Spending in Rafha: all activities

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

20.5 SAR million

−16.6% against the same week last year · rank 45 of 60 cities · 0.2% of Saudi Arabia's spending this week

What this means for your decisionThe last 3 months are +4.4%, but the latest week is −16.6% against last year. A gap this large comes from an exceptional week or a change in the monthly series, not a clear signal about demand, so do not base a decision on either figure alone; follow the trend of the weekly bars below.

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 35.0, lowest 17.9.

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)

1,283SAR million, all spending · +4.4% in the last 3 months against last year · SAMA

15,179SAR per person per year: 12 months of spending ÷ 2022 Census population (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

84,536population · 2022 Census (General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT))

Transactions in the same week

0.6million transactions · +8.9% against the same week last year

36.3SAR average transaction value (value ÷ number) · −23.4% 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 Rafha(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	287	+12.8%	22.3%
02	Other	232	+27.9%	18.1%
03	Restaurants and cafés	150	+14.6%	11.7%
04	Fuel stations	129	−24.5%	10.1%
05	Clothing and footwear	86	+6.9%	6.7%
06	Health	67	−11.4%	5.2%
07	Professional services	63	−13.7%	4.9%
08	Transport	58	+9.0%	4.5%
09	Furniture and furnishings	42	−2.2%	3.3%
10	Bakeries and sweets	39	−6.8%	3.0%
11	Building materials	31	−3.1%	2.5%
12	Medical services	27	+19.9%	2.1%
13	Vehicle maintenance	27	+72.4%	2.1%
14	Pharmacies	26	−36.4%	2.0%
15	Jewellery	23	−6.4%	1.8%
16	Recreation and culture	18	−2.4%	1.4%
17	Telecommunications	17	−9.5%	1.4%
18	Vehicle trade	17	+13.2%	1.3%
19	Personal care	15	+2.0%	1.1%
20	Recreation	14	+6.0%	1.1%
21	Electronics	10	−11.1%	0.8%
22	Laundries	10	−5.0%	0.8%
23	Freight and courier	8	−62.9%	0.6%
24	Public utilities	8	+11.5%	0.6%
25	Education	7	+4.6%	0.5%
26	Hotels	5	+46.4%	0.4%
27	Books and stationery	3	−27.8%	0.3%
28	Car rental	3	−25.2%	0.2%
29	Airlines	2	−9.1%	0.2%
30	Other transport	2	+158.0%	0.1%

Detailed pages

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

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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