A step-by-step method for building a reliable dashboard on the Saudi economy and property market from official sources, without relying on invented or outdated figures.
Reliable Saudi market data comes from a handful of official sources: GASTAT for national statistics, SAMA for monetary and banking data, REGA and the Ejar platform for real estate, MISA and GASTAT for investment flows, the Ministry of Finance for the budget, and the Saudi Exchange for listed markets. A simple dashboard built from these lets you track the drivers of your investment instead of repeating numbers from presentations whose sources nobody can trace.
Before stage one
Begin with your own thesis rather than with the data. List the drivers your investment depends on, such as population, employment, household credit, construction activity, rents, visitor numbers or government spending. Each driver should map to at least one official series, and a driver that cannot be measured is a warning sign in itself.
- A list of the three to eight drivers your investment depends on.
- A named person responsible for collecting and updating the data.
- A simple template recording each value with its source, date and definition.
- Agreement on how often the investment committee will review the dashboard.
Stage 1: Map drivers to official sources
For each driver, find the series that measures it: GASTAT for population, labour, GDP by oil and non-oil activity, inflation and price indices; SAMA for money supply, bank credit, mortgage lending and interest rates; REGA and Ejar for real estate activity and leases; the Ministry of Finance for budget statements; the Ministry of Tourism for visitor data; the Saudi Exchange for listed market data.
- Deliverable: A table linking each driver to one or more official series.
- Owner: Analyst.
- Approval gate: Every driver has an official source, or is explicitly marked as unmeasured.
Stage 2: Collect a historical baseline
Download several years of each series so you can see trends and cycles rather than a single point. Store the original files, not only the figures you extract.
- Deliverable: A baseline dataset with original source files archived.
- Owner: Analyst.
- Approval gate: Each figure can be traced back to a stored source document.
Stage 3: Read the definitions and revisions
Read the methodology notes. Series are rebased, definitions change and preliminary figures are revised; census updates can shift population estimates. Record any break in a series so that comparisons across the break are not made blindly.
- Deliverable: A definitions log noting breaks, rebasing and revision patterns.
- Owner: Analyst.
- Approval gate: No trend is presented across a known break without a note.
Stage 4: Set an update calendar
Note when each source publishes, monthly, quarterly or annually, and schedule updates to match. Many sources announce release calendars in advance.
- Deliverable: A release and update calendar.
- Owner: Analyst.
- Approval gate: Updates happen within a set period after each release.
Stage 5: Add ground-level evidence
Complement official data with structured evidence from brokers, operators, contractors and clients, collected in the same way each time, such as quarterly calls using the same questions.
- Deliverable: A log of structured market conversations.
- Owner: Asset or business manager.
- Approval gate: Anecdotes are recorded consistently and kept separate from official figures.
Stage 6: Build the dashboard
Present each driver as a short trend with its latest value, source and date, and a one-line note on what it means for the thesis. Keep it to one or two pages.
- Deliverable: A dashboard the committee can read in minutes.
- Owner: Analyst.
- Approval gate: Every chart shows its source and the date of the latest data.
Stage 7: Link the data to decisions
At each review, compare the indicators with the triggers set in your investment thesis, and record any decision taken because of them.
- Deliverable: Review minutes linking indicators to actions.
- Owner: Investment committee.
- Approval gate: Each trigger has been checked against the latest data.
Handovers between stages
The handover that most often breaks is from data to decisions. Teams build a careful dashboard and then take decisions based on the latest conference or a conversation with a broker. Tie each indicator to a question in the thesis, and require that any proposal to expand, pause or exit cites the dashboard.
How you know it is finished
The system works when every figure in your internal documents can be traced to a dated official source or a logged conversation, when updates follow the release calendar without prompting, and when the committee can show which decisions were informed by which indicators.
If a Vision 2030 programme or market trend is shaping your investment case, Domira can test it against real land, construction costs and local demand in the city you are considering before you commit capital.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I find official Saudi economic statistics?
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) publishes national statistics including population, labour market, GDP, inflation and trade. SAMA publishes monetary, banking and credit data, including its regular statistical bulletins. The Ministry of Finance publishes budget statements and performance reports, and MISA publishes investment reports. Use the latest releases and note their dates.
Does REGA publish real estate market data in Saudi Arabia?
The Real Estate General Authority publishes information and indicators on the real estate sector, and the Ejar platform records residential and commercial lease contracts. GASTAT also includes housing rents in its price statistics. Availability and format change over time, so check REGA's current publications and compare them with broker and valuer evidence for specific districts.
How reliable are private research reports on the Saudi market?
Private reports from consultancies, brokers and banks can add useful detail, but they vary in method, sample and independence, and some are written to support a product. Check where their figures come from, how they define the market, and when the data was collected, and compare their conclusions with official series before relying on them.
Have a Property Question?
Domira can help you navigate property, financing and investment decisions in Saudi Arabia. Speak with our team for an initial consultation.
