Methodology and Quality Update

Latest Update on Methodology and Quality

29/04/2025

Statistical Presentation

Data description  

The annual national accounts statistics include GDP tables at current prices by tabular category of economic activities.
It also includes indicators of Gross National Income (GNI) and its distributions, such as property income, direct taxes, and current transfers, as well as indicators of disposable income and its distribution between savings and consumption, along with numerous analytical tables highlighting the paths of the national economy, its components, and the interrelationships between major economic aggregates.
It contains a set of current accounts, annual changes, and annual transactions for the following sectors: non-financial corporations, financial corporations, general government, households, non-profit institutions serving households, and the rest of the world.
The annual national accounts are statistics that gather data on key characteristics as follows:
•    National accounts statistics rely on two main sources:
-    Statistical surveys, carried out by the General Authority for Statistics.
-    Administrative records, through which data can be obtained annually.
•    The publication of National Accounts Statistics is published annually.
•    The reference framework for national accounts statistics is the System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA2008)
•    National accounts statistics are subject to international standards in the collection and classification of their data, and the most important classifications on which the publication's data depend are: 
•    National Classification of Economic activities (ISIC 4).
•    The Central Product Classification (CPC2).
•    Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP).
•    The Government Finance Statistics Manual (GFS).
•    Classification of the Function of Government (COFOG).
•    Balance of Payments Manual - Sixth Edition (BPM6)

Classification system

The following classifications are applied in the annual national accounts publication.
National Classification of Economic activities (ISIC 4):
It is a statistical classification based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities, as the International Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities is the reference classification for productive activities. Economic activity is also defined as (all the works or services that an establishment practices or provides that generate a financial return for it sometimes the establishment does not reap a financial return from its work, as is the case with charitable organizations that rely on donation).
The Central Product Classification (CPC2.1):
The Central Product Classification constitutes a complete classification of products that includes goods and services. The purpose of this classification is to be an international standard for collecting and classifying all types of data that require details about products, including industrial production, national accounts, domestic and foreign trade in basic goods, and international trade in services, balance of payments, consumption, and price statistics other purposes are to provide a framework for international comparison and to encourage coordination between different types of statistics relating to goods and services.
Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (COICOP):
The International Reference Classification of Household expenditures.
Government Finance Statistics Manual (GFS).
The Government Finance Statistics Manual 2014 is a specialized macroeconomic statistical framework designed to support the analysis of public finances. This manual provides economic and statistical reporting principles for use in compiling statistics and describes guidelines for presenting large-scale statistics within an analytical framework that includes appropriate budget line consistent within guidelines.
Classification of the Function of Government (COFOG):
The Classification of the Function of Government, which is compatible with the United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) issued in cooperation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (0ECO) , is one of the pillars of the guide, as it classifies "government expenditures" according to their functional nature to measure the extent to which government expenditures achieve their general objectives, helping analysts and performance monitors of government agencies evaluate the effectiveness of government spending.
Balance of Payments Manual - Sixth Edition (BPM6):
The Balance of Payments Manual (Sixth Edition, BPM6), prepared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is one of the most important statistical systems that has been harmonized with the System of National Accounts 2008 (SNA 2008). The accounts of the external sector in the System of National Accounts serve as the link between the two systems, where both systems align in many recommendations, whether in presenting accounts or recording and evaluating transactions.
The classifications are available on the GASTAT’s website: www.stats.gov.sa

Sector coverage

Annual national accounts statistics cover.
-    Economic activities by division:
-    Institutional sectors:
•    Resident Economy (S.1):
-    Non-financial institutions sector (S11):
A sector that includes all resident companies and quasi-companies whose primary activity is the production of non-financial goods or market services.
-    Financial institutions sector (S12):
A sector consisting of all resident companies that are primarily engaged in providing financial services, including banking services, investment funds, insurance services, pension financing, and other financial institutional units.
-   Public sector (S13):
It consists of central government units and local governments, along with the social security funds imposed and controlled by those units. It also includes non-profit institutions that produce non-market outputs and are mainly controlled and financed by government units or social security funds.
-    Household sector (S14):
It refers to an individual or a group of individuals who live together, pool some or all of their income and wealth, and consume goods and services collectively. It mainly consists of housing and food.  Households can also be producers, as any economic activities that fall within the bounds of production and are carried out by institutions whose accounts are not separate from the individuals owning them are considered part of the household sector.
-    Non-profit organizations serving households (S15):
It consists of non-profit institutions that are not controlled by the government and provide non-market services at symbolic or zero prices to households.
•    Sector of rest of the world (External world) (S2):
This sector is represented by institutional units that are not resident within the economic borders of the state, such as international and regional organizations and foreign countries.

