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The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Centre for Statistics and Information in the Sultanate of Oman with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation and developing statistical work between the two parties. The memorandum was signed by GASTAT President, Fahad Aldossari, and the the National Centre for Statistics and Information CEO, Khalifa Al-Barwani, in the presence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Sultanate of Oman, Ibrahim bin Beshan.
GASTAT President affirmed that this memorandum is an extension of the Kingdom’s efforts to consolidate regional and international statistical partnerships and support the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing Gulf integration in the statistical field. He noted that it reflects the strength of the close relations between the two brotherly countries and their shared commitment to developing statistical work in a way that serves decision-makers and supports sustainable development plans.
For his part, the CEO of the National Centre for Statistics and Information in the Sultanate of Oman, Khalifa Al-Barwani, stated that this memorandum represents an important step toward building an integrated Gulf statistical system that contributes to producing accurate and reliable data to support decision-makers. He pointed out that cooperation with GASTAT will open wider horizons for exchanging expertise and developing national capabilities in support of common interests.
It is worth noting that the signing of the memorandum marked the highlight of GASTAT’s delegation visit to the National Centre for Statistics and Information in the Sultanate of Oman, which featured discussion sessions on key statistical developments and projects at local and international levels, aimed at enhancing integration and fostering the exchange of expertise between the two sides.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the results of Health and Safety at Workplace Statistics publication 2024. According to the publication, the rate of work injuries among workers aged 15 and above reached 245.7 non-fatal injuries and 1.1 fatal injuries per 100 thousand workers, excluding road traffic injuries. Additionally, according to survey respondents, the results indicated that 39% of workers received training in health and safety measures, and 40.4% have access to a dedicated occupational health and safety department at their workplace, while 32.2% of workers received periodic medical examinations provided at their workplace.
Regarding risks at workplace, the results highlighted that 5.4% of workers were required to work on hazardous machines, 2.1% were required to deal with chemicals, and 1% are exposed to heavy metals. Meanwhile, in the healthcare sector, 95% of workers reported that they have coverage to access essential healthcare services. 
The results also showed that over the past 12 months, the most common work-related health problems were "work-related stress" at 2.1%, followed by "eye and vision problems" at 2%, while 79.5% of workers reported that they had not experienced any work-related health problems during the same period.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the estimates of Health and Safety at Workplace Statistics are based on self-reported data from participants through field visits conducted in the 2024 National Health Survey (NHS), except for the work-related injury rate, which was calculated from the register-based data from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, and the 2024 population estimates from the General Authority for Statistics. 
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) today released its International Trade Statistics publications for June 2025 and for Q2 2025.
The results of the June publication revealed continued growth in non-oil exports (including re-exports), which recorded an increase of 22.1% compared to June 2024. National non-oil exports (excluding re-exports) rose by 8.4%, while the value of re-exported goods increased by 60.2%. Merchandise exports grew by 3.7% despite a 2.5% decrease in oil exports, which reduced the share of oil exports in total exports to 70.2% compared to 74.7% in June 2024.
Merchandise imports increased by 1.7%, which contributed to the improvement of the ratio of non-oil exports to imports, reaching 39.2% compared to 32.7% in June 2024. Meanwhile, the surplus in the merchandise trade balance increased by 10.6% compared to the same month of the previous year.
Chemical products topped the list of non-oil exports, accounting for 24.5% of the total, followed by machinery, electrical equipment, and parts with 23.3%. On the other hand, machinery, electrical equipment, and parts ranked first among imports with 30.6%.
The publication showed that the People’s Republic of China was the Kingdom’s main trading partner, accounting for 15.5% of total exports and 27.9% of total imports in June 2025.
In addition, the results of the Q2 2025 publication showed that non-oil exports (including re-exports) continued to grow by 17.8% compared to Q2 2024, while national non-oil exports increased by 5.6%, and the value of re-exported goods rose by 46.2%.
Meanwhile, merchandise exports decreased by 7.3% compared to Q2 2024, due to a 15.8% decline in oil exports. Accordingly, the share of oil exports in total exports decreased from 74.7% in Q2 2024 to 67.9% in Q2 2025.
Merchandise imports increased by 13.1% in Q2 2025 compared to the same period of the previous year, while the merchandise trade balance surplus decreased by 56.2%. The ratio of non-oil exports to imports rose to 37.3% compared to 35.8% in Q2 2024.
Chemical products were the top non-oil export items, accounting for 23.0% of the total, followed by machinery, electrical equipment, and parts with 21.7%. Machinery, electrical equipment, and parts were also the most imported goods, accounting for 28.9% of total imports.
The publication indicated that the People’s Republic of China was the Kingdom’s main trading partner in Q2 2025, accounting for 14.2% of total exports and 27.4% of total imports during this period.
 

The United Nations (UN) announced the election of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), as co-chair of Working Group on Data Governance (WGDG) of the UN Statistical Commission led by GASTAT’s President, Fahad Aldossari. This step signifies the expanding international recognition of the Kingdom's preeminent role in advancing digital transformation and the development of official data and statistical governance policies. This announcement comes as part of the Kingdom's commitment to supporting global efforts and working with international partners to build a secure and reliable digital future. The aim is to boost confidence in the international community and provide accurate statistics that support development policies and decision-making, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
This group serves as an international platform and a central tool for global coordination on data governance. It helps to establish common terminology, facilitate the exchange of national best practices and expertise at regional and international levels, and create a guiding framework for organizing and using data sources. These efforts enhance transparency, serve sustainable development goals, develop foundational principles and leverage existing initiatives to define global and regional data governance principles and their applicability to official data and statistics.
The Kingdom's membership will contribute to fostering a secure and reliable global statistical data environment, driving innovation, and enabling communities to maximize its value to support economic and social development. It will also help in drafting international data governance standards and policies, in addition to benefiting from the exchange of the latest international practices and developing initiatives that enhance innovation and cooperation among member states.
It is worth noting that WGDG was established this year and held its first meeting with GASTAT’s President, Fahad Aldossari participating as co-chair. The meeting focused on discussing the timeline for the group's work, its roles, and its key tasks.