AI Summary
Saudi Arabia's inflation rate rose to 2.3% in March, compared to the previous month, according to recent data by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
The cost-of-living index, using 2018 as the base year, advanced to 113.10 points in March, from 110.53 points in the same month a year earlier.
Inflation is measured by the percentage change in the cost of living between the current period and the corresponding period of the previous year. The inflation increase/decline is gauged compared with the previous month.
| Month | Inflation |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar2023 | 2.74 % | ||
| Mar2024 | 1.65 % | ||
| Mar2025 | 2.3 % | ||
|
Data Economic
|
The Saudi inflation rate, according to GASTAT, had soared because of a 6.9% year-on-year (YoY) hike in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuel prices. This is besides a 2% YoY uptick in food & beverage prices, with the prices of miscellaneous goods & services also up 3.9% on an annual basis.
The authority explained that the increase in housing, water, electricity, gas, and fuel prices resulted from an 8.2% increase in housing rents in March 2025, influenced by an 11.9% rise in apartment rents. The increase in this category had a significant impact on the pace of annual inflation in March 2025, given its weight, which amounts to 25.5%.
On the other hand, transport decreased by 0.8% on an annual basis on a 1.5% slump in vehicles prices.
| Main Groups | Change |
|---|---|
| Food and Beverages | 2 |
| Tobacco | 0.1 |
| Clothing and footwear | 0.8 |
| Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and other fuels | 6.9 |
| Furnishings, Household equipment | 2.6 |
| Health | 0.2 |
| Transport | 0.8 |
| Communication | 1.4 |
| Recreation and Culture | 3 |
| Education | 1.1 |
| Restaurants and Hotels | 1.3 |
| Miscellaneous personal goods and services | 3.9 |
The consumer price index (CPI) reflects changes in the prices paid by consumers for a fixed basket of goods and services, consisting of 490 items selected based on the 2018 Household Expenditure and Income Survey. The relevant prices are collected through field visits to points of sale.
On a monthly basis, inflation increased in several Saudi cities, topped by Riyadh, Makkah, Jeddah, Dammam, Madinah, Abha, Tabuk, Hail, Jazan, Najran and Arar.
However, it declined in Taif, Buraydah, Al Baha and Sakaka.
Meanwhile, the monthly inflation rate came in negative for Al Hofuf.
| 3.97 % | 3.45 % | 3.35 % | 3.74 % | 3.45 % | 4.07 % | 3.97 % | 3.51 % | 3.27 % | 3.48 % | 3.83 % | 3.61 % | 3.33 % | 3.39 % | 2.51 % |
| 3.84 % | 3.05 % | 2.89 % | 2.35 % | 2.19 % | 0.62 % | 0.83 % | 1.54 % | 1.58 % | 1.71 % | 2.12 % | 2.32 % | 1.61 % | 1.28 % | 0.59 % |
| 0.44 % | 0.16 % | 0.01 % | 0.38 % | 0.09 % | 0.53 % | 0.30 % | 0.35 % | 0.39 % | 0.60 % | 0.09 % | 0.03 % | 0.60 % | 1.47 % | 1.85 % |
| 2.16 % | 1.85 % | 1.76 % | 2.04 % | 2.09 % | 1.39 % | 0.34 % | 1.44 % | 0.68 % | 0.10 % | 0.41 % | 0.01 % | 0.18 % | 0.18 % | 0.41 % |
| 2.28 % | 1.86 % | 1.68 % | 1.29 % | 1.42 % | 1.41 % | 1.49 % | 1.38 % | 2.33 % | 2.04 % | 1.48 % | 1.76 % | 1.27 % | 1.40 % | 0.95 % |
| 1.62 % | 1.90 % | 1.44 % | 0.48 % | 0.26 % | 0.11 % | 0.26 % | 0.15 % | 0.25 % | 0.56 % | 0.27 % | 0.07 % | 0.00 % | 0.51 % | 0.23 % |
| 0.98 % | 0.10 % | 0.09 % | 0.69 % | 0.01 % | 2.60 % | 2.63 % | 2.66 % | 2.09 % | 2.06 % | 1.71 % | 0.08 % | 0.15 % | 0.21 % | 0.50 % |
| 0.08 % | 0.35 % | 0.87 % | 0.91 % | 1.66 % | 2.22 % | 1.19 % | 1.08 % | 0.82 % | 2.18 % | 1.68 % | 2.00 % | 3.02 % | 4.18 % | 4.77 % |
| 0.76 % | 2.89 % | 4.82 % | 5.73 % | 9.24 % | 11.58 % | 13.81 % | 14.55 % | 14.50 % | 14.45 % | 14.17 % | 14.28 % | 13.25 % | 10.85 % | 8.92 % |
| 0.85 % | 0.44 % | 0.82 % | 0.40 % | 0.09 % | 0.45 % | 0.31 % | 0.07 % | 0.03 % | 0.48 % | 1.08 % | 1.16 % | 0.68 % | 0.76 % | 0.66 % |
| 0.02 % | 0.39 % | 0.49 % | 0.87 % | 0.49 % | 0.14 % | 0.85 % | 1.15 % | 1.01 % | 0.22 % | 1.07 % | 0.80 % | 0.55 % | 0.42 % | 0.44 % |
| 3.02 % | 2.83 % | 3.01 % | 3.38 % | 2.67 % | 2.28 % | 0.23 % | 0.11 % | 0.86 % | 0.61 % | 1.39 % | 1.46 % | 2.57 % | 2.91 % | 4.59 % |
| 2.12 % | 1.35 % | 1.15 % | 0.86 % | 0.47 % | 0.19 % | 0.47 % | 0.76 % | 0.44 % | 0 % | 0.15 % | 0.33 % | 0.30 % | 0.57 % | 0.08 % |
| 0.65 % | 0.73 % | 0.70 % | 1.78 % | 1.31 % | 1.08 % | 1.91 % | 1.84 % | 0.92 % | 1.14 % | 1.22 % | 1.98 % | 1.59 % | 1.23 % | 1.46 % |
| 0.99 % | 1.19 % | 1.13 % | 0.75 % | 1.00 % | 1.15 % | 0.93 % | 0.90 % | 0.69 % | 0.64 % | 0.37 % | 0.35 % | 0.46 % | 0.43 % | 0.51 % |
| 0.35 % | 0.73 % | 0.48 % | 0.03 % | 0.13 % | 0.38 % | 0.66 % | 1.18 % | 1.07 % | 0.63 % | 0.80 % | 0.73 % | 0.86 % | 0.95 % | 0.59 % |
| Main Groups |
|---|
| Housing, Water, Electricity, Gas, and other fuels |
| Food and Beverages |
| Transport |
| Furnishings, Household equipment |
| Communication |
| Restaurants and Hotels |
| Clothing and footwear |
| Education |
| Recreation and Culture |
| Health |
| Tobacco |
| Miscellaneous personal goods and services |
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