Understanding how Saudi Arabia maintains economic resilience amid corruption is crucial. The study shows that strategic legal reforms and empowered oversight bodies can mitigate the negative effects of corruption. This mixed-methods study, using data from 2016 to 2022, examines the interplay between corruption and economic resilience. It identifies key resilience drivers like oil wealth and economic diversification. The findings highlight that while corruption distorts markets and weakens institutions, proactive anti-corruption initiatives and targeted public investments can safeguard growth. However, more work is still needed to explore sectoral vulnerabilities and improve corruption measurement methodologies, which could inform more effective anti-corruption strategies. Read the full article here. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-025-05873-x#Abs1