Statistical concepts and definitions

Terms and concepts related to the annual national accounts publication:
-    Operations:
-    Goods and Services Operations:
•    Total production (P1):
The value of goods and services resulting from the productive activity of resident institutional units using production inputs during the accounting period including finished and unfinished products and products for  own use, Usually valuation is at producer prices which is the market value at the door of the factory, it also includes the value of non-market outputs of activities that provide non-market goods and services.
•    Market goods and services (P1.1):
The value of goods and services sold in the market or originally intended for sale in the market at a price intended to cover the cost of production and make a profit. Market goods and services are said to be provided at economically significant prices. 
•    Non-market goods and services (P1.2, P1.3):
The value of other services provided at a price that does not usually cover the cost of their production (free or at a nominal price), mostly consisting of the production of government service producers, non-profit institutions serving families, and domestic workers in the household sector. These goods and services are said to be provided at prices that are not economically significant.
•    Financial intermediation services measured indirectly:
Is the value of financial intermediation services provided by banks and is estimated by the value of loans multiplied by the difference between the lending interest rate and the reference rate plus the value of deposits multiplied by the difference between the discount rate and the deposit interest rate.
•    Intermediate consumption (P2):
Is the value of goods and services that are used as inputs to the production process, except for fixed assets whose consumption is considered depreciation of fixed capital and may convert these goods and services used or consumed entirely in the production process and may return some inputs to appear after they have been transformed and incorporated into the outputs.
•    Government final consumption expenditure (P3):
The value of what the public government spends on individual and collective goods and services. It is equal to the value of the total government production less the total value of marketed sales, taking into account that the total value of government production is equal to the total value of intermediate consumption of goods and services, the value of employee compensation and the depreciation of fixed capital plus the mechanism of social transfers in kind.
•    Household final consumption expenditure (P3):
The value of spending by resident households on goods (durable and non-durable) and services excluding the purchase of housing and self-building.
•    Final consumption expenditures of nonprofit institutions serving households (P3):
It is the value of what these organizations spend on goods and services to provide for free or at nominal prices to families, and it is equivalent to the value of production minus marketed sales.
•    Expenditure on private final consumption (P3):
The sum of expenditure on household final consumption and expenditure on final consumption of non-profit organizations serving households.
•    Capital formation (P5):
It is the value of gross fixed capital formation plus the change in inventory and valuables.
•    Gross fixed capital formation (P5.1):
It is the sum of the value of what producers hold of fixed assets, minus the value of fixed assets excluded by the producers (additions - disposals) during the accounting period, which are used in production for more than one year. Among these assets are housing, buildings and other structures, machinery and equipment, intellectual property products, and productive plants and animals. Gross fixed capital formation also includes spending on services that are added to the value of non-productive assets, such as land improvement, forest development, tree planting and orchards. The costs incurred when purchasing and disposing of assets (ownership transfer costs) are also considered as part of gross fixed capital formation.
•    Depreciation of fixed capital (P5.1c):
The decrease in the value of fixed assets used in production during the accounting period represents the result of physical deterioration, obsolescence, or normal damage. This depreciation can be deducted from the gross fixed capital formation to obtain net fixed capital formation.
•    Change in Stock (P5.2):
The market value of change that occurs during the accounting period of stock including raw material, product in process, finished products, animals for slaughtering, and purchased goods for resale. This represents the difference in the stock value at the end and at the beginning of the accounting period.
•     Acquisitions less disposals of valuables (P5.3):
These are high value, produced goods that are not used for production purposes or as inputs in production processes, but are held as stores of value over time. Precious assets include precious metals, precious stones, jewelry, antiques, and works of art.
•    Final domestic demand:
It is the portion of GDP allocated to meet the domestic market needs of final consumption, fixed capital formation and inventory.
•    Exports of Goods and Services (P6):
The value of goods and services whose ownership is transferred from residents of the country to non-residents and includes exports of goods exported abroad and goods purchased in local ports by non-resident carriers. Service exports include all services provided to non-residents such as transportation and communications services, insurance, financial services, franchise rights, licensing fees, and personal services. cultural and government services.
•    Imports of Goods and Services (P7):
The value of goods whose ownership has been transferred or the value of services provided from non-residents of the state to residents and includes goods that cross borders into the state and goods that are purchased in foreign ports by local carriers. It also includes those services provided to residents, including transportation, communications, insurance, financial services, and property rights. Franchise, license fees, personal and cultural services, and government services.
