Spending in Makkah: all activities

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

508.0 SAR million

+7.4% against the same week last year · rank 4 of 60 cities · 3.9% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionLast 3 months: Makkah +4.6% 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 1,014.4, lowest 442.9.

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)

31,061SAR million, all spending · +4.6% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

13,021SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

2,385,509population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

9.2million transactions · +9.5% against the same week last year

55.1SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −1.9% 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 Makkah(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	4,431	+10.0%	14.3%
02	Groceries and food	4,397	+7.5%	14.2%
03	Hotels	4,134	+14.0%	13.3%
04	Restaurants and cafés	3,907	−1.9%	12.6%
05	Clothing and footwear	3,278	+38.5%	10.6%
06	Fuel stations	2,296	+14.1%	7.4%
07	Professional services	1,467	−46.4%	4.7%
08	Health	1,455	−12.5%	4.7%
09	Transport	1,450	+3.9%	4.7%
10	Jewellery	1,000	+20.8%	3.2%
11	Medical services	794	+13.0%	2.6%
12	Furniture and furnishings	784	−11.5%	2.5%
13	Vehicle trade	771	−1.7%	2.5%
14	Recreation and culture	642	−2.0%	2.1%
15	Pharmacies	446	−44.1%	1.4%
16	Building materials	446	+2.3%	1.4%
17	Bakeries and sweets	434	+17.7%	1.4%
18	Vehicle maintenance	380	+24.9%	1.2%
19	Recreation	360	+0.9%	1.2%
20	Electronics	303	+3.0%	1.0%
21	Books and stationery	283	−5.4%	0.9%
22	Telecommunications	244	+79.9%	0.8%
23	Personal care	214	+21.8%	0.7%
24	Education	206	+41.8%	0.7%
25	Public utilities	115	+10.8%	0.4%
26	Other transport	109	+7.1%	0.3%
27	Laundries	71	−8.8%	0.2%
28	Freight and courier	70	−11.9%	0.2%
29	Car rental	69	−14.5%	0.2%
30	Airlines	52	+1.9%	0.2%

Detailed pages

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

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.

More cities: all cities.