Spending in Al-Zulfi: all activities

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

21.2 SAR million

+3.2% against the same week last year · rank 42 of 60 cities · 0.2% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Al-Zulfi +2.9% 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 31.0, lowest 18.7.

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)

1,242SAR million, all spending · +2.9% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

18,174SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

68,317population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.5million transactions · +6.5% against the same week last year

44.5SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −3.1% 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-Zulfi(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	252	+2.4%	20.3%
02	Other	152	+9.5%	12.3%
03	Restaurants and cafés	136	+0.7%	11.0%
04	Transport	114	+12.3%	9.2%
05	Fuel stations	109	−16.1%	8.8%
06	Health	82	−16.1%	6.6%
07	Clothing and footwear	80	+26.8%	6.4%
08	Bakeries and sweets	60	−8.5%	4.9%
09	Building materials	57	+7.2%	4.6%
10	Professional services	50	+13.2%	4.0%
11	Vehicle maintenance	49	+26.5%	3.9%
12	Vehicle trade	45	+5.7%	3.7%
13	Medical services	45	−0.7%	3.6%
14	Furniture and furnishings	42	−1.0%	3.4%
15	Recreation and culture	31	−5.2%	2.5%
16	Jewellery	31	+48.6%	2.5%
17	Recreation	28	−1.9%	2.3%
18	Pharmacies	24	−41.5%	1.9%
19	Electronics	17	+38.8%	1.4%
20	Personal care	13	+7.9%	1.1%
21	Freight and courier	11	+32.8%	0.9%
22	Telecommunications	9	+47.6%	0.7%
23	Laundries	8	−8.2%	0.6%
24	Public utilities	7	+1.9%	0.5%
25	Hotels	6	−23.1%	0.5%
26	Airlines	4	−45.5%	0.3%
27	Other transport	3	+44.1%	0.3%
28	Books and stationery	3	−31.7%	0.2%
29	Car rental	1	−16.8%	0.1%
30	Education	0	−48.5%	0.0%

Detailed pages

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

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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