•    Net exports:
It is the balance of the trade is calculated as the difference between exports of goods and services to the rest of the world and imports from them.
-    Distribution of income (D):
•    Employee compensation (D1):
Includes all amounts due to employees for performing work, whether in cash or in kind, before deductions such as the share of social insurance, taxes and the like.
•    Wages and salaries (D1.1):
It is the sum of cash wages and salaries, and in-kind wages and salaries, before any deductions.
•    Social contributions of employers (D1.2):
The amounts paid by employers to the benefit of their employees into social security funds, insurance companies, retirement pension funds, or other institutional units responsible for managing social insurance plans.
•    Production and import taxes :(D2)
Compulsory cash transfers free of charge, in cash or in kind, paid by institutional units to government units
•    Taxes on Products (D2.1):
These are taxes due on goods and services upon their delivery, sale, transfer, or other disposition by producers, in addition to import taxes, which become due upon entry of goods into the economic territory and crossing borders, or upon provision of services by non-resident units.
•    Other taxes on production and imports (D29):
Other taxes on production include all taxes borne by resident units as a result of their productive activities, regardless of the quantity or value of goods and services produced or sold.
•    Subsidies (D3):
These are payments made by the government, including non-resident governments, to enterprises on the basis of their level of production activity or on the basis of the quantity or value of goods or services that they produce, sell or import with the aim of adjusting prices in the local market and for social purposes.
•    Subsidies on Products:
Includes grants payable by the government to the private sector and public sector, and subsidies paid by public authorities to government projects to offset the loss caused by the government's policy of keeping the price at a certain level, and it can also be calculated as the difference between the target price and the actual market price paid by the purchaser. This difference will be covered by the government.
•    Other subsidies on production (D3.9):
Subsidies that resident units may receive as a result of their production (excluding subsidies on products), such as wage or labor subsidies, subsidies to reduce pollution rates or the use of certain types of workers.
•    Net taxes on products and imports:
It is the value of taxes on products and imports minus the value of subsidies on products.
•    Property income (D4):
It is income due by the owner of financial assets or natural resources in exchange for providing funds or placing tangible non-productive assets at the disposal of another corporate unit for use in production, and ownership income includes interest, income distributed to companies, reinvested profits on foreign direct investment, and other expenses of income such as property income that devolves to policyholders of investment insurance and rents.
•    Benefits (D4.1):
It is a form of property income received by the owner of certain types of financial assets, such as deposits, debt securities, loans, and other accounts payable. Interest is defined as the amount that the debtor is responsible for paying to the creditor for a specific period under the terms of the financial instrument agreed upon by both parties, without reducing the principal amount.
•    Distributed income of corporations (D4.2):
The value of income due to be paid or collected by shareholders as a result of placing their funds under the control of corporations, and they are a form of ownership income.
•    Rental income (D4.5):
Income received by the owner of resource as a result of placing this resource under the control of another institutional unit for use in production. This income may be paid in cash or in kind. And it is one of the components of ownership income.
•    Current income and wealth taxes (D5):
It consists of taxes on corporate profits, wealth taxes, current capital taxes, miscellaneous current taxes, and household income taxes.
•    Income tax (D5.1):
Income taxes consist of taxes on income, profits and capital gains and are levied on the actual or perceived incomes of individuals, households, non-profit organizations and corporations and are payable at regular intervals (they differ from capital taxes which are levied at irregular intervals).
•    Other current taxes (D5.9):
Current taxes on capital in addition to various current taxes.
•    Social benefits other than social transfers in kind (D6.2):
They are all social benefits except for in-kind social transfers, that is, they consist of:
-    All cash social benefits, whether social insurance or those social aids provided by governmental units, including social security funds and non-profit organizations serving households.
-    All social insurance entitlements provided by funded or unfunded social insurance schemes, whether in cash or in kind.
•    Social transfers in kind (D6.3):
Social transfers in kind consist of goods and services provided in kind to households by governmental units (including social security funds) and non-profit organizations serving households, whether these goods and services are purchased from the market or produced as non-market output by governmental units or non-profit organizations serving the household sector, and they include the following items:
-    Social Security entitlements and payment of its expenses. 
-    In-kind social assistance entitlements. 
-    In-kind social assistance entitlements.
-    Transfers of non-market goods and services.
•    Current transfers (D7):
A current transfer is a transaction provided by an institutional unit of goods, services, or cash to another unit without the latter receiving any direct goods or services in return, and neither party is obligated to obtain or dispose of any asset. These transfers are made from the current income of the payer and added to the current income of the recipient, directly impacting the level of disposable income.
