GASTAT Reports 3% Growth in Saudi Economy in Q1 2026

Riyadh: Real GDP grew by 3.0% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same quarter of 2025, supported by growth in both oil and non-oil activities, which expanded by 2.9% each, as well as a 1.5% increase in government activities. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2025, seasonally adjusted real GDP declined by 1.2%. According to Saudi Press Agency, General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) GDP bulletin released today, non-oil activities were the largest contributor to annual real GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026, adding 1.7 percentage points. Oil activities contributed 0.8 percentage points, while government activities and net taxes on products contributed 0.3 and 0.2 percentage points, respectively. All economic activities recorded positive year-on-year growth. The strongest performance was observed in financial, insurance, and business services, which grew by 5.4%, followed by manufacturing activities (excluding oil refining), which expanded by 4.0%.