breakthrough innovations announced and 607 healthcare speakers, the event reinforced Saudi Arabia’s role as a global convenor for healthcare advancement. Remarkably too, Global Health Exhibition 2025 saw a 54% increase in international attendees from the previous edition.
Themed ‘Invest in Health’, Global Health Exhibition 2025 ran from 27-30 October in Riyadh under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and aligned with Vision 2030 and the Health Sector Transformation Program – and was organised by Tahaluf.
Major deals and partnerships
During the closing remarks H.E. Eng. Abdulaziz bin Hamad AlRamaih, Vice Minister of Health for Planning & Development, Ministry of Health discussed the impact of Global Health Exhibition, stating that “For the second consecutive year, the Global Health Exhibition stands as the fastest-growing health event in the world…This year’s edition stood out for the exceptional quality of its participants and attendees. We witnessed strong global interest from investors and leaders in the healthcare sector.
The calibre of speakers, forums, and summits, including CEOs and global health leaders, confirms that combining scale and quality is possible, and this is what makes the Global Health Exhibition the most attractive destination in the global healthcare industry.”
His Excellency also referenced the many partnerships and announcements that took place at this year’s event, noting that the value within the B2B private sector has grown sixfold compared to 2024.
This year’s edition delivered more than $35.5 billion USD in deals and partnerships poised to drive cross-border healthcare innovation. Among the major announcements was a landmark $8.4 billion USD investment to advance hospital and healthcare infrastructure development across Saudi Arabia, over $3.24 billion USD committed to venture capital and strategic funds and more than $625 million dollars investment in the life sciences sector.
Several strategic partnerships were also announced during Global Health Exhibition, including digital health initiatives from HUMAIN, Lean and Google Cloud, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s accelerating progress in building a world-class health ecosystem.
Shaping tomorrow’s healthcare landscape
The final day of Global Health Exhibition 2025 spotlighted the future of health systems, with a focus on patient-centric innovation and the economics of care. In the panel Defining Value in Healthcare: Reimagining Care Models for 2035, global leaders explored how value-based care must evolve to meet future demands. Opening the session, Matthew Shaw, CEO of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, stressed that value in healthcare goes beyond immediate costs, encompassing long-term social and economic benefits.
Dr Majd Abu Zant, MD & CEO of Global Fertility added that funding models in fertility and other specialised treatments must shift from activity-based to outcome-based approaches. “Healthcare value isn’t only about cost or efficiency, it’s about equity, access and ensuring every patient receives the care they deserve.” As Saudi Arabia advances its healthcare transformation under Vision 2030, the panel concluded that redefining value is essential to improving outcomes, optimising costs and building sustainable, patient-focused care models for the future.
As part of Global Health Exhibition’s closing day, Forbes Middle East, in partnership with Health Holding, hosted the Healthcare Innovation Circle, bringing together policymakers, investors and innovators to explore the future of integrated, tech-powered healthcare systems.
During the forum, Abdul Qayyum, General Manager for Roche diagnostic, and Bilal Muhsin, Executive Vice President & President of Connected Care Segment at BD, met to discuss redefining tomorrow’s care, emphasising the importance of utilising technologies to elevate the patient experience. “Hospitals are transforming”, said Muhsin. “And Saudi Arabia is leading the change.”
The forum also spotlighted Saudi Arabia’s pioneering approach to wellness and medical tourism. Ahmed Aloraij, Chairman of the Health Tourism Association, shared a vision of healing rooted in culture, nature and innovation. He described the Kingdom’s model as a “360 experience of healing,” blending spiritual journeys with comprehensive wellness services, the world’s only faith-based wellness framework.
Empowering the new generation of healthcare leaders
Global Health Exhibition 2025 championed emerging voices in healthcare, empowering young innovators and entrepreneurs to shape the future of global wellbeing.
