
GASTAT Reports 5.3% Growth in Non-Oil Activities for 2024
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has published the 2024 annual Industrial Production Index (IPI), showing a 2.3% decline in overall industrial production compared to 2023. This drop is largely attributed to a 5.2% decrease in oil-related activities. In contrast, non-oil sectors saw a notable 5.3% growth, indicating stronger performance across all non-oil industries.
The report highlights a 6.8% year-over-year decline in mining and quarrying activities. Meanwhile, manufacturing grew by 4.7%, and the electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply sector saw a 3.5% rise. The water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation sector also recorded a 1.6% increase.
The IPI serves as a key economic indicator, tracking changes in the volume of industrial output through data gathered from the industrial production survey.
Related Topics:
GASTAT Reports 13.4% Growth in Non-Oil Exports in Q1 2025, 10.7% Increase in March
ROSHN Green Initiative Center: Inspiring Future Environmental Leaders
Saudi Arabia Welcomes Foreign Real Estate Investors Outside Holy Cities
Discover Top Hotels Near Masjid Al-Haram for Hajj 2025
Short link :
Post Views: 58 Related Stories
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
29 minutes ago
- Arab News
Saudi FDI net inflows jump 44% in Q1 to $5.9bn
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia attracted SR22.2 billion ($5.9 billion) in net foreign direct investment in the first quarter of 2025, up 44 percent year on year, driven by rising inflows and sharply lower capital outflows. According to figures released by the General Authority for Statistics, this compares to SR15.5 billion during the same period last year. The figure, however, marked a 7 percent drop from the final quarter of 2024, when inflows totaled SR24.0 billion. Gross inflows — the total foreign capital entering the Kingdom — stood at SR24 billion, up 24 percent from SR19.4 billion in the first quarter of 2024, but down 6 percent from the SR25.6 billion recorded in the preceding quarter. Net FDI reflects the actual retained investment after subtracting outflows such as dividends, loan repayments, or capital exits — making it a more accurate indicator of lasting foreign capital in the economy. The FDI boost coincides with Saudi Arabia's growing appeal among global investors. In April, the Kingdom climbed to a record 13th place in Kearney's 2025 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index while maintaining its rank as the third most attractive emerging market, underscoring strong investor confidence. In its latest release, GASTAT stated: 'The volume of outflows amounted to about SAR 1.8 billion during Q1 of 2025. It achieved a decrease of 54% compared to Q1 of 2024, where the volume of outflows reached SAR 3.9 billion.' The report noted that this represented a 7 percent increase from the fourth quarter of 2024, when outflows stood at SR1.7 billion. The narrowing gap between inbound and outbound foreign capital underscores the resilience of the Kingdom's investment environment amid ongoing economic transformation efforts. It also reflects a growing trend of multinational companies establishing regional headquarters in the Kingdom. Under new localization rules linked to government contracts, several global firms have set up or expanded their presence in Riyadh. In March, Dell Technologies became one of the latest tech giants to open a regional office in the Saudi capital, joining companies such as PepsiCo, Schneider Electric, Morgan Stanley, PwC, and Deloitte — all of which have ramped up operations to tap into the Kingdom's rapidly evolving market and $1.1 trillion giga-project pipeline. The Kingdom's performance comes against a backdrop of global declines in foreign direct investment. According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, inward FDI inflows in Saudi Arabia fell 31 percent in 2024 to $15.73 billion, while outflows rose 27.1 percent to $22.04 billion. The report attributed the downturn to persistent trade tensions, geopolitical uncertainty, and weakening investor sentiment worldwide. Earlier this month, S&P Global said it expects FDI into Gulf Cooperation Council countries to slow further in 2025, citing lower oil prices and a more gradual rollout of economic diversification plans across the region.


