Spending in Abu Arish: all activities

Card spending in Abu Arish (أبو عريش) 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 Abu Arish · week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH

37.1 SAR million

−1.0% against the same week last year · rank 32 of 60 cities · 0.3% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Abu Arish −7.5% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is declining while Saudi Arabia grows. 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 63.6, lowest 30.6.

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)

2,321SAR million, all spending · −7.5% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

33,326SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

69,632population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.9million transactions · −0.3% against the same week last year

39.5SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −0.7% 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 Abu Arish(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	524	+1.1%	22.6%
02	Other	382	−30.1%	16.5%
03	Restaurants and cafés	319	+5.6%	13.7%
04	Professional services	197	−45.8%	8.5%
05	Fuel stations	168	−37.5%	7.2%
06	Health	156	−0.4%	6.7%
07	Clothing and footwear	129	+79.3%	5.6%
08	Transport	123	+18.6%	5.3%
09	Vehicle trade	80	+15.9%	3.4%
10	Building materials	79	−14.4%	3.4%
11	Pharmacies	73	−14.8%	3.1%
12	Medical services	60	+6.9%	2.6%
13	Furniture and furnishings	52	+3.2%	2.2%
14	Recreation and culture	50	+151.9%	2.1%
15	Jewellery	45	+98.2%	2.0%
16	Recreation	44	+167.3%	1.9%
17	Bakeries and sweets	28	−15.0%	1.2%
18	Vehicle maintenance	28	+29.4%	1.2%
19	Personal care	24	+30.2%	1.0%
20	Electronics	18	+91.8%	0.8%
21	Telecommunications	15	+37.8%	0.6%
22	Public utilities	11	−2.5%	0.5%
23	Education	9	+11.9%	0.4%
24	Hotels	8	+21.9%	0.4%
25	Laundries	8	+2.0%	0.3%
26	Freight and courier	6	+87.2%	0.3%
27	Books and stationery	5	+35.2%	0.2%
28	Car rental	4	−33.1%	0.2%
29	Other transport	3	−59.3%	0.1%
30	Airlines	3	+17.1%	0.1%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Abu Arish Groceries and food in Abu Arish Bakeries and sweets in Abu Arish Total spending in Abu Arish

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.

More cities: all cities.