Total spending in Al-Darb

Total spending in Al-Darb: SAR 662 million by card over the last 12 months to August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH). In the latest week (13–19 September 2026 · 2–8 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH): SAR 9.2 million, +0.7% against the same week last year. Last 3 months −8.0% against the same months last year; Saudi Arabia +6.0%. Al-Darb ranks 59 of 60 cities, with 0.1% of Saudi Arabia over the last 3 months. Source: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).

Everything the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) publishes on card spending on all activities in Al-Darb (الدرب), monthly since January 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1445 AH): size, growth, share of Saudi Arabia, seasons, and the effect of payday and Ramadan. Official figures · match SAMA’s published figures within rounding Coverage: cards only, ~57% of personal spending

Total 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 4 weeks: spending in Al-Darb −7.2% against the same weeks last year, and Saudi Arabia’s spending +3.7%. So spending here is growing more slowly than Saudi Arabia's spending. If your shop’s sales grew by less than −7.2% over the same weeks, the gap most likely comes from the shop, not from the Al-Darb market; if they grew by more, your shop is most likely gaining from its competitors. Four weeks is a short window, so read it with the bars below.

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 · −8.0% in the last 3 months against last year (Saudi Arabia +6.0%) · SAMA

0.1%Al-Darb’s share of Saudi Arabia’s spending on all activities over the last 3 months · SAMA

9,595SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (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: merchant tools and forecasts(Arabic)

Monthly spending since January 2024 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1445 AH)

Month	SAR million	vs same month last year
September 2025 (Rabi' al-Awwal – Rabi' al-Akhir 1447 AH)	47.9	−5.9%
October 2025 (Rabi' al-Akhir – Jumada al-Ula 1447 AH)	56.9	+2.1%
November 2025 (Jumada al-Ula – Jumada al-Akhirah 1447 AH)	65.0	+2.0%
December 2025 (Jumada al-Akhirah – Rajab 1447 AH)	68.0	−1.7%
January 2026 (Rajab – Sha'ban 1447 AH)	71.3	−6.7%
February 2026 (Sha'ban – Ramadan 1447 AH)	55.9	−8.1%
March 2026 (Ramadan – Shawwal 1447 AH)	58.7	+1.4%
April 2026 (Shawwal – Dhu al-Qa'dah 1447 AH)	49.5	+10.6%
May 2026 (Dhu al-Qa'dah – Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 AH)	49.7	+2.6%
June 2026 (Dhu al-Hijjah 1447 – Muharram 1448 AH)	42.0	−7.4%
July 2026 (Muharram – Safar 1448 AH)	48.6	−1.7%
August 2026 (Safar – Rabi' al-Awwal 1448 AH)	48.2	−14.0%

Seasons in Al-Darb

Highest months: January, December, November. Lowest: June, April (average of 2024–2025). Payday week +37.3% and Ramadan weeks +12.4% against ordinary weeks over the last 52 weeks.

Al-Darb among Saudi cities

Al-Darb ranks 59 of 60 cities for total spending. Total spending in Saudi Arabia as a whole: SAR 735,498 million over the last 12 months (+6.0% on last year): Total spending in Saudi Arabia. Among 5 cities of similar size, Al-Darb is number 5 for growth over the last 3 months; the fastest is Turaif (+6.6%).

#	City	12 months, SAR million	3 months vs last year	SAR per person per year
1	Riyadh	252,610	+6.0%	36,087
2	Jeddah	100,781	+3.5%	27,143
3	Dammam	35,960	+5.8%	25,933
…
56	Ahad Al-Masarihah	755	+3.4%	29,408
57	Turaif	741	+6.6%	11,221
58	Al-Lith	664	−0.2%	31,895
59	Al-Darb	662	−8.0%	9,595
60	Safwa	607	−6.2%	13,287

For planning

Plan stock and shifts around payday weeks, and prepare for Ramadan a month ahead. Monthly and weekly forecasts, and a comparison of your shop with the market, are in the interactive analysis(Arabic).

Other activities in Al-Darb

Restaurants and cafés Groceries and food Bakeries and sweets All activities in Al-Darb Total spending across Saudi Arabia

Source and method

Source: Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), Statistical Report (point of sale, value of transactions) and the weekly bulletins; data published for the public and attributed to it. We matched the portal figures with the bulletins (3,172 figures, average difference 0.001%). Population: 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT)). Growth is measured against the same months of the previous year to remove seasonal effects. The figures are card payments only, and part of their growth is a shift from cash, not new demand; see Data coverage above for the figures.