GASTAT: Saudi General Authority for Statistics

GASTAT is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's mandated national statistics authority. It collects, processes, and disseminates official data across economic, social, and demographic domains. Its publications are the authoritative source for Saudi macroeconomic indicators and are used by government ministries, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), and international institutions including the IMF and World Bank when assessing the Saudi economy.\n\nKey data series published by GASTAT include the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks inflation across a basket of goods and services in Saudi Arabia; GDP estimates broken down by sector; population and demographic surveys; and labour market statistics including employment, unemployment, and workforce participation rates. GASTAT also conducts periodic national surveys and the General Census of Population and Housing. All releases are published on the official GASTAT website at stats.gov.sa.

For English-speaking expats living and working in Saudi Arabia, GASTAT's CPI data is directly relevant to understanding real purchasing power changes - particularly for rent, food, and transport costs. Salary negotiations, cost-of-living assessments, and financial planning decisions in the Kingdom should reference GASTAT inflation data rather than general global inflation figures, which may not reflect conditions on the ground in Saudi Arabia.\n\nExpats investing in Saudi-listed equities or monitoring the Saudi economy as part of a broader GCC portfolio will also encounter GASTAT GDP and labour market releases as market-moving data points. SAMA, Saudi Arabia's central bank and financial regulator, references GASTAT data in its own monetary policy communications, making familiarity with GASTAT release schedules useful for anyone tracking the Saudi economic cycle.