•    Net non-life insurance premiums (D7.1, D7.2):
It consists of actual premiums paid by policyholders, including claims costs or insurance compensations for insurance operations. Premiums, claims, or compensations are treated as current transfers recorded in the secondary distribution of income account.
•    Current transfers within the General Government (D7.3):
It consists of current transfers between different governmental units or subsectors within the general government. This includes current transfers between various levels of government, as often occurs between central government and local governments, and between governmental units and social security funds.
•    Current international cooperation (D7.4):
Current transfers, whether in cash or in kind, between different countries' governments or between governments and international organizations consist of:
-    Transfers between governments to finance current expenditures, including emergency assistance.
-   Annual or regular contributions by governments to international organizations.
•    Miscellaneous current transfers (D7.5):
It consists of various types of current transfers that can occur between resident institutional units or between resident and non-resident units, including:
-   Current transfers to non-profit organizations that serve households as membership fees, aid, donations, and contributions. etc) 
-    Current cash and in-kind transfers between households and resident and non-resident households.
-    Sanctions and fines.
•    Capital transfers (D9):
Non-reciprocal transfers where one party making the transfer achieves the funds in question by forfeiting an asset (other than cash or inventory) or the receiving party is obliged to hold an asset (other than cash) or when both conditions are met.
-    Financial transactions (F):
•    Monetary Gold and Special Drawing Rights (F1):
Gold held by monetary authorities as currency cover or within their financial assets is subject to the control and management of these authorities directly and includes all operations on international reserve assets and special drawing rights established by the International Monetary Fund and allocated to its members to enable them to facilitate payment between countries and borrowing.
•    Currency, cash, and deposits (F2):
Includes all transactions in currencies, cash in circulation and deposits of any kind of national or foreign currency. 
•    Securities other than shares (F3):
Tradable instruments used as proof of contingent liabilities to be settled by providing cash or a financial instrument of similar economic value, common notes include government treasury bills, government bonds, corporate bonds, commercial papers, certificates of deposit and similar instruments commonly traded in financial markets.
•    Loans (F4):
It consists of all transactions in financial assets that are created when creditors lend money to debtors either directly or through intermediaries and is represented by a non-negotiable document.
•    Shares and other capital (F5): 
It consists of all transactions in financial assets that represent the equity of companies or quasi-companies and usually enables their owners to participate in the distribution of profits from income and from the capital of the company upon liquidation.
•    Technical Insurance reserves (F6): 
Technical insurance reserves consist of the net shares of life and non-life insurance reserves, pension funds, advance payment of insurance premiums and reserves to cover outstanding claims, all of which are considered to be the assets of beneficiaries and policyholders.
•    Financial products and options on employee securities (F7): 
A stock option is a form of compensation granted by a company's shareholders to its directors and employees. This system allows the directors and employees of the company to purchase shares at a fixed price in advance and has the advantage of encouraging employees to take action to raise the company's stock price.
•    Other accounts receivable and payable (credit/debit) (F8): 
Covers financial assets created as a counterpart to financial and non-financial transactions for different time of transaction completion and payment of the corresponding.
-   Sequential accounts:
•    Production account:
It is the first account in the current accounts series and consists of production in terms of resources and intermediate consumption in terms of uses. This account shows total value-added as a balancing entry and shows net value-added after deducting capital depreciation for all units and institutional sectors in the national economy.
•    Income generation account: 
The income generation account is recorded from the point of view of producers and includes distributional transactions directly related to the production process. Resources consist of value added, while its uses include workers' compensation, taxes on production and on imports, minus subsidies on production and the balancing item are total operating surplus/mixed income. 
•    Initial allocation of income account:
The calculation of the initial income allocation shows how the total operating surplus and net property income are distributed between the resident institutional sectors and the rest of the world, and the balance sheet is the primary income balance. 
•    Secondary Income Distribution Account:
It addresses the redistribution of primary income through cash transfers only, in order to distinguish between income distributions through cash transfers and those through in-kind transfers. The balancing item in this account is disposable income.
 This account includes three types of current transfers, which are: 
-    Current taxes on income, wealth, and include Income taxes for the family sector, current taxes on profits as in enterprises, as well as taxes on wealth paid periodically. 
-    Benefits and social contributions received by private sector workers. 
-    Other current transfers, such as net premiums and benefits for non-life insurance, also include transfers between government units or between the Households resident and non-resident households and to and from the NPISH sector.
