Industry Developments
GASTAT: Saudi business sector operating revenues rise 2.3% to SAR 5,628 billion in 2025
Announced · Published · By Sokrab Saudi Arabia
GASTAT's Structural Business Statistics 2025 show operating revenues of SAR 5,628 billion, up 2.3%, with employee compensation rising 6.0% and fixed capital formation broadly flat.
What was announced
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has released the results of its Structural Business Statistics for 2025. The survey provides an annual view of revenues, costs, wages and investment across Saudi economic activities, classified under the international ISIC4 standard.
Key details
- Operating revenues: SAR 5,628 billion in 2025, an increase of 2.3% on 2024.
- Compensation of employees: up 6.0% to SAR 624.1 billion. Salaries and wages accounted for SAR 528.9 billion (84.8%), with benefits and allowances at SAR 95.1 billion (15.2%).
- Investment: gross fixed capital formation reached SAR 992 billion, up 0.4%.
- Operating surplus: gross operating surplus was SAR 2,542 billion, a decline of 0.1%.
Why it matters for businesses
The figures show that labour costs grew considerably faster than revenues in 2025, while operating surplus was flat. That pattern is consistent with a tighter labour market and higher localisation requirements, and it points to margin pressure for many employers. Capital investment held steady rather than accelerating.
Structural business statistics are particularly useful for benchmarking. Companies can compare their own revenue growth, wage bill and investment levels with sector aggregates, and investors can use the data to size markets and test business plans. Because the survey covers 2025, it describes conditions before most of the 2026 regional disruption; the more recent Q3 2026 GDP flash estimate should be read alongside it.
The flat operating surplus is also worth noting for lenders and investors. When revenues grow modestly and costs rise faster, cash generation tends to weaken, which can affect debt capacity, dividend policy and the appetite for new capital spending. Sector detail will show whether this trend is broad-based or concentrated in particular activities.
What to watch next
- Sector-level tables published by GASTAT, which allow comparison by activity.
- Quarterly operating revenue indices for 2026, which show more recent trends.
- Labour market statistics that may explain the faster growth in compensation.
What businesses may want to do
Finance and management teams may want to benchmark their 2025 results against the relevant sector data, review payroll cost trends in budgets for 2027, and build regular management reports that track revenue, wage costs and margins together. Investors preparing feasibility studies can use the published aggregates as a starting reference, subject to sector-specific analysis.
Sources
How Sokrab can help
Questions about how this affects your business? Contact Sokrab Saudi Arabia or book a meeting.
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