Spending in Al-Rass: all activities

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

53.4 SAR million

+4.7% against the same week last year · rank 24 of 60 cities · 0.4% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Al-Rass +1.3% 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 77.7, lowest 44.3.

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)

3,124SAR million, all spending · +1.3% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

25,745SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

121,359population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

1.1million transactions · +7.7% against the same week last year

49.6SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −2.9% 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 Al-Rass(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	580	−2.1%	18.6%
02	Other	566	−6.5%	18.1%
03	Restaurants and cafés	339	+6.2%	10.8%
04	Health	226	+4.5%	7.2%
05	Transport	220	−2.5%	7.1%
06	Fuel stations	192	−9.8%	6.1%
07	Clothing and footwear	178	+2.1%	5.7%
08	Building materials	174	+6.1%	5.6%
09	Furniture and furnishings	148	+69.6%	4.7%
10	Medical services	115	+26.7%	3.7%
11	Professional services	111	+5.5%	3.6%
12	Recreation and culture	98	−6.5%	3.2%
13	Vehicle trade	95	+9.1%	3.0%
14	Bakeries and sweets	89	−20.5%	2.8%
15	Jewellery	85	+41.8%	2.7%
16	Pharmacies	78	−18.4%	2.5%
17	Vehicle maintenance	75	+12.8%	2.4%
18	Recreation	57	−4.5%	1.8%
19	Electronics	42	−35.7%	1.4%
20	Books and stationery	41	−9.1%	1.3%
21	Personal care	34	+4.1%	1.1%
22	Freight and courier	28	−32.0%	0.9%
23	Telecommunications	19	+145.7%	0.6%
24	Hotels	18	−9.4%	0.6%
25	Public utilities	17	−3.0%	0.5%
26	Laundries	15	+8.7%	0.5%
27	Car rental	10	−60.0%	0.3%
28	Education	7	+18.2%	0.2%
29	Other transport	7	−47.5%	0.2%
30	Airlines	6	+29.9%	0.2%

Detailed pages

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

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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