DUBAI - Saudi Arabia joined the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) for publishing government financial and economic data, state news agency SPA reported on Thursday.

"This standard will contribute to the availability of real-time and comprehensive statistics leading to increased level of data access to financial markets to help make investment decisions in the Kingdom," said Saudi finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan.

Saudi Arabia is trying to diversify its economy away from reliance on oil as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reform plan Vision 2030.

(Reporting by Alaa Swilam; Writing by Tuqa Khalid; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama) ((Tuqa.Khalid@thomsonreuters.com; +971521047568;))