Spending in Abha: all activities

Card spending in Abha (أبها) across 30 activities, from the point-of-sale statistics published by Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), monthly since January 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1445 AH). Official figures · match SAMA's published figures within rounding Coverage: cards only, ~57% of personal spending

Card spending in Abha · week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH

151.9 SAR million

−0.4% against the same week last year · rank 12 of 60 cities · 1.2% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Abha +1.6% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is growing more slowly than Saudi Arabia. Compare your shop's growth with your city's growth, not with Saudi Arabia's: if it is slower than the city, the gap comes from the shop, not the market.

SAR million per week · oldest on the left, newest on the right (in amber) · axis: Gregorian month, then Hijri month (Umm al-Qura). Highest week 295.9, lowest 133.1.

Source: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), weekly point-of-sale bulletins (value of transactions), latest published week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH. Attributed to SAMA; the analysis is ours.

Last 12 months to August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH)

9,244SAR million, all spending · +1.6% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

27,652SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

334,290population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

3.0million transactions · −5.1% against the same week last year

51.0SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · +4.9% against the same week last year

This week in the Spending Index newsletter, issue 2: what changed and why

Data coverage: these figures are card payments (point of sale) only: about 57% of personal spending in 2025; the rest is cash and does not appear here. Part of the growth is a shift from cash to cards, not new demand: in 2025, card payments in Saudi Arabia grew +5.8%, but including cash withdrawals the growth is +1.9%. Read the figures as a trend and a comparison between cities and activities, not as an absolute market size.

Interactive analysis for Abha(Arabic)

Activities ranked

Each activity by its spending over the last 12 months to August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH), its growth over the last 3 months against the same months a year earlier, and its share of the city's spending. Source: SAMA (point of sale).

#	Activity	12 months, SAR million	3 months vs last year	Share of city
01	Groceries and food	1,691	+26.7%	18.3%
02	Restaurants and cafés	1,444	−8.3%	15.6%
03	Other	1,350	+0.4%	14.6%
04	Clothing and footwear	886	+28.5%	9.6%
05	Health	802	−17.3%	8.7%
06	Fuel stations	722	+5.5%	7.8%
07	Transport	629	+6.4%	6.8%
08	Medical services	587	−4.7%	6.3%
09	Professional services	375	−41.3%	4.1%
10	Vehicle trade	262	−6.9%	2.8%
11	Furniture and furnishings	257	−10.1%	2.8%
12	Hotels	195	−0.3%	2.1%
13	Jewellery	174	+32.7%	1.9%
14	Building materials	173	−10.8%	1.9%
15	Recreation and culture	168	+15.8%	1.8%
16	Vehicle maintenance	167	+15.0%	1.8%
17	Pharmacies	153	−47.2%	1.7%
18	Recreation	148	+14.3%	1.6%
19	Bakeries and sweets	129	−5.1%	1.4%
20	Education	88	+13.5%	1.0%
21	Car rental	87	−1.3%	0.9%
22	Personal care	63	+1.0%	0.7%
23	Electronics	57	+27.7%	0.6%
24	Other transport	43	+77.9%	0.5%
25	Airlines	41	−17.5%	0.4%
26	Telecommunications	38	+10.7%	0.4%
27	Laundries	36	+0.0%	0.4%
28	Public utilities	29	+52.1%	0.3%
29	Freight and courier	28	+209.9%	0.3%
30	Books and stationery	20	+33.3%	0.2%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Abha Groceries and food in Abha Bakeries and sweets in Abha Total spending in Abha

Growth is measured against the same months of the previous year. Part of the growth in card payments is a shift from cash, not new demand. A business decision needs a field visit and your own figures.

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