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Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), participated in the 57th Session of the United Nations Statistical Commission, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 3 to 6 March 2026. The session brought together heads of national statistical offices from around the world. Saudi Arabia’s participation reflects its commitment to strengthening its contribution to the development of international statistical work and supporting efforts to modernize the global statistical system.
The Saudi delegation was headed by the Vice President of GASTAT, Mr. Mohammed Al-Rshaid. During the meetings, the delegation highlighted Riyadh’s preparations to host the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum UNWDF next November, reaffirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment to early coordination with international partners to ensure alignment with the global statistical agenda and to strengthen integration between national and international data initiatives.
Mr. Al-Rshaid emphasized the leading role played by GASTAT in advancing the statistical sector, outlining three strategic pillars that underpin its development efforts. These include digital transformation and artificial intelligence through the integration of AI and Geo-AI technologies into statistical operations under an ambitious roadmap extending to 2030; knowledge leadership through spearheading the Arabic translation of the System of National Accounts 2025 to support the harmonization and advancement of statistical practices across the Arab region in line with international standards; and innovation in monitoring development through the launch of an integrated interactive system for managing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) data, ensuring efficient monitoring of indicators and meeting international requirements through an advanced methodological approach.
On the sidelines of the session, GASTAT participated in a specialized side event on “Data Governance” in its capacity as Co-Chair of the Data Governance Working Group established by the commission. During the event, the Vice President reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting the development of comprehensive data governance frameworks in the field of official statistics and to strengthening the role of national statistical offices within national and global data ecosystems, thereby enhancing the quality, reliability, and sustainability of data. The event featured a high-level panel discussion with the participation of members of the Working Group and several heads of national statistical offices. The discussion explored key challenges and opportunities related to data governance and reviewed the latest international practices in developing effective regulatory frameworks that enhance integration between data producers and users. In addition, the GASTAT delegation held a series of bilateral meetings with several international organizations and national statistical offices to discuss ways to enhance cooperation and exchange technical expertise.
The United Nations Statistical Commission is the highest decision-making body for international statistical standards and for monitoring progress on the SDGs. Its mandate underscores the importance of strengthening international cooperation to develop more integrated and resilient statistical systems, particularly considering the accelerating digital transformations shaping the global data landscape.

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the results of the Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Statistics for 2025 and Q4 of the year. According to its estimates, the real GDP of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recorded a growth rate of 4.5% in 2025 compared with 2024. This growth was driven by increases across all economic activities, as oil activities grew by 5.7%, non-oil activities increased by 4.9%, and government activities rose by 0.9%.
The results revealed that GDP at current prices reached SAR 4,789 billion in 2025. Activities related to crude oil and natural gas recorded the highest contribution among economic activities at 17.1%, followed by government activities at 14.0%, then wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels at 12.3%. Manufacturing activities excluding oil refining contributed 11.1%, followed by construction activities at 8.0%.
The results indicated that the Saudi economy grew by 5.0% in Q4 of 2025. Several economic activities continued to record notable growth rates, with crude oil and natural gas activities achieving the highest growth during Q4 at 12.4% year-on-year and 4.2% quarter-on-quarter. This was followed by wholesale and retail trade, restaurants and hotels, which grew by 5.4% on a year-on-year basis.
Oil activities were the largest contributor to real GDP growth in Q4 of 2025, contributing 2.6 percentage points, while non-oil activities contributed 2.4 percentage points. On a seasonally adjusted basis, non-oil activities contributed 0.9 percentage points, while oil activities contributed 0.5 percentage points in Q4 of 2025.
 

GASTAT has announced that registration is now open on its website for the Data Innovation Hackathon, held in partnership with the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum and in cooperation with multiple partners.
The hackathon seeks to foster the development of innovative solutions that tackle current challenges in the statistical data ecosystem, focusing on two primary tracks: innovative data collection leveraging non-traditional sources, and smart processing and classification powered by artificial intelligence technologies contributing to improved quality and greater reliability of official statistics.
Participation is open to citizens and residents within Saudi Arabia, including students, academics, freelancers, and employees, through a dedicated online form for submitting executive summaries of their ideas. Submissions will go through an initial screening to determine the teams eligible for the final stage. Selected teams will be allotted a specific timeframe to develop prototypes of their proposed solutions before presenting them to a panel of judges consisting of experts in technology, statistics, and innovation.

