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The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) hosted in Jeddah the 51st meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Institute for Training and Research in Statistics (AITRS), with the participation of heads and representatives of Arab statistical offices, as well as relevant Arab and regional organizations.
The meeting discussed a number of topics related to developing statistical capacities across Arab countries and strengthening the role of training and research in keeping pace with the rapid transformations taking place in the field of statistics. These include technological advancements and the adoption of modern tools to enhance the quality of official statistics and strengthen their ability to support development and economic plans and policies across the Arab world.

GASTAT’s hosting of the meeting comes as part of its efforts to strengthen Arab statistical cooperation and in recognition of the important role played by AITRS in supporting knowledge and expertise within statistical authorities. These efforts contribute to developing professional competencies and enhancing the readiness of statistical systems to meet the growing demand for reliable data and statistics.
The meeting is being hosted as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepares to host the 6th  UN World Data Forum in Riyadh in November 2026. The forum will bring together the global data community to discuss the future of data and statistics and to advance partnerships and international cooperation in this field.
 

أطلقت الهيئة العامة للإحصاء منتجًا إحصائيًا شهريًا جديدًا بعنوان (إحصاءات التجارة الدولية في السلع غير البترولية)، يوفر بيانات ومؤشرات تفصيلية، تشمل الصادرات وإعادة التصدير والواردات وفق التصنيفات الإحصائية المعتمدة. 
ويهدف المنتج إلى رفع حداثة بيانات التجارة الدولية غير البترولية، بما يدعم متابعة تطوراتها وتحليلها والاستفادة من مؤشراتها في الوقت المناسب، ويوفر للمستخدمين بيانات شهرية حديثة عن الشهر المرجعي السابق حول حركة التجارة غير البترولية للمملكة. 
ويأتي إطلاق المنتج ضمن جهود الهيئة في تطوير منتجاتها الإحصائية وتعزيز إتاحة البيانات وفق دوريات زمنية تلبي احتياجات المستخدمين، وتتيح إمكانية إجراء الدراسات والمقارنات ذات الأغراض البحثية والإحصائية.
ويمكن الاطلاع على منتج «إحصاءات التجارة الدولية في السلع غير البترولية» عبر الموقع الرسمي للهيئة العامة للإحصاء.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) organizes, on Thursday, September 24, 2026, a quarterly virtual workshop titled “Statistical Practices: Transformation in Health Statistics – Women and Child Health Survey” as part of the Road to Riyadh events. The workshop is part of a series of quarterly workshops showcasing GASTAT’s experiences and practices in various areas of statistical work and contributing to knowledge exchange within the statistical community.
The workshop aims to review GASTAT’s experience in developing the Women and Child Health Survey as a national statistical product, highlight the statistical and community practices that support the quality of its data, and underscore its role in supporting decision-making, the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In addition, the workshop will cover several topics related to the transformation in social and health statistics, the experience of the Women and Child Health Survey, community and statistical success factors, as well as the key findings of the survey.
The workshop will be held virtually with local and international participation, enabling participants to share knowledge and expertise in the field of health and social statistics.
It is noteworthy that the workshop is part of GASTAT’s preparations to host the 6th UN World Data Forum in November 2026. Through the workshop, GASTAT aims to showcase Saudi Arabia’s efforts to advance statistical work and enhance the quality of statistics in support of public policies and decision-making.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the Maritime Transport Statistics publication 2025, which indicated that the total volume of inbound and outbound cargo at Saudi Arabia’s ports exceeded 341 million tons. The volume of outbound cargo reached 227.2 million tons, increasing by 2.1% compared to 2024, while the volume of inbound cargo totaled 114.3 million tons, an increase of 5.0% compared to the previous year.
The publication indicated that King Fahad Industrial Port in Yanbu ranked first in terms of exports, representing 50.7% of the total, with 115.2 million tons. Meanwhile, King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam ranked first among ports receiving imported goods, with a total of 39.2 million tons.
Data also showed that the total volume of cargo handled at Saudi Arabia’s ports exceeded 298 million tons in 2025. King Fahad Industrial Port in Yanbu ranked first in terms of cargo handling, accounting for 33.0%, while Jeddah Islamic Port ranked first in terms of handling twenty-foot equivalent units, accounting for 47.3%.
Regarding ship traffic, the total number of ships arriving at Saudi Arabia’s ports reached 7,848 in 2025. Jeddah Islamic Port accounted for the largest share, with 2,677 ships, followed by Jubail Commercial Port with 1,256 ships and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with 1,030 ships.
The publication also showed that the number of passengers arriving at and departing from Saudi Arabia’s ports reached approximately 1.1 million passengers in 2025, an increase of 20.1% compared to 2024. Jazan Port recorded the highest passenger traffic, with more than 489.6 thousand passengers, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port with approximately 413.8 thousand passengers and NEOM Port with more than 187 thousand passengers. Meanwhile, the total number of cruise passengers reached 174.5 thousand during the year.

It is worth noting that the Maritime Transport Statistics publication is based on administrative records obtained from the Saudi Ports Authority, the Economic Cities and Special Economic Zones Authority, NEOM Company, and the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, with the aim of providing a reliable database to support studies and research in the maritime transport sector.