Saudi POS Spending Falls to SR14.6bn in Early August

Consumer spending through point-of-sale (POS) terminals in Saudi Arabia declined during the week of 2–8 August 2026, with the total transaction value falling to SR14.60 billion from SR16.31 billion the previous week — a drop of about 10.5%.

The number of transactions also eased, reaching 253.4 million during the week, down from 267.11 million a week earlier, a decline of roughly 5.1%. The figures reflect a broad slowdown in card-based retail activity across the Kingdom compared with the last week of July.

Where shoppers spent

Food and beverages led spending by value at SR2.28 billion across 58.41 million transactions, followed by restaurants and cafés at SR1.90 billion over 61.23 million transactions — the highest transaction count of any sector. Clothing and accessories recorded SR1.26 billion, transportation SR1.09 billion, and fuel stations SR1.03 billion.

By city, Riyadh accounted for the largest share of weekly spending, with POS transactions worth about SR4.88 billion, or roughly 33.4% of the national total.

The weekly POS data cover transaction values and counts only, broken down by activity and by city. They do not include fees, merchant charges, or consumer service costs. For residents and business owners, the numbers offer a timely snapshot of household and retail spending trends across the country, and are published free of charge through official statistics channels.

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