GASTAT emphasizes that the launch of the hackathon is part of its efforts to promote innovation in statistical work and to support the development of a national data ecosystem capable of keeping pace with technological advancements, in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision to strengthen its position as a global hub for data and artificial intelligence.

Non-oil exports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (including re-exports) increased by 7.4% in December 2025 compared to the same month in 2024. Meanwhile, national non-oil exports declined by 8.5%, whereas the value of re-exported goods rose by 43.1%.
The international trade in goods results showed a 3.0% increase in total goods exports compared to December 2024. Petroleum exports rose by 1.0%, while the share of petroleum exports in total exports decreased from 68.7% in December 2024 to 67.4% in December 2025. On the imports side, they increased by 2.4% over the same period, while the trade balance surplus grew by 7.1% compared to December of the previous year.
In Q4 of 2025, non-oil exports (including re-exports) rose by 18.6% compared to Q4 of 2024, while national non-oil exports decreased by 1.5%, and re-exported goods increased by 67.4%. Total goods exports grew by 7.9%, and petroleum exports rose by 3.5%, while the share of petroleum exports in total exports declined from 70.4% to 67.5%. Imports in Q4 of 2025 increased by 4.7% compared to the same period of the previous year, and the trade balance surplus recorded a growth of 26.3%.
Regarding trade partners, Japan ranked first among goods export destinations in December, accounting for 11.7% of total exports, while China led import partners with a 28.7% share. On Q4 level, China was the top partner for exports, representing 13.1%, and maintained its leading position for imports at 27.2%.
International Trade in Goods Statistics is based on administrative records provided by the relevant authorities, including the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority for non-oil data and the Ministry of Energy for oil-related data. These records undergo statistical processing and review according to the methodologies approved by the relevant authorities, ensuring the quality and accuracy of the data before publication.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) and Fikr Strategies for Industry Platform Company signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC). GASTAT was represented by Vice President, Mr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rshaid, while the company was represented by its Founder, Eng. Jassim bin Mohammed AlShammary.
The agreement aims to enhance coordination in statistical data exchange, contributing to the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 by leveraging official statistics to serve the industrial sector. It also focuses on developing specialized national performance indicators to measure the growth and competitiveness of industrial sectors, launching national initiatives and training programs for capacity building in industrial data analysis, and providing technical support in data and information management. Additionally, the cooperation includes developing statistical indicators, issuing reports and publications, and conducting specialized statistical workshops.
Furthermore, the agreement represents a strategic step to enhance GASTAT’s role in supporting civil society institutions with accurate statistical information, enabling them to make decisions based on reliable data. It also underscores the importance of exchanging technical and knowledge-based expertise between the two parties in areas of shared interest. Additionally, the platform is committed to improving its services by relying on accurate data and objective analyses to support the continuous planning and evaluation of programs and services
 

GASTAT has launched the Data Innovation Hackathon, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative to leverage innovation in official statistical data. This initiative forms part of the “Road to Riyadh” series of events, held in preparation for Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Sixth United Nations World Data Forum (UNWDF) in November 2026.
The hackathon aims to advance innovation in statistical work and enhance the readiness of the statistical sector to keep pace with rapid technological developments. Through this initiative, GASTAT seeks to empower citizens and residents across Saudi Arabia including students, academics, freelancers, and employees to contribute to the development of innovative solutions that address key challenges.
The hackathon follows an open participation model and will be delivered entirely through a virtual platform, allowing for wide international engagement and promoting the exchange of expertise among professionals.
It offers total cash prizes of SAR 75,000, along with professional incentives, and provides mentorship and training opportunities for the winning teams.
The hackathon focuses on two primary tracks: innovative data collection leveraging non-traditional sources, and smart processing and classification powered by artificial intelligence technologies contributing to improved quality and greater reliability of official statistics.
This initiative is part of GASTAT’s efforts to expand the adoption of advanced technologies in data collection and processing, while reinforcing

