Non-oil activities in Saudi Arabia grew 0.6% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, according to flash (preliminary) estimates, even as the Kingdom's overall real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 4.8% over the same period.
The decline in real GDP was driven mainly by a 24.7% year-on-year drop in oil activities, which subtracted 5.4 percentage points from overall growth. In contrast, non-oil activities added 0.4 percentage points, government activities contributed 0.1 percentage points, and net taxes on products added a further 0.1 percentage points.
Government activities recorded a 0.9% year-on-year increase during the quarter. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter basis, real GDP fell 4.9% compared with the first quarter of 2026, oil activities declined 21.5%, non-oil activities eased 0.5%, and government activities rose 0.2%.
The figures classify the economy into three main groups — oil activities, non-oil activities, and government activities — alongside net taxes on products. As flash estimates based on incomplete quarterly data, they remain subject to later revision.
Why it matters
For residents and businesses across Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the continued growth in non-oil sectors signals ongoing momentum in the parts of the economy tied to jobs, services and daily commerce, even during a period of lower oil output. The data offers a useful read on where activity is holding up beyond the energy sector. The figures are published openly by the national statistics authority and do not require any government e-platform to access or validate.
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