Average inflation in Saudi Arabia

International Monetary Fund · Annual · Importance

IMF forecast (WEO): 2026: 2.3% 2027: 2.1% 2028: 2.0% 2029: 2.0% 2030: 2.0% 2031: 2.0%

-2.1% (1999) ANUAL · % · Annual · CSV

Period	%
Jan 1999	-2.1%
Jan 1998	-0.4%
Jan 1997	-0.2%
Jan 1996	0.3%
Jan 1995	5.1%
Jan 1994	1.4%
Jan 1993	1.2%
Jan 1992	-1.0%
Jan 1991	3.9%
Jan 1990	-1.1%

About this indicator

Source

International Monetary Fund

Frequency

Annual

Release

Published annually, covering the full year and subject to revision.

What it is

Measures the change in prices of a representative basket of goods and services bought by Saudi households. Published by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), it is the country's main gauge of inflation.

How it's calculated

Built from a regular price survey across the country's regions, weighting each item by its share of household spending on an index with a base year of 100. It is released as an annual (YoY) and monthly (MoM) rate of change.

Market implications

Inflation shapes domestic demand in the Gulf's largest economy. With the Saudi riyal pegged to the US dollar, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) closely tracks US Federal Reserve policy, so its scope to respond to local inflation is limited; housing and rents tend to drive the trend.

Limitations

It captures only the selected basket, and housing prices carry a notable weight that can distort the headline reading. Core inflation, excluding energy and fresh food, better reflects underlying price pressures.