Saudi Arabia's $90 Billion Reason to Allow Women to Drive

Allowing Saudi women to drive could help the kingdom reap as much income as selling shares in Saudi Aramco.

The move, which went into effect on Sunday, could add as much as $90 billion to economic output by 2030, with the benefits extending beyond that date, according to Bloomberg Economics. Selling as much as 5 percent stake in Saudi Arabian Oil Co. -- at the most optimistic valuation -- could generate about $100 billion.

Saudi Arabia ended its status as the last country on earth to prohibit women from taking to the wheel. Some women drove through the still-packed streets of the capital early Sunday while others drove in convoys around Riyadh neighborhoods in celebration of the ban’s end.