President of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) Dr. Fahad Aldossari  led GASTAT’s delegation participating in the 13th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Statistical Commission, (OIC-Stat), in Ankara, Turkey, on October 15 and 16, 2024. This session brought together heads of official statistical centers from OIC member states to exchange experience, discuss best practices, and enhance statistical capabilities within the organization. while guided by specific goals and principles to strengthen the spirit of solidarity and cooperation among Islamic countries.

Participants in the meetings discussed the follow-up on the implementation of the OIC Statistical Commission 2021-2025 work plan, along with other topics included in the current session's agenda. These topics included reviewing indicators related to the second goal of the Global Sustainable Development Goals and the role of official statistical agencies and offices in Islamic countries in supporting development plans in member states and enhancing the exchange of experiences among them.

It is noteworthy that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the 12th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom) last year, which took place in Jeddah over two days (October 3 and 4, 2023). Heads of official statistical centers from OIC member states participated in discussions. This was the first time that the committee's meetings were held outside the headquarters country (Turkey), reflecting the Kingdom’s international status and its Arab and Islamic position, and affirming its keenness to enhance communication and joint work among Islamic countries in all fields.

The annual inflation rate in Saudi Arabia remained stable at 1.7% during September 2024, showing a relative stability on a year-on-year basis. The inflation rate in Saudi Arabia is considered one of the most stable rates, which confirms the strength and resilience of the Saudi economy. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of the economic plans and decisions that the Kingdom has swiftly implemented to address the wave of global inflation and  high prices.  It is noteworthy that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reflects the changes in prices that consumers pay for a fixed basket of goods and services consisting of 490 items. This basket was selected based on the results of the Household Expenditure and Income Survey conducted in 2018. Prices are collected through field visits to points of sale, and statistics on the Consumer Price Index in the Kingdom are published on a monthly basis.

His Excellency Dr. Fahad Aldossari, President of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), held a virtual meeting with Ms. Haishan Fu, Chief Statistician of the World Bank, aimed at enhancing partnership and cooperation between the two sides. During the meeting, they reviewed GASTAT's directions towards developing statistical products and discussed international statistical reports issued by the World Bank, as well as ways to strengthen cooperation in various statistical fields. Dr. Fahad Aldossari expressed his gratitude to Ms. Haishan Fu for her commendation of the remarkable progress in statistical work at the national level. He added that exchanging data and statistical indicators with international organizations is one of the strategic pathways within GASTAT's responsibilities, including providing international organizations with statistical data and indicators related to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is worth noting that the World Bank possesses a lot of global development knowledge and expertise and provides many technical assistance programs to most countries of the world in areas in which the Bank has extensive global technical expertise.

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released today the results of the Industrial Production Index (IPI) for August 2024. IPI increased by 1.0% during August 2024 compared to the same month in the previous year (August 2023), supported by the rise in mining and quarrying activity, manufacturing activity, and electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply activities.  The publication indicated that the index for mining and quarrying activity in August 2024 rose by 0.8% compared to the same month of the previous year (August 2023). Additionally, the index for manufacturing activity in August 2024 increased by 1.1% compared to August 2023. The sub-index for the supply of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning recorded a rise of 4.1%, while the sub-index for water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities decreased of 0.9% compared to August of the previous year. On another note, the index for oil-related activities recorded a decline of 1.4% in August 2024, while the index for non-oil activities achieved an increase of 7.0% compared to August 2023. It is worth mentioning that the General Authority for Statistics issues several statistical products related to the industry, including the Industrial Production Index (IPI), which is an economic indicator that reflects the relative changes and developments in the volume of industrial production. This survey targets industrial establishments engaged in the specified activities, namely mining and quarrying , manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply, as well as water supply, sewage, and waste management activities.