Spending in Al-Darb: all activities

Card spending in Al-Darb (الدرب) 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 Al-Darb · week 13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH

9.2 SAR million

+0.7% against the same week last year · rank 60 of 60 cities · 0.1% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Al-Darb −8.0% 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 20.5, lowest 8.3.

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)

662SAR million, all spending · −8.0% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

9,595SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

68,965population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.2million transactions · −0.9% against the same week last year

38.3SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · +1.6% 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 Al-Darb(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	Other	152	+0.9%	22.9%
02	Groceries and food	133	+0.6%	20.1%
03	Restaurants and cafés	117	−16.7%	17.8%
04	Fuel stations	53	+32.4%	8.0%
05	Transport	31	−40.4%	4.6%
06	Clothing and footwear	28	+3.5%	4.3%
07	Professional services	28	−71.0%	4.2%
08	Health	22	+27.0%	3.4%
09	Building materials	21	+0.9%	3.2%
10	Furniture and furnishings	17	+13.3%	2.6%
11	Telecommunications	17	+22.3%	2.6%
12	Vehicle trade	16	−9.1%	2.5%
13	Electronics	12	−17.6%	1.8%
14	Pharmacies	11	+8.3%	1.6%
15	Vehicle maintenance	10	−21.3%	1.5%
16	Jewellery	8	+84.3%	1.3%
17	Medical services	8	+35.8%	1.3%
18	Hotels	8	+87.3%	1.1%
19	Bakeries and sweets	5	+58.6%	0.7%
20	Recreation and culture	5	+85.5%	0.7%
21	Recreation	4	+106.8%	0.6%
22	Personal care	3	+135.1%	0.5%
23	Education	3	+20.4%	0.4%
24	Car rental	2	−59.3%	0.3%
25	Laundries	1	−2.3%	0.2%
26	Other transport	1	−68.6%	0.1%
27	Freight and courier	1	−100.0%	0.1%
28	Public utilities	1	+9.8%	0.1%
29	Airlines	0	—	0.1%
30	Books and stationery	0	−57.4%	0.0%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Al-Darb Groceries and food in Al-Darb Bakeries and sweets in Al-Darb Total spending in Al-Darb

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.