GASTAT’s President, Dr. Fahad Aldossari, received the Chief Statistician of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Dr. Jose Rosero, at GASTAT’s headquarters in Riyadh. They held a bilateral meeting to discuss several topics of mutual interest.

During the meeting, they reviewed GASTAT’s key projects and highlighted its strategic transformation journey, which includes the improvement of various statistical product methodologies, the enhancement of the digital infrastructure within GASTAT, and the improvement of information technology efficiency supporting statistical work.

Dr. Jose Rosero expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, stating FAO's interest in enhancing cooperation with GASTAT, considering the increasing importance of data regularly requested by the organization from international statistical offices and agencies.
 

GASTAT’s President, Dr. Fahad Aldossari, met with the United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons, Dr. Claudia Mahler. During the meeting, they reviewed the efforts made by GASTAT to support the elderly through the production of updated statistical data and indicators specifically for this group.

Dr. Fahad Aldossari provided an overview of the statistical transformation project launched in 2023, which aims to ensure comprehensive coverage of all statistical indicators in the Kingdom, including data and indicators related to the elderly. He also emphasized that after collecting, analyzing, and processing field and register-based data, it is essential to align this data in cooperation with relevant government entities to achieve accurate results that continuously enhance service quality.

It is worth mentioning that this meeting is part of GASTAT's efforts to enhance international cooperation and exchange experiences with international organizations, aiming to raise the Kingdom's ranking in international indicators and develop statistical work according to the best global practices.
 

Saudi Arabia made significant progress in the 2024 Open Data Inventory report issued by Open Data Watch, rising to 41st place globally out of 197 countries. This marks an advancement of 28 positions compared to the year 2022 assessment. Also, Saudi Arabia advanced from 15th to 9th place among G20 countries in this year’s report reflecting the Kingdom’s commitment to enhancing transparency and data openness. The ODIN report is based on two main elements: the Data Coverage Score, which measures the comprehensiveness and diversity of published official data, and the Data Openness Score, which measures the ease of access and usability of data.

Open Data Watch, through its official report, praised the significant progress made by the Kingdom, considering this advancement the result of ongoing efforts and notable initiatives worthy of recognition. The Kingdom’s data coverage score increased by 16 points, and the data openness score rose by 15 points, achieving a growth of 143% in the overall score since 2017. underscoring its commitment to adopting global best practices in the field of open data.

This national achievement is the result of the efforts of the General Authority for Statistics, which leads the national statistical ecosystem by developing statistical products, launching strategic indicators that support Saudi Vision 2030, expanding the provision of open data, and facilitating access through official digital platforms.

In line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, GASTAT has strengthened its strategy to develop IT infrastructure, enabling government entities, the private sector, and researchers to use data to support strategic planning and decision-making. GASTAT’s efforts have also contributed to fostering a culture of transparency and open data, raising community awareness of the importance of data as a key driver of sustainable development and innovation.

This progress in the open data inventory report reflects the Kingdom’s growing status as a regional and global hub for providing official data and statistical indicators, reinforcing its role in building a sustainable, knowledge-based economy, enhancing transparency, attracting investment, and keeping pace with the rapid digital transformations taking place worldwide.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) announced the implementation of a comprehensive update to Saudi Arabia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in line with the Kingdom’s efforts to enhance economic transparency, improve the quality and statistical data reliability, and accurately measure national economic indicators that support development goals and align with international best practices.
GASTAT explained that the updated results showed a 14.1% increase in GDP estimates for 2023, equivalent to an additional SAR 566 billion compared to previously published results, bringing the updated GDP total to SAR 4.5 trillion. The comprehensive update also revealed a higher relative contribution of the non-oil economy, reaching 53.2%, an increase of 5.7 percentage points from earlier estimates, driven largely by the increased economic activity of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The update further indicated significant growth in several economic sectors, including a 61% increase in construction activity, a 29.8% rise in wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels, and a 25.6% increase in transportation, storage, and communications, in addition to growth across various other sectors.
This update is part of GASTAT’s ongoing efforts to provide more comprehensive, up-to-date, accurate, and high-quality statistical data that serves decision-makers, policymakers, investors, researchers, and stakeholders at the local, regional, and international levels. Over the past period, GASTAT has implemented several enhancements to national accounts statistics, most notably the adoption of the chain-linked methodology. This globally recognized approach is used to estimate real GDP growth rates based on the weights and prices of the year preceding the measurement year, in accordance with the recommendations of the System of National Accounts (SNA) manual.
At the beginning of 2024, GASTAT launched the comprehensive GDP update project through a series of statistical surveys aimed at collecting detailed and wide-ranging data for the year 2023. Key surveys included the comprehensive economic survey, the household income and expenditure survey, and the comprehensive agricultural survey, in addition to an expanded use of administrative data sources. These inputs were used to develop more detailed supply and use tables and to produce accurate GDP estimates using the production, income, and expenditure approaches. The update also provided detailed data covering 134 economic activities, compared to 85 in the previous classification.
GASTAT affirmed that this update aligns with globally recognized statistical practices, helping to deliver a more accurate and up-to-date representation of the national economy. It captures significant structural shifts, enhances the precision of economic indicators, and boosts the credibility and international alignment of national data. GASTAT also emphasized that without regular updates, the data may fail to reflect the ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia’s economic structure, particularly in light of the rapid expansion of the non-oil sector since the launch of Saudi Vision 2030. The revised GDP data is now accessible through GASTAT’s official e-portal.