Spending in Dammam: all activities

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

664.0 SAR million

+4.4% against the same week last year · rank 3 of 60 cities · 5.1% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Dammam +5.8% against +6.0% for Saudi Arabia, so the market here is growing at about the pace of 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 831.9, lowest 578.9.

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)

35,960SAR million, all spending · +5.8% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

25,933SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

1,386,671population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

9.8million transactions · +6.6% against the same week last year

67.9SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −2.0% 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 Dammam(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	6,065	−0.5%	16.9%
02	Groceries and food	5,736	+17.3%	15.9%
03	Restaurants and cafés	3,674	+7.7%	10.2%
04	Transport	3,534	+9.3%	9.8%
05	Clothing and footwear	3,339	+26.5%	9.3%
06	Fuel stations	2,954	+21.0%	8.2%
07	Vehicle trade	1,867	+13.3%	5.2%
08	Professional services	1,633	−40.0%	4.5%
09	Building materials	1,617	+6.0%	4.5%
10	Health	1,582	−4.2%	4.4%
11	Furniture and furnishings	1,461	+2.0%	4.1%
12	Medical services	951	+17.2%	2.6%
13	Vehicle maintenance	931	+18.1%	2.6%
14	Recreation and culture	864	+0.0%	2.4%
15	Jewellery	827	+40.5%	2.3%
16	Education	645	+8.5%	1.8%
17	Bakeries and sweets	611	−13.0%	1.7%
18	Electronics	569	+19.0%	1.6%
19	Recreation	498	+5.8%	1.4%
20	Books and stationery	366	−6.8%	1.0%
21	Pharmacies	354	−38.8%	1.0%
22	Car rental	299	−7.5%	0.8%
23	Hotels	299	−9.7%	0.8%
24	Personal care	277	−1.4%	0.8%
25	Telecommunications	222	+31.8%	0.6%
26	Public utilities	168	+9.2%	0.5%
27	Other transport	164	−20.6%	0.5%
28	Laundries	161	−4.0%	0.4%
29	Airlines	156	+1.8%	0.4%
30	Freight and courier	118	−10.2%	0.3%

Detailed pages

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

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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