Spending in Umluj: all activities

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

16.6 SAR million

+25.8% against the same week last year · rank 50 of 60 cities · 0.1% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Umluj +29.0% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is growing faster 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 33.8, lowest 13.7.

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)

966SAR million, all spending · +29.0% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

13,873SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

69,656population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.4million transactions · +6.1% against the same week last year

44.9SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · +18.6% 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 Umluj(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	Hotels	250	+227.7%	25.9%
02	Groceries and food	169	−4.2%	17.5%
03	Fuel stations	105	−10.9%	10.9%
04	Restaurants and cafés	105	−7.8%	10.9%
05	Other	86	+47.7%	8.9%
06	Clothing and footwear	48	+21.5%	4.9%
07	Health	43	−22.9%	4.4%
08	Transport	39	+8.4%	4.0%
09	Professional services	28	−36.8%	2.9%
10	Building materials	21	−38.3%	2.2%
11	Pharmacies	19	−43.2%	2.0%
12	Medical services	16	+9.5%	1.7%
13	Bakeries and sweets	16	−13.5%	1.6%
14	Jewellery	15	+3659.7%	1.6%
15	Vehicle maintenance	14	+22.9%	1.5%
16	Vehicle trade	11	+9.5%	1.2%
17	Furniture and furnishings	10	−27.7%	1.1%
18	Car rental	9	+3.7%	0.9%
19	Recreation and culture	8	−9.7%	0.8%
20	Personal care	7	−1.3%	0.8%
21	Public utilities	7	−4.3%	0.8%
22	Recreation	6	−13.0%	0.6%
23	Electronics	5	−10.1%	0.5%
24	Education	4	+34.8%	0.4%
25	Telecommunications	4	−30.0%	0.4%
26	Laundries	3	−18.5%	0.3%
27	Other transport	3	+214.7%	0.3%
28	Airlines	2	−72.1%	0.2%
29	Books and stationery	2	+3.6%	0.2%
30	Freight and courier	0	—	0.0%

Detailed pages

Restaurants and cafés in Umluj Groceries and food in Umluj Bakeries and sweets in Umluj Total spending in Umluj

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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