The NextGen Pitch Competition, sponsored by Persivia, concluded with a dynamic final featuring 20 startups from over 10 countries. Designed as a launchpad for early-stage and growth-stage ventures, the three-day competition spotlighted innovations in digital health, MedTech, biotech, life sciences and public health, with a strong focus on access, equity and preventative care. $26,660 USD was awarded to Exoheal, the creators of a robotic glove revolutionising hand-paralysis rehabilitation. The competition highlighted the importance of supporting early-stage innovation that can deliver real-world impact across borders.
The LiveWell Youth Competition, part of VIBE, Powered by LiveWell from the Ministry of Health, celebrated the next generation of wellness innovators. Sponsored by Roche, the competition invited 117 student teams to develop solutions that promote mental wellbeing, nutrition, physical activity or sleep health. The winning team, Vitrac, were awarded during the Global Health Exhibition.
A platform for actionable global outputs
With an attendance of more than 130,000, alongside 2,200 exhibiting brands and 607 healthcare speakers – including 307 from abroad – Global Health Exhibition 2025 brought together global leaders to shape practical solutions to shared health challenges.
Rachel Sturgess, Senior Vice President at Tahaluf, reflected on the event’s success, saying: This year’s edition of Global Health Exhibition is shaped by its highest level of international engagement to date, with the scale of partnerships and calibre of innovation on display affirming Saudi Arabia’s position as a global hub and marketplace for healthcare excellence, collaboration, and transformation.Global Health Exhibition was supported by leading industry sponsors, including Health Holding (National Health Partner), NUPCO (Foundation Partner), Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (Foundation Partner), Dallah Health (Foundation Partner), HAYAT National Hospitals (Foundation Partner), Lean (Health Innovation Partner), STC (Digital Enabler), Tawuniya (Diamond Partner), WuXi AppTec (Diamond Partner).
As the curtain falls on this year’s event, the momentum continues, driven through major partnerships, agreements and dialogues facilitated during the event. Global stakeholders, innovators and healthcare leaders are invited to be part of the Global Health Exhibition 2026, where the future of the health sector will once again take centre stage in Riyadh.
For more information, please visit: https://www.globalhealthsaudi.com/en/home.html
About Global Health Exhibition
Established in 2018, Global Health Exhibition (Global Health Exhibition) is Saudi Arabia’s premier platform for showcasing next-generation healthcare innovation. Global Health Exhibition is organised by Tahaluf, a strategic alliance between Informa PLC, the Saudi Arabian Federation for Cyber Security and Programming (SAFCSP), and the Events Investment Fund (EIF). The event brings together global leaders, investors, and innovators to shape the future of healthcare. Set against the backdrop of Vision 2030, it positions Riyadh as a driving force in global health transformation.
The 2025 event was also supported by the other leading industry sponsors, including: Al Raijhi Takaful (Platinum Partner), Bupa CareConnect (Platinum Partner), ejada (Gold Partner), Vertex (Gold Partner), Davita (Gold Partner), Johnson&Johnson (Silver Partner), AstraZeneca (Silver Partner), MSD (Silver Partner), Riyadh Region Municipality (Sustainability Partner), THC (Air Mobility Strategic Partner), National Center for Healthcare Leadership (Content Partner), Virtual Medical Academy (Accredited Partner), Ethical Medtech (MecoMed Compliance), Saudi Society for Clinical Laboratory Services (Laboratory Association Partner), Dallah Clinics (Medical Sponsors), Ministry of Defense (Medical Sponsors), The CPD Group (CPD Accreditation), Travel Partner (Almatar), Berain (Hydration Partner), Frost & Sullivan (Knowledge Partner), Aromatic Business (Scent Partner).
About Tahaluf
Tahaluf is a joint venture between the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, the Events Investment Fund, and Informa PLC, one of the world’s leading tradeshow organisers.
Press & Media Inquiries:
Jessica Homan, Tahaluf
jessica.homan@informa.com
