Saudi POS Spending Holds Steady at SR11.1 Billion Despite Post-Eid Decline

Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia remained robust at SR11.11 billion ($2.96 billion) during the week ending June 14, despite a noticeable decline in transactions across all major sectors following the Eid Al-Adha holiday peak, according to data released by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).

The latest weekly report from SAMA showed a 21.3% drop in the total value of point-of-sale (POS) transactions compared to the previous week, while the number of transactions also decreased by 10.7%, reaching 203.78 million. The previous week, ending June 7, had seen a surge in spending to SR14.12 billion, driven by increased holiday-related purchases.

Despite the week-on-week contraction, analysts view the decline as a natural normalization after the holiday period rather than a sign of weakening demand. Consumer activity remains strong overall, reflecting ongoing structural reforms under Vision 2030, which aims to digitize payments and reduce reliance on cash.

Restaurants and cafes remained the top sector for POS activity, recording SR1.80 billion in spending, though this was down 12.4% from the previous week. The food and beverage category followed closely with SR1.72 billion, a decrease of 18.7%. Spending on miscellaneous goods and services fell by 27.8% to SR1.27 billion.

Other categories also experienced declines. Clothing and footwear saw the sharpest drop at 51.4%, falling to SR655.95 million. Gas station spending slipped 6% to SR857.45 million, while construction-related POS transactions showed a modest 2.6% decline to SR242.10 million, highlighting continued infrastructure activity.

Regionally, Riyadh led the Kingdom in transaction value, accounting for SR3.58 billion, though that marked a 22.2% decrease from the previous week. Jeddah followed with SR1.59 billion in POS spending (down 14.3%), and Dammam ranked third with SR526.12 million.

Smaller cities saw steeper drops. Hail recorded a 28.3% decline to SR182.14 million, while Tabuk’s spending fell 27.5% to SR197.60 million. Makkah registered a smaller decline of 4.9% (SR517.62 million), and Madinah saw a 22.7% fall to SR457.70 million.

Alkhobar and Abha reported transaction values of SR311.51 million and SR154.01 million respectively, down 2.19% and 21.4%.

The continued resilience of POS spending reflects Saudi Arabia’s progress toward a digital, cashless economy — a key pillar of its Financial Sector Development Program under Vision 2030.