Saudi building permits jump 15.5 percent in July as operating revenues rise

Saudi Arabia witnessed a significant surge in building permits, surging by 15.5% month-over-month in July 2026, according to preliminary data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). This marked an increase from 5,045 permits in June to 5,828 in July. On an annual basis, the number of building permits rose by 4.4%, climbing from 5,582 permits in July 2025 to 5,828 in July 2026.

In addition to the rise in building permits, the Operating Revenues Index also saw a positive trend, increasing by 4.9% year-on-year in July and by 1.2% month-on-month compared to June 2026. The annual growth in operating revenues was driven by several sectors, including manufacturing activities up by 13.5%, financial and insurance activities up by 9%, information and communication activities up by 6.5%, and others contributing to a total increase.

On a monthly basis, mining and quarrying activities saw a 6.4% rise, information and communication activities increased by 3.7%, manufacturing activities grew by 0.8%, accommodation and food service activities increased by 0.6%, and construction activities rose marginally by 0.1%.

The Employees Compensation Index also showed a substantial increase of 7.4% year-on-year, with manufacturing activities leading the charge at 10.3%, followed by financial and insurance activities at 6.4%, wholesale and retail trade at 6.2%, construction activities at 4.6%, and mining and quarrying activities at 2.7%. On a monthly basis, the index saw a slight 0.3% increase, supported by positive growth in human health and social work activities at 2.6%, information and communication activities at 1.8%, transportation and storage activities at 0.8%, mining and quarrying activities at 0.3%, and financial and insurance activities at 0.1%.