 the role of artificial intelligence in elevating the quality of official statistics, in line with Saudi Arabia’s vision of building a data-driven knowledge 

economy. The hackathon is being prepared in collaboration with local partners to ensure alignment of efforts and to provide an enabling environment for innovators from diverse fields.
GASTAT confirms that full details of the initiative, including participation criteria and procedures, will be announced soon via its official social media platforms and website.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) held a panel discussion titled “Beyond the Numbers – The Social Dimension of Data,” with the participation of: Dr. Maimouna Al Khalil, Secretary General – Family Affairs Council; Dr. Fatimah Al Waef, General Supervisory for Social Statistics – GASTAT; Dr. Abir Al-Harbi, Vice Head – National Observatory for Women; Dr. Hanadi Al-Hokair, Director General of the General Department of Women’s Empowerment – Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development; Dr. Amani Albaqshi, Senior Advisor – Ministry of Economy and Planning; Dominique M. Kanoubana, Statistician – UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States; Dr. Yusra Tashkandi, Associate Professor, Faculty Member, and Chair of the Department of Statistics & Operations Research – College of Sciences; and Lulu Almuqbil, Senior Data Analyst – GASTAT on Wednesday evening, February 11, 2026.
The panel discussion was part of Road to Riyadh series of events organized by GASTAT, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s hosting the 6th UNWDF in Riyadh in November. It explored the human and social dimensions of statistical data, highlighting the role of Saudi women and Saudi Arabia's experience in empowering them across various sectors through multiple initiatives that have strengthened their participation. It also covered additional topics, including local and global strategies supporting women’s empowerment, and the importance of statistical data in understanding social and economic realities to assist decision-makers and government entities in developing plans aligned with national objectives.
This panel discussion underscores GASTAT's commitment to raising statistical awareness on the social dimensions of data and reinforcing the role of statistics as a strategic tool for informed decision-making, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to build a vibrant society and a thriving, data- and knowledge-driven economy.
 

The President of GASTAT, Fahad Aldossari, held a bilateral meeting with the director of the UNICEF Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Lana Khalil Al Wreikat, at GASTAT’s headquarters in Riyadh, to discuss prospects for cooperation in statistical and developmental fields of mutual interest. 
This meeting comes as a part of GASTAT’s commitment to expanding its international partnerships and enhancing cooperation with other regional and international organizations. Such efforts aim to develop the national statistical ecosystem, support development efforts, and reinforce the role of reliable data in achieving sustainable development.
During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation and exchange expertise in statistical and development fields, contribute to supporting data production, improve its quality, and strengthen its role in supporting public policy and decision-making in line with the latest international practice and standards. It also addressed GASTAT’s strategic transformation and efforts to strengthen its position as a leading statistical institution at the regional and international levels through developing digital infrastructure, expanding data accessibility, building statistical capacity, and enhancing international cooperation. 
In addition, the meeting reviewed Saudi Arabia’s preparations to host the 6th UNWDF 2026 and the role of the regional and international organizations in ensuring the Forum’s success and promoting global dialogue on data for development.
The president of GASTAT also emphasized that the partnership with the UNICEF Office for GCC countries represents an effective model for integration between national and international expertise in developing social statistics and enhancing data quality. He noted that this partnership is an extension of GASTAT’s efforts to support data-driven decision-making in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 and contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
He added that GASTAT is keen to expand its cooperation with regional and international organizations to enhance statistical capacity-building and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s position as a leading regional and global hub for data, particularly in light of its preparation to host the 6th UNWDF in Riyadh in 2026.
It is noteworthy that the UNICEF Office for GCC countries was established in 1987 by merging the country offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. This was based on an institutional vision that reflects the unique social and economic development trajectories of the GCC countries.