Accommodation and food service activities sector achieved positive growth in the foreign direct investment (FDI) stock at the end of 2024, which amounted to 13.9 billion, compared to the FDI stock of 2023, which was 12.8 billion.
The inflows of FDI in the Accommodation and food service activities sector grew by 9.7% in 2024 compared to the previous year, whereas the outflows of FDI showed an increase of 84.2% compared to previous period. Thus, the net flows amounted to 1.0 billion in 2024, while in 2023, it recorded 962.2 million.
The overall distribution of the employed in the Accommodation and food service activities sector reached 5.8% in fourth quarter of 2025, decreased from last quarter by 0.21 percentage points (pp) and decreased from a year ago by 0.73 pp.
For its part, the average weekly working hours was 50.7 hours in the third quarter of 2023, registering an increase of 1.8% compared to the previous period and an increase of 1.3% compared to the same quarter of 2022.
The operating revenues of the sector reached 168.3 billion in 2024, an increase of 5.5% compared to the previous year. For its part, the operating expenses amounted to 73.0 billion, showing an increase of 6.7% compared to the previous period. As a result, the operating surplus of the Accommodation and food service activities sector was 73.3 billion, 4.1% higher than the previous period.
In April 2026, the value of points of sale (POS) transactions amounted to 19.7 billion in the Accommodation and food service activities sector, being 3.7% lower than the previous month and 15.8% higher than the same month from the previous year.
The graph shows the monthly evolution of the value of points of sale transactions in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
During April 2026, the Accommodation and food service activities sector secured 59.6 billion in commercial bank credits, lower by 0.5% than the value of the previous month and higher by 28.5% compared to the same month of the previous year.
The graph shows the monthly evolution of commercial bank credits in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, there were 99 registered in the Accommodation and food service activities sector, representing a 11.2% increase compared to the previous period.
The graph shows the quarterly trend in the number of foreign licenses obtained by the Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2024, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock reached 13.9 billion, marking an increased of 8% compared to the previous year.
The graph shows the annual evolution of the FDI stock in the Accommodation and food service activities sector.
In 2024, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Inflow amounted to 1.1 billion, while the FDI Outflow stood at 78.1 million. Consequently, the FDI Net Inflow was 1.0 billion, reflecting an increased of 6.4% compared to the previous year.
The graph illustrates the annual progression of FDI Inflow and Outflow in the Accommodation and food service activities 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.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the percentage distribution of employed people in Accommodation and food service activities sector reached 5.8%, with 6.2% for men and 3.6% for women.
The graph shows the quarterly evolution of the percentage distribution of employed people by gender in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
During the third quarter of 2023, the average hours worked by Saudi men were 46.4, compared to 52.9 hours for non-Saudi men. Likewise, Saudi women averaged 40.7 hours, while non-Saudi women worked an average of 50 hours.
The graph shows the average weekly working hours by gender and nationality in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
During the fourth quarter of 2025, a total of 724,033 participants on the job Subject to the rules and regulations of social insurance were registered in the Accommodation and food service activities sector, with 88.8% being men (643,214 participants) and 11.2% women (80,819 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 Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2022 on-the-job subscribers in the private sector was 63,971 for Saudi men and 491,754 for non-Saudi men. On-the-job subscribers was 60,138 for saudi women and 4,635 for non-Saudi women.
The graph shows on-the-job subscribers in the private sector by gender and nationality in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2018, there were 103,997 establishments registered in the Accommodation and food service activities sector, of which 76.2% had less than 5 employees, 21.1% had between 5 and 19 employees and 2.7% had more than 20 employees.
The graph shows the annual distribution of establishments categorized by size based on the number of employees in the Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2024, the operating revenues reached 168.3 billion, while operating expenses amounted to 73.0 billion, resulting in an operating surplus of 73.3 billion for the year.
The graph shows the annual evolution of operating expenses and operating revenues, with the line representing the operating surplus each year.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2017 net assets reached an amount of 3.2 billion, being higher in 10.0% compared to the previous year.
The graph shows the annual evolution of net assets in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2024, the operating revenues reached 23.0 billion in micro establishments, while operating expenses amounted to 10.8 billion, generating a surplus of 9.1 billion.
The graph shows the annual evolution of operating expenses and operating revenues, with the line representing the operating surplus each year in Accommodation and food service activities sector for micro establishments.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2024, micro enterprises of the Accommodation and food service activities sector spent 3.2 billion in employee compensation, while small enterprises spent 5.3 billion and medium-sized enterprises spent 7.1 billion. This amounts to a total of 15.6 billion for the Accommodation and food service activities sector.
The graph shows employee compensation by enterprise size over the years in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
Note: Sectors have been reclassified as per ISIC 4 standard.
In 2024, the number of active enterprises in Accommodation and food service activities sector was 102,333.
The chart shows the number of Active Enterprises in Accommodation and food service activities sector by year.
In March 2026, the Operating Revenues Index in Accommodation and food service activities sector stood at 116.2.
The chart shows the monthly evolution of the Operating Revenues Index in Accommodation and food service activities sector.
According to the Digital Economy Survey carried out by the General Authority for Statistics in 2022, in the Accommodation and food service activities sector the use of having account on social media platforms (78.1%) and advertising their products through social media platforms (65.5%) are highlighted as the most relevant indicators of adoption and use of the digital economy.
The graph shows the percentage of establishments in the Accommodation and food service activities sector according to indicators of use and adoption of the digital economy.
