RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate rose to 2.1 percent in December, up from 1.9 percent a month earlier, as housing rents continued to drive price gains, official data showed.
According to the latest report released by the General Authority for Statistics, prices for housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels rose 4.1 percent year on year in December, driven by a 5.3 percent increase in actual rents.
Saudi Arabia’s inflation path broadly aligns with International Monetary Fund projections released in October, which forecast inflation of about 2.1 percent in 2025, easing slightly to 2 percent in 2026.
In its latest report, GASTAT stated: “The CPI in Saudi Arabia recorded an annual increase of 2.1 percent in December 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year, December 2024.”
It added: “This increase was mainly driven by a rise in housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuel prices by 4.1 percent food and beverage prices by 1.3 percent and transport prices by 1.5 percent.”