•    In-kind Income Redistribution Account:
The in-kind income redistribution account shows two other elements in describing the redistribution process. Firstly, it restricts in-kind social benefits, including benefits that recipient households do not incur expenses for and benefits for which households initially bear the costs and are reimbursed later. Secondly, the account records the transfer of individual non-market goods and services, such as education and health, not covered in in-kind social benefits. All these transactions fall under the title of in-kind social transfers in the classification of distributive transactions, and the balancing item in this account is the total adjusted disposable income.
•    The account of disposable income utilization:
This account shows how disposable income is used for final consumption (households, public government, non-profit organizations), the balancing item for this account is gross savings. Note that the non-financial and financial institutions sector has no final consumption and therefore disposable income is equal to total income. 
•    The account of adjusted disposable income utilization
It is the disposable income plus or minus the in-kind social transfers provided by the government and non-profit organizations serving households. It represents the sum of balances of in-kind income redistribution accounts for all sectors, and the balancing item for this account is savings.
•    Capital account:
The capital account records the value of non-financial assets owned or disposed of by resident institutional units as a result of their sale or abandonment. It also records how the value of assets is financed, with financing represented by gross savings and capital transfers. Such transactions may be with resident institutional units or external transactions and the balancing item for this account is net lending if the result is positive or borrowing if the result is negative.
•    Financial account:
All transactions and flows of financial assets and liabilities that occur between resident sectors or between resident sectors and with the rest of the world and are recorded in the financial account and are considered as non-financial transactions (goods and services or income process) or other financial transactions.
•    Zero account (goods and services account):
It is the basis used by the balance of supply and use, in which it shows the total resources of the economy as a whole and of product groups in terms of production, and imports as resources. On the other hand, this calculation shows the uses of goods and services in the form of intermediate and final consumption, capital formation, aggregate and exports.
-    Balanceing items:
•    Total value added (B.1G):
Production is measured at base prices minus intermediate depreciation measured at buyers' prices before deducting depreciation of fixed assets.
•    Gross operating surplus (B.2G):
The Value-added minus the value of employees’ compensation and net taxes on production before deducting the depreciation of fixed assets.
•    Gross mixed income (B.3G):
Mixed income is the surplus or deficit of production of productive households; it implies remuneration for work done by the owner or members of the household which cannot be determined separately from the return to the owner as the entrepreneur. We obtain a balance or balance item in the income-generating account that may be described as operating surplus or as mixed income, by deducting workers' compensation and net taxes on production from value added before deducting the depreciation of fixed assets.
•    Gross national income (B.3G):
It is gross domestic product minus the initial income paid to non-resident units plus the initial entry mechanism received from non-resident units and is equal to the total initial income of all sectors in the initial income distribution accounts.
•    Total disposable income (B.3G):
Equals the gross national income plus net current transfers from the rest of the world, representing the balance item in the secondary income distribution accounts.
•    Adjusted disposable income (B.7G):
It is the total disposable income plus or minus the in-kind social transfers provided by the government and non-profit institutions serving households, representing the balance item in the in-kind income redistribution account.
•    Gross savings (B.8G):
Savings represent the portion of disposable income which is not spent on final consumption of goods and services. It is the balancing item in the account of disposable income utilization, calculated as disposable income minus expenditure on final consumption.
•    Net lending (+) / borrowing (-) (B.9):
Net lending / borrowing is the balancing item in the capital account which is calculated by gross savings plus capital transfers receivable minus capital transfers payable, net acquisition value of non-financial assets, net acquisition of precious assets and non-productive assets and net negative lending is considered "net borrowing".
•    Financial transactions:
-    All transactions on financial assets and liabilities, between resident institutional units and between them and non-resident institutional units. Some transactions are purely financial such as: Lending (+) / borrowing (-) buying and selling shares or securities. 
-    The others are counterparts to transactions in goods and services or income distribution. This leads to the transfer or issuance of financial documents.
-   Economic aggregates: 
•    GDP at market prices (Production approach):
Total value added of resident producers at basic prices plus net taxes on products, or it is the sum of outputs at basic prices minus intermediate consumption at purchasers' prices plus net taxes on products, which equals (taxes on products - subsidies on products).
•    GDP at market prices (Expenditure approach):
Total final expenditure at purchasers' prices on goods and services including exports, valued at free on board (FOB) prices, minus imports.
•    GDP (Income approach):
The sum of compensation of employees, net taxes on production and imports, gross operating surplus, and consumption of fixed capital.

