Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
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Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
Sector

Overview

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles

In the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) decreased by 2% in second quarter of 2026 compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The seasonally adjusted real GDP decreased by 1.1%, while the nominal GDP decreased by 1.5% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector achieved positive growth in the foreign direct investment (FDI) stock at the end of 2024, which amounted to ⃁ 149.6 billion, compared to the FDI stock of 2023, which was ⃁ 134.8 billion.

The inflows of FDI in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector grew by 45.0% in 2024 compared to the previous year, whereas the outflows of FDI showed an increase of 59.9% compared to previous period. Thus, the net flows amounted to ⃁ 14.8 billion in 2024, while in 2023, it recorded ⃁ 10.5 billion.

The overall distribution of the employed in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector reached 17.0% in second quarter of 2026, increased from last quarter by 1.12 percentage points (pp) and increased from a year ago by 1.88 pp.

For its part, the average weekly working hours was 48.1 hours in the third quarter of 2023, registering an increase of 0.4% compared to the previous period and an increase of 0.5% compared to the same quarter of 2022.

Real Sector Indicators

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

In the second quarter of 2026, the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles amounted to ⃁ 138.1 billion. Additionally, the nominal GDP recorded a value of ⃁ 146.4 billion, while the seasonally adjusted real GDP stood at ⃁ 141.6 billion.

The graph shows the quarterly evolution of the real, nominal and seasonally adjusted real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

The Real GDP and Seasonally Adjusted Real GDP are calculated by Gastat using the Chain-Linked Methodology.

Monetary

Points of Sale Transactions

In August 2026, the value of points of sale (POS) transactions amounted to ⃁ 9.9 billion in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, being 1.6% lower than the previous month and 12.3% higher than the same month from the previous year.

The graph shows the monthly evolution of the value of points of sale transactions in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Commercial Bank Credit

During August 2026, the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector secured ⃁ 220.9 billion in commercial bank credits, higher by 1.4% than the value of the previous month and higher by 3.4% compared to the same month of the previous year.

The graph shows the monthly evolution of commercial bank credits in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Finance Companies' Credit to Non-Retail

In 2025, the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector recorded ⃁ 3.2 billion in finance company credit to non-retail, marking a 2.5% decrease compared to the previous year.

The graph shows the annual evolution of the finance companies' credit to non-retail in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

External Sector & International Trade

Foreign Licenses

In the fourth quarter of 2023, there were 343 registered in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, representing a 58.8% increase compared to the previous period.

The graph shows the quarterly trend in the number of foreign licenses obtained by the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

FDI Stock

In 2024, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock reached ⃁ 149.6 billion, marking an increased of 11% compared to the previous year.

The graph shows the annual evolution of the FDI stock in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

FDI Flow

In 2024, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflow amounted to ⃁ 18.2 billion, while the FDI Outflow stood at ⃁ 3.4 billion. Consequently, the FDI Net Inflow was ⃁ 14.8 billion, reflecting an increased of 42% compared to the previous year.

The graph illustrates the annual progression of FDI Inflow and Outflow in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector. The line chart represents the FDI Net Inflow.

Note:

FDI inflows: Financial transactions that arise between the FDI institution, direct investors and related companies outside the Saudi economy, which occur during a certain period of time, and form inflows when their positive impact appears in excess of equity and/or debt instruments.

FDI outflows: These are financial transactions that arise between the Foreign Direct Investment Corporation, direct investors, and related companies outside the Saudi economy, and which occur during a certain period of time. They are outflows when their impact appears in a decrease in the side of obligations, such as paid dividends or repayment of loans and credit receivables, or when the foreign shareholder exits.

FDI net inflow: It represents the difference between inflows and outflows of foreign direct investment inflows.

Labor Market

Distribution of the Employed

In the second quarter of 2026, the percentage distribution of employed people in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector reached 17.0%, with 18.3% for men and 9.9% for women.

The graph shows the quarterly evolution of the percentage distribution of employed people by gender in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Working Hours

During the third quarter of 2023, the average hours worked by Saudi men were 44.3, compared to 50 hours for non-Saudi men. Likewise, Saudi women averaged 41.9 hours, while non-Saudi women worked an average of 40.3 hours.

The graph shows the average weekly working hours by gender and nationality in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Social Insurance (GOSI)

During the second quarter of 2026, a total of 1,803,668 participants on the job Subject to the rules and regulations of social insurance were registered in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, with 87.1% being men (1,570,446 participants) and 12.9% women (233,222 participants).

The graph shows the quarterly evolution of the number of participants on the job Subject to the rules and regulations of social insurance by gender in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

On-the-job Subscribers in the Private Sector

In 2022 on-the-job subscribers in the private sector was 222,392 for Saudi men and 1,215,223 for non-Saudi men. On-the-job subscribers was 189,850 for saudi women and 12,685 for non-Saudi women.

The graph shows on-the-job subscribers in the private sector by gender and nationality in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Structural Business

Economic Establishments

In 2018, there were 472,072 establishments registered in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector, of which 88.5% had less than 5 employees, 10.3% had between 5 and 19 employees and 1.2% had more than 20 employees.

The graph shows the annual distribution of establishments categorized by size based on the number of employees in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Operating Revenues & Expenses in SMEs

In 2024, the operating revenues reached ⃁ 311.1 billion in micro establishments, while operating expenses amounted to ⃁ 157.1 billion, generating a surplus of ⃁ 121.7 billion.

The graph shows the annual evolution of operating expenses and operating revenues, with the line representing the operating surplus each year in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector for micro establishments.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Employee Compensation in SMEs

In 2024, micro enterprises of the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector spent ⃁ 32.3 billion in employee compensation, while small enterprises spent ⃁ 12.9 billion and medium-sized enterprises spent ⃁ 10.0 billion. This amounts to a total of ⃁ 55.2 billion for the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

The graph shows employee compensation by enterprise size over the years in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.

Business Demography

In 2024, the number of active enterprises in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector was 326,585.

The chart shows the number of Active Enterprises in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector by year.

Short-Term Business Indicators

In July 2026, the Operating Revenues Index in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector stood at 125.2.

The chart shows the monthly evolution of the Operating Revenues Index in Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector.

Digital Economy

Digital Economy Indicators

According to the Digital Economy Survey carried out by the General Authority for Statistics in 2022, in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector the use of having account on social media platforms (63.1%) and using systems or devices connected to the Internet (61.0%) are highlighted as the most relevant indicators of adoption and use of the digital economy.

The graph shows the percentage of establishments in the Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector according to indicators of use and adoption of the digital economy.

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