RIYADH — The Saudi economy recorded steady growth towards the end of 2025, supported by resilient consumption activity, expansion of the non-oil sector and improvement in external trade, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Economic Planning.
Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 4.8% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Economic Planning, General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), Tadawul and Riyadh Bank.
Growth was primarily driven by non-oil businesses, which expanded by 4.3% annually. Meanwhile, the oil business recorded a high growth of 8.3% during the same period.
Labor market indicators were mixed. According to GASTAT, Saudi Arabia’s labor force participation rate reached 49.0% in the third quarter, with male participation rate at 64.3% and female participation rate at 33.7%. The unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia was 7.5%, of which 5.0% was for men and 12.1% for women.
On the fiscal and monetary front, government and semi-government deposits decreased to SR438 billion in the third quarter, down 9.6 percent quarter-on-quarter and 7.0 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, banks’ claims to the government rose to 649.1 billion riyals in November, an annual increase of 10.7%.
Personal consumption in November reached SR171.4 billion, down 7.5% month-on-month, but up 7.2% year-on-year. Consumer loans rose to SR477 billion in the third quarter, an annual increase of 3.1%.
According to SAMA data, foreign direct investment inflows showed strong momentum, totaling SR24.9 billion in the third quarter, an increase of 34.5% year-on-year.
Foreign trade also improved. Non-oil merchandise exports increased by 32.3% year-on-year to SR33.9 billion in October, while merchandise imports increased by 4.3% annually to SR80.8 billion. Total exports in the third quarter reached SR 362.1 billion, an increase of 12.0% year-on-year, while imports increased by 6.3% to SR 336 billion.
Private sector activity remains firmly in expansion territory, with Riyadh Bank’s Purchasing Managers’ Index reaching 57.4 points in December, despite a slight decline month-on-month.
In the financial market, the Tadawul All Share Index ended December at 10,490.7 points, down 12.8% year-on-year. In the real estate sector, the real estate price index in the third quarter was 103.9 points, registering an annual increase of 1.3 percent.
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