Statistical unit

Not applicable.

Statistical population

Not applicable.

Reference area

The National Accounts Publication covers economic activities in Saudi Arabia.

Time coverage

Data is available from 2018 to 2023.

Base period

Not applicable.

Unit of measure

Most results are measured in values (millions of Saudi Riyals) and also in growth rate (year-on-year basis).
•    Growth rate on year-on-year basis (%). 
The growth rate is calculated by dividing the quarter of the current year by the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

Reference period

The reference period varies due to differences in the timing of receipt of data sources during the year, including economic and social survey data and administrative data.

Confidentiality 

Confidentiality - policy

According to the Royal Decree No. 23 dated 07-12-1397, data must always be kept confidential and must be used by GASTAT only for statistical purposes.
Therefore, the data are protected in the data servers of the Authority.

Confidentiality - data treatment

Data were displayed in appropriate tables to facilitate its summarization, comprehension, and results extraction. Also, to compare data with other data and extract statistical meanings for the study community. It is also easier to check tables without the need to see any sensitive or confidential data, which violates data confidentiality of statistical data.

Release policy

Release calendar

Annual national accounts statistics are included in the statistical calendar.

Release calendar access

The release calendar is available at: https://www.stats.gov.sa/statistical-calendar-releases

User access

One of GASTAT’s objectives is to better meet its clients' needs, so it immediately provides them with the publication's results once the national accounts statistics publication is published.
It also receives questions and inquiries of the clients about the Publication and its results through various communication channels, such as:
•    GASTAT official website: www.stats.gov.sa
•    GASTAT official e-mail address: info@stats.gov.sa
•    Client support e-mail:  info@stats.gov.sa
•    Official visits to GASTAT’s official head office in Riyadh or one of its branches in Saudi Arabia.
•    Official letters.
•    Statistical phone (199009).

Frequency of dissemination

Annual.

Accessibility and clarity

News release

The announcements of each publication are available on release calendar as mentioned in 7.2. Release calendar access. The news release can be viewed on the website of GASTAT through the following link:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/news

Publications

GASTAT issues the Annual National Accounts Statistics Publication on a regular basis within a pre-prepared dissemination plan and are published on GASTAT’s website. GASTAT is keen to publish its publications in a way that serves all users of different types, including publications in different formats that contain (publication tables, data graphs, indicators, and Methodology and Quality Report) in both English and Arabic.
The results of annual national accounts statistics are available at:
GDP and National Accounts | General Authority for Statistics (stats.gov.sa)

On-line database

The annual national accounts statistics data are published in the statistical database at the link: 
GASTAT (stats.gov.sa)

Micro-data access 

Not available.

Other

Not available.