Arab News
34 minutes ago
- Arab News
Saudi unemployment rate drops to 2.8% in Q1: GASTAT
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's overall unemployment rate dropped to 2.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025, down 0.7 percentage points from the previous quarter, official data showed. According to figures released by the General Authority for Statistics, the jobless rate also declined by 0.7 points year on year. The labor force participation rate for both Saudis and non-Saudis increased to 68.2 percent, marking a rise of 1.8 points from the previous quarter and 2.2 points from the same period last year. The Kingdom's strengthening labor market aligns with Vision 2030, the nation's strategic roadmap focused on creating job opportunities for citizens and driving economic growth. Curbing joblessness remains a core pillar of the broader socio-economic reform agenda. In its latest release, GASTAT stated: 'The employment-to-population ratio for Saudis increased by 0.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, reaching 48.0 percent, and increased by 0.5 percentage points compared to the first quarter of 2024.' Among Saudi nationals, the jobless rate fell to 6.3 percent in the first quarter — a 0.7-point drop from the earlier quarter and 1.3 points lower year on year. Participation in the workforce among Saudis edged up to 51.3 percent, a quarterly improvement of 0.2 points. To support job seekers and streamline employment efforts, the Kingdom continues to promote digital platforms such as Jadarat, a unified national system for connecting Saudis to job opportunities. The share of Saudi women engaged in the labor force rose to 36.3 percent in the first quarter, up 0.3 percentage points from the preceding quarter. 'Additionally, the employment to population ratio of Saudi females increased by 0.7 percentage points, reaching 32.5 percent. At the same time, the unemployment rate of Saudi females decreased by 1.4 percentage points, recording 10.5 percent, compared to the previous quarter of 2024,' GASTAT added. Among Saudi men, participation in economic activity increased slightly to 66.4 percent, while their unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage points to 4.0 percent. GASTAT's report also revealed that 94.8 percent of unemployed Saudis are open to working in the private sector. Of these, 76.1 percent of women and 86.3 percent of men expressed willingness to work at least eight hours a day. Additionally, 58.7 percent of Saudi women seeking employment and 40.4 percent of their male counterparts expressed willingness to commute for one hour or more to reach their workplace. Alongside the survey findings, GASTAT also published register-based labor market statistics for the same timeframe. The number of Saudis registered with the General Organization for Social Insurance and the Civil Service rose to 2.92 million in the first quarter of 2025, up from 2.89 million in the previous quarter. Of these, 2.42 million were employed in the private sector and 492,620 in the public sector. Meanwhile, the total number of registered workers in the Kingdom — including Saudis and non-Saudis — increased to 12.8 million, compared to 12.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2024.


Leaders
43 minutes ago
- Leaders
Unemployment Rate Among Saudis Drops to Historic Low of 6.3% in Q1 2025
The results of the Q1 Labor Force Survey, released today by the General Authority for Statistics, show that the unemployment rate among Saudis has declined to a historic low of 6.3% in the first quarter of 2025, down from 7% at the end of Q4 2024. This marks the lowest unemployment level ever recorded in the Kingdom, surpassing the Saudi Vision 2030 target of reducing unemployment to 7%. The Ministry of Human Resources is now aiming for a new target of 5%. The unemployment rate among Saudi males stood at approximately 4.0%, while the rate among Saudi females reached 10.5%. For non-Saudis, the unemployment rate was 0.8%. According to the Authority, based on labor force survey estimates, the overall unemployment rate for the working-age population was 2.8% in Q1 2025, compared to 3.5% in Q4 2024. The data also showed a rise in the labor force participation rate for Saudi males, reaching 66.4% in Q1 2025. The labor force participation rate among Saudi females also increased, reaching 36.3% in the same period. It is worthy to note that the Northern Borders Region recorded the highest overall unemployment rate among Saudi regions at 5.1%, while Riyadh and the Eastern Province reported the lowest rates at 1.4% and 1.9%, respectively. Related Topics: GASTAT: Saudi Arabia's Unemployment Rate Declines to 3.5% in Q4 2024 Riyadh Fashion Week, Latest Edition Presents 'Power of Women' Collection Rate of Saudi women's empowerment 'technically' jumps from 7% to 33% Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 : A Catalyst for empowering women Short link : Post Views: 4