Introduction The creative economy is a crucial contributor to a country’s gross domestic product (GDP). UNESCO (2018) estimates that the creative industry accounts for $2.25 trillion global GDPs and exports of more than $250 billion while creating employment for over 30 million people. This economic impact has led nation-states to invest in their creative economies as ways of boosting their GDPs. The Saudi government has implemented numerous measures geared towards improving its creative industries for global performance. The international economy of creative industries has mostly been driven by the US and UK because of the growth drivers that have favored the economic prowess of these countries. However, the internet, government support, and cultural diversity have intersected with technology in China and other emerging economies for a significant share of the global export of innovative products. This paper examines the international economy of creative industries and incorporates the Saudi creative industries to analyze their performance in a shifting global environment. The International Economy of Creative Industries Growth Drivers Open and Tolerant Cultural Environments Culture is an invaluable tool for the growth and proliferation of the creative industry. More open and tolerant cultures are conducive environments for creativity (Li et al., 2016). Ideally, societies that tend to be more receptive to new cultures, races, minorities, and immigrants tend to be more culturally open and tolerant. Cultural tolerance is a critical factor in the region’s ability to attract, retain, and mobilize creative talent (Martinaitytė & Kregždaitė, 2015). Culturally tolerant places open themselves up for new ideas, technology, and creative talent that would unlock the untapped creative potential in that place, broadening the scope of creativity that would eventually widen the creative sector’s market boundaries. The global growth of the creative industry in the US and the UK is positively correlated with cultural openness and tolerance (Martinaitytė & Kregždaitė, 2015). This openness is demonstrated in their respective foreign policies that have seen them receptive to cultural diversities, allowing them to open their geopolitical borders for international exchange. Cultural openness and tolerance have been the most significant source of growth for global economies with large creative industries. Brown et al. (2016) report that London is one of the most ethnically diverse cities globally, with over 300 languages being spoken. This diversity allowed the city to grow its creative industry by 9.4% in 2012, a growth that was six times that of the entire economy (Li et al., 2016). Realizing the net economic value of the creative sector, China has also created a culturally tolerant country that is receptive to immigrants and other new cultures. According to Li et al. (2016), Taiwan experienced annual growth of 7.7% in 2008 from cultural tolerance. The strengthening of its cultural tolerance has the Chinese creative goods exports becoming four times that of the US in 2015, totaling $168.5 billion (United Nations, 2018). Cultural tolerance and openness are a significant driver of global economic growt