Documentation on methodology

The framework for annual national accounts is the 2008 (SNA2008) and concepts, definitions and classifications are based on international standards.
The System of National Accounts for 2008 (SNA2008):
The SNA is an internationally agreed standard set of recommendations on how to compile the procedures of economic activity in accordance with strict accounting treaties based on economic principles. The recommendations are expressed in terms of a set of concepts, definitions, classifications and accounting rules that include an internationally agreed standard for measuring those items as gross domestic product (GDP), the most well-listed indicator of economic performance. The accounting framework of the System of National Accounts allows the compilation and presentation of economic data in a format designed for economic analysis, decision-making and policymaking. The accounts themselves present in summary form provide a large mass of detailed information organized according to economic principles and concepts about the functioning of an economy. It provides a comprehensive and comprehensive record of the complex economic activities that take place within an economy and of the interaction between the various factors of the economy and the combinations of factors that occur in markets and elsewhere.  (Reference)

Quality documentation

Quality documentation covers documentation on methods and standards for assessing, measuring, and monitoring the quality of statistical process and output. It is based on standard quality criteria such as relevance, accuracy and reliability, timeliness and punctuality, accessibility and clarity, comparability, and coherence.

Quality management

Quality assurance

GASTAT declares that it considers the following principles: impartiality, user orientated, quality of processes and output, effectiveness of statistical processes, reducing the workload for respondents. 
Quality controls and validation of data are actions carried out throughout the process in different stages such as the data input and data collection and other final controls.

Quality assessment

GASTAT performs all statistical activities according to a national model (Generic Statistical Business Process Model – GSBPM). According to the GSBPM, the final phase of statistical activities is overall evaluation using information gathered in each phase or sub-process. This information is used to prepare the evaluation report which outlines all the quality issues related to the specific statistical activity and serves as input for improvement actions.

Relevance 

User needs 

Internal users in the GASTAT for Annual National Accounts Statistics data:
Includes some statistical departments that make use of national accounts statistics data.
External users and major beneficiaries for national accounts statistics data, include:
•    Government entities.
•    private sector
•    Regional and international organizations.
•    Academic and research institutions.
•    International investors.
The disseminated key variables that external users benefit from include:
•    Gross Domestic Product at current prices (values):
Gross Domestic Product by the table classification of economic activities.
•    GDP at factor cost.
•    Total factor income by economic activities
•    Final consumption expenditure:
-    Government final consumption expenditure by cost structure and purpose.
-    Household final consumption expenditure in the domestic market by expenditure purpose.
•    Formation of fixed capital by type of capital asset at current prices.
•    Gross national income.
•    External transactions.
•    National Accounts Aggregates
•    Total Economy Account

User satisfaction

Not available.

Completeness 

Annual national accounts statistics rely on two main sources to provide comprehensive information about national accounts:
•    Economic and social surveys, carried out by the General Authority for Statistics.
•    Administrative records, through which data can be obtained annually.
The status of the data is complete for the Authority to calculate its indicators and release them in the annual national accounts statistics.

Accuracy and reliability 

Overall accuracy

Data is checked with previous years to identify any significant changes in the data. The internal consistency of the data is checked before it is finalized. The links between variables are checked and coherence between different data series is confirmed.

Timeliness and punctuality 

Timeliness

 GASTAT uses the Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) issued by the International Monetary Fund. According to this Standard, all statistics agencies are required to publish data on an annual basis, and with a delay of not more than mid of year (180 days) after the end of the reference period. If the data are from different source, they may be published in a different frequency.

Punctuality

Publication takes place in accordance with published release dates for 
Annual National Accounts Statistics in GASTAT webpage. The data are available at the expected time, as scheduled in the statistical release calendar, If the publication is delayed, reasons shall be provided.

Coherence and comparability

Comparability - geographical

The Department of National Accounts shall prepare statistics in accordance with internationally established standards and methodologies, with a focus on meeting the current and future statistical requirements of users, taking into account the highest degree of accuracy and efficiency in estimates, with easy access to and interpretation of data, and comparability regionally and internationally. This is in addition to taking into account the appropriate period between the information readiness and the reference period described by this information.

Comparability - over time 

The ability to compare data for Gross Domestic Product and national accounts on an annual basis.

Coherence- cross domain 

Not applicable. 

Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics 

The annual national accounts statistics data are linked and consistent with Gross Domestic Product and quarterly national accounts.

