Report

The GCC Massive Open Online Course Market size is estimated at USD 35.30 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach USD 90.95 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 20.84% during the forecast period (2025-2030).

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provide free educational resources to students worldwide and are the last phase of remote learning. To give people in the region a chance to study through hundreds of public and private colleges or organizations, MOOCs are designed to be scalable to big online masses, free participation, and without formal criteria.

Key Highlights
- Information and communication technology development requires teachers and students to transcend the limitations of location, time, and environment. Standard classroom education is well recognized, but there is still discussion about learning systems outside the classroom, particularly those that use technology to aid learning.
- Moreover, The region is witnessing significant adoption of technology-related online courses as individuals unaffiliated with tech jobs are also increasingly enrolling in technology-related subjects, as jobs related to technologies, like AI, analytics, and machine learning, are some of the highest-earning jobs presently. Moreover, the shortage of skilled workforces in these technologies motivates the MOOC platform providers to launch more technology-related subjects.
- The average mobile Internet speed in every GCC region country is significantly higher than in other regions. This factor will augment the number of people enrolling the online courses in the area as better internet speeds will provide a seamless experience.
- The leading vendors are introducing numerous MOOCs rapidly, and the persistently high drop-out rates continue to challenge the profitability of many vendors in this market.
- The COVID-19 pandemic put formal educational systems into complete disarray, opening abundant opportunities for other forms of learning delivery. Universities in the region were exploring how to capitalize on the emerging opportunities evolving from these circumstances, MOOCs being one among them.


GCC Massive Open Online Course Market Trends

Technology is Expected to Hold Significant Share


- One of the market's most advanced categories is technology. Although these are the easiest to monetize, most people register in them. During the projected year, the segment's scope will also be further expanded by the increasing acceptance of the most recent technology across several industries.
- Most of the courses in the technology section are in computer science, IT, data analytics, statistics, machine learning, and cybersecurity. The segment's emerging methods include technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning. A significant factor in approving the technology-related courses is the recent transition and adoption of these technologies across numerous industries, from oil and gas to the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI).
- The technology market in the GCC, and particularly in the UAE, has expanded and changed over the past few years, transitioning from a highly fragmented market of consulting and systems integration service firms to an ecosystem of product and solution service providers offering artificial intelligence, data analytics, and intelligent solutions. Companies often look for candidates with a strong background in the technology they specialize in to stay ahead of the competition in a fiercely competitive market. Both employers and employees know how essential technical skills are in the workplace. Furthermore, the MOOC platform providers are driven to add additional technology-related subjects to the lack of skilled workers in these fields.
- The Queen Rania Foundation (QRF) launched the massive open online course (MOOC) platform Edraak. As a result, QRF has used local Arab expertise to construct the first non-profit Arabic MOOC platform using the technology created by edX, the Harvard-MIT cooperation. With the help of the most recent MOOC platform, the Arab world will have a rare and vital opportunity to participate in a crucial transformation in education and learning. The platform will first transmit one of the top Arab instructors to the area, giving unique Arabic courses to promote the study of Arabic. With the help of the collaboration with edX, the website will also provide access to various Arabic-speaking students to specialized classes created and taught at prestigious universities like HarvardX, MITX, and UC BerkeleyX.


United Arab Emirates is Expected to Hold Major Share


- Over the past few years, universities in the United Arab Emirates are gradually utilizing web-based learning or e-learning as a significant aspect of their educational programs. The country is trying to establish a technology-driven economy.
- Moreover, The introduction of 5G is also a significant factor in MOOCs' proliferation and high internet speed. The country was the first in the Arabian region to launch 5G with the help of Etisalat. The government is also expected to witness the introduction of 5G-enabled devices, which may help users access the courses without any network latency.
- The UAE Ministry of Education developed the Advanced Skills Strategy with students in schools and universities, recent graduates from higher education, and seasoned workers as its three target audiences. As a result, MOOCs are growing in acceptance across all subject areas and age groups in the country.
- However, the demand for affordable self-paced learning platforms is growing, and educational institutions are increasingly using remote learning, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic when lockdowns were required.
- The UAE Ministry of Education created the Advanced Skills Strategy, which has three target audiences: students in schools and universities, recent graduates from higher education, and seasoned workers. Due to this, MOOCs are becoming more popular across all topic areas and age groups in the nation. The UAE government's Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Project, a smart learning program part of Vision 2021, is supposed to be implemented in four stages over five years, from 2019 to 2024. Due to the closure of schools following the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative currently provides MOOCs through madrasa.org.


GCC Massive Open Online Course Industry Overview

The GCC massive open online course (MOOC) Market is fragemnetd and has a few significant players. Regarding market share, some of the major players currently dominate the market. However, with the considerable growth of the innovative educational platform, new players are increasing their market presence and expanding their business footprint across the region.


- In February 2023, Pepperdine University joined the edX Partner Network to launch MOOCs and Stackable Programs on edX. This skills-based program will build on Pepperdine's successful partnership with 2U to provide students with deep learning in a specific field and a flexible pathway for completing a master's degree.
- In January 2023, Blackboard announced that Saudi Electronic University (SEU) had become the first institution certified as a global Center of Excellence Strategic Education Partner. The certification process is a rigorous evaluation of an institution's digital learning and teaching ecosystem, which SEU completed in just seven months. The certification reflects SEU's substantial commitment to achieving the highest level of digital maturity and becoming an Anthology Strategic Education Partner in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.


Additional Benefits:

- The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
- 3 months of analyst support