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President of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Fahad bin Abdullah Aldossari, participated in the 14th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Statistical Commission (OIC-StatCom), in Ankara, Turkey, from October 1-3, 2025.
 The meeting brought together heads of official statistical centers from OIC member states to exchange expertise, showcase best practices, strengthen statistical capabilities within the organization, and discuss key statistical trends and mechanisms to enhance cooperation in data sharing and developing statistical capabilities.
The meeting discussed the follow-up on the implementation of the OIC-StatCom 2026-2030 work plan, along with the role of official statistical agencies and offices in Islamic countries to enhance the exchange of expertise among them, standardize statistical methodologies and standards, and review future aspirations for statistical work in member states.
It is noteworthy that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosted the 12th session of OIC-StatCom 2023, which took place in Jeddah over two days with the participation of the heads of official statistical centers from OIC member states. 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.
Moreover, it is noted that the Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC) is a subsidiary organ of the OIC which is mandated to collect, process, and disseminate socio-economic statistics; study and evaluate the economic and social developments; and organize training programs for OIC member states.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) participated in the 10th International Conference on Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange (SDMX), held in Rome under the theme “Smarter Data for Better Insights.” The event brought together heads and representatives of international organizations, national statistical offices, and leading global experts.
Dr. Fahad Aldossari, President of GASTAT, led the delegation to the conference. GASTAT’s participation focused on discussing the latest developments in statistical data and metadata, leveraging modern technologies to enhance digital statistical platforms, adopting global best practices in data governance, and ensuring the accuracy of statistical indicators. These objectives were pursued through strengthening the application of SDMX standards at the international level and by fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing among international organizations and statistical agencies.
During his participation in a session titled “Enabling Artificial Intelligence in the Exchange of Statistical Data and Metadata,” Dr. Aldossari explained that GASTAT has adopted a data operating model based on SDMX and supported by advanced technologies. This model streamlines the entire statistical value chain—from data collection to dissemination—while ensuring interoperability and reusability of statistical data and metadata at both the national and international levels. It also strengthens integration across these elements to enhance the quality and accuracy of statistical outputs, while upholding privacy and metadata management standards.
On the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Aldossari held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Bert Kroese, Director of Statistics at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration and leveraging international initiatives to foster statistical innovation and development, with the aim of improving economic and development planning and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 10th International Conference on SDMX is being held over five days, featuring several high-level sessions on the importance of utilizing modern technologies within the SDMX initiative and exploring the role of artificial intelligence in this field. The conference program also includes a series of workshops designed to promote international cooperation among statistical organizations and advance the development of statistical systems across agencies.
Hosted by the Bank of Italy, the SDMX conference is recognized as one of the leading global events in the statistical sector. Organized biennially since its launch in 2002, the SDMX initiative is overseen by a consortium of international organizations with the mission of standardizing and modernizing the mechanisms and processes of statistical data and metadata exchange across the international statistical community.
 

GASTAT released Labor Market Statistics Publication for Q2 of 2025. Overall labor force participation rate (for Saudis and non-Saudis) reached 67.1%, while the overall unemployment rate (for Saudis and non-Saudis) reached 3.2%. Labor force participation rate among Saudis was 49.2%, and the unemployment rate among Saudis was 6.8%, according to the publication. 

The labor force participation rate among Saudi males was 64.0%, while the unemployment rate among Saudi males reached 4.3%. The results also indicated that the labor force participation rate among Saudi females was 34.5%, whereas the unemployment rate among Saudi females was 11.3%. The results related to young Saudi females (aged 15-24 years) showed that the employment to population ratio reached 13.8%, while their labor force participation rate was recorded at 17.4%. In comparison, the unemployment to population ratio among young Saudi males was 28.0%, and their labor force participation rate was 31.6%, the publication results noted. 

As for the labor market indicators in Q2 of 2025 concerning Saudi population (both males and females) in the core working age group (25-54 years), the employment to population ratio was 63.3%, while the labor force participation rate reached 67.3%. The results further indicated that the unemployment rate reached 5.9%.

Regarding the job search methods, it is noteworthy that the Labor Market Statistics Publication for Q2 of 2025 indicated that the most commonly used method was applying directly to employers, at a rate of 72.4%. This was followed by using the national unified employment platform (Jadarat) at 56.3%, while the method of asking friends or relatives about job opportunities constituted 50.5%.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) today released the International Trade publication for July 2025, which showed a 30.4% increase in non-oil exports (including re-exports) compared to the same month in 2024.
The publication results showed that the non-oil merchandise exports to imports ratio rose to 44.6% in July 2025, compared to 33.4% in July 2024. The “Machinery, electrical equipment and parts” group accounted for 29.7% of total non-oil exports, followed by chemical industry products at 19.6%. On the imports side, the “Machinery, electrical equipment and parts” group accounted for 11.7% of total imports, marking an increase of 29.9% compared to July 2024. Followed by the “Transport equipment and parts” group, which represented 13.2% of imports, recording a decrease of 9.6% over the same period.
The results indicated that oil exports decreased by 0.7% during the same period, causing their share of total merchandise exports to decline from 72.8% in July 2024 to 67.1% in July 2025. In terms of the trade balance, the surplus increased by 53.4% compared to July 2024, driven by a 2.5% decrease in imports. 
The publication showed that China was the Kingdom’s largest trading partner, accounting for 14.0% of total exports and 25.8% of total imports. Followed by the United Arab Emirates, with 10.6% of exports and 6.4% of imports, then India with 9.4% of exports. The Kingdom’s total exports to the top 10 countries amounted to 65.7% of the total, while imports from the top 10 countries accounted for 64.3%. The results also indicated that King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam was the Kingdom’s main entry point for imports, handling 26.1% of the total, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port with 20.9%.
It is noteworthy that the International Trade Statistics are based on administrative records from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority and the Ministry of Energy (for oil exports). The Kingdom’s exports and imports are classified according to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), as adopted by the World Customs Organization.