Consumer spending rises 6% to SAR 142B in August

Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia increased to SAR 142 billion in August, up 6% from nearly SAR 133.5 billion in August 2025.

Local consumer spending includes total cash withdrawals, point-of-sale (POS) transactions, and e-commerce sales through the Mada network.

According to monthly data from the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), POS sales in Saudi Arabia rose by 5% year-on-year (YoY) to about SAR 65.7 billion in August. These sales were conducted through 1.1 billion transactions across 2.5 million POS terminals.

POS transactions represent consumer spending using debit and credit cards at shopping malls, retail stores, pharmacies, and other outlets.

Meanwhile, cash withdrawals from ATMs fell by around 5% YoY to approximately SAR 39.4 billion in August. These withdrawals were made through 14,400 ATMs operated locally, while the total number of issued bank cards reached 71.2 million.

E-commerce sales via Mada cards rose to SAR 36.95 billion in August, up 26% YoY. These transactions were carried out through 196.9 million operations.