Coherence- National Accounts 

Not applicable.

Coherence - internal 

Annual national accounts statistics estimates have full internal coherence, as they are all based on the same corpus of microdata, and they are calculated using the same estimation methods.

Data revision

Data revision - policy

When publishing tables are issued a statement (preliminary data) is added for the and when data is released for the following year the data is updated, and the final results are published with the next version.  

Data revision- practice

Preliminary data are prepared for the current fiscal year, and then the preliminary data are reviewed, with GDP estimates prepared based on the current available data. When detailed data become available for regulatory sectors, for example: (Final state accounts) the previous year’s data are revised.

Statistical processing

Source data

The annual national accounts statistics rely on two sources of data:
First source: Annual national accounts publication:
Economic and social surveys, carried out by the General Authority for Statistics.
Second source: Annual national accounts publication:
Administrative records, through which data can be obtained annually such as: (The Saudi Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Capital Market Authority, Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority).

Frequency of data collection 

Annual.

Data collection

Data collection from administrative records:
In coordination with the General Directorate of Data Collection and Management, to obtain the recorded data for the Annual National Accounts Statistics Publication such as: (The Saudi Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Capital Market Authority, Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, and other external entities).
The data is stored in the authority's databases after undergoing auditing and review processes following approved statistical methods and recognized quality standards. If errors or discrepancies are discovered, the data is cross-referenced with the data source for correction or clarification.

Data validation

Data are reviewed and matched to ensure their accuracy and precision in a way that suits their nature with the aim of giving the presented statistics quality and accuracy. 
The data of the current year publication are compared with the data of the previous year to ensure their integrity and consistency in preparation for processing data and extracting and reviewing results.
In addition to the data processing and tabulation to check their accuracy, all the outputs are stored and uploaded to the database after being calculated by GASTAT to be reviewed and processed by specialists in National accounts statistics.

Data compilation

Data editing:
Specialists of National Accounts Statistics Department process and analyze data in this stage, some of the steps include the following:
•    Reclassifying data from administrative records so that data is consistent with standards, evidence, and relevant classifications.
•    Summarizing detailed data into key points or data.
•    Combining many data segments and ensuring their interconnection.
•    Processing incomplete or missing data.
•    Processing illogical data.
Data are displayed in appropriate tables to facilitate its summarization, comprehension, and results extraction. Also, to compare data with other data and extract statistical meanings. 
Statistical methods applied:
GDP at market prices (Production approach):
Total value added of resident producers at basic prices plus net taxes on products, or it is the sum of outputs at basic prices minus intermediate consumption at purchasers' prices plus net taxes on products, which equals (taxes on products - subsidies on products).
GDP at market prices (Expenditure approach):
GDP is estimated by expenditure method according to the following:
•    Household expenditure (final household consumption expenditure):
Final consumption expenditure of the household sector is estimated by a survey of household income and expenditure taking into account population growth rates and rate of price change.
•    Final consumption expenditure of the Government:
Government final consumption expenditure represents the production of the government sector (intermediate consumption + employee compensation + depreciation) minus marketed sales.
•    Gross fixed capital formation:
The economic surveys conducted by the Authority provide data on the total fixed capital formation by type of capital asset and depreciation (depreciation of fixed assets). For the general government, the final accounts of the government provide data on expenditure on gross fixed capital formation while depreciation is estimated indirectly.
•    Exports of goods and services:
Data from foreign trade statistics are relied upon in relation to commodity exports. It is the balance of payments prepared by the Central Bank to estimate service exports.
•    Imports of goods and services:
Commodity import data are taken from foreign trade statistics. The data on service imports are estimated from the balance of payments data prepared by the Central Bank.
•    Change in Stock:
Through the economic research conducted by the General Authority for Statistics, data on the change in inventory at the level of sectors and economic activities are obtained and the change in inventory does not include any data on inventory in the public government sector.
•    GDP at market prices (Expenditure approach):
Through the synthesis of production and income-generation accounts based on the various sources mentioned above, data on wages (workers ' compensation) are obtained. as well as net and gross operating surpluses, gross and net factor incomes can be obtained through the compilation of income-generating accounts for all sectors, including the rest of the world.

Adjustment

Not applicable, only final results will be published.