Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH —Saudi Arabia, represented by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), achieved a new milestone by continuing its advancement in the Statistical Performance Indicator (SPI) issued by the World Bank since the 2020 data update.

Saudi Arabia’s score rose to 83.3 percent in 2024, compared with 81.5 percent in 2023, maintaining its first-place ranking in the Arab region and advancing three positions among G20 countries, moving to 11th place from 14th place, as published last year. Saudi Arabia advanced four places globally, ranking 51st out of 188 countries.

This accomplishment stems from the Kingdom’s ongoing statistical development, its adoption of a digital transformation approach within the national statistical ecosystem, and its efforts in capacity-building, promoting innovation, strengthening transparency, and facilitating the monitoring of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The World Bank announced on its official website the results of the SPI assessment 2024, which evaluated five main pillars comprising 51 indicators covering data use, data services, data products, data sources, and data infrastructure. Saudi Arabia ranked 6th among G20 countries, scoring 93.2 percent in the second pillar related to data services. It also ranked 7th among G20 countries in the fourth pillar concerning data sources and advanced to 17th place globally, compared to 36th place as published last year. Saudi Arabia further achieved strong results, ranking in the top 20 percent across three pillars: data services, data sources, and data infrastructure.

For his part, GASTAT President Fahad Al-Dossari extended his congratulations to the wise leadership on this international achievement and expressed his appreciation for the support and attention GASTAT continues to receive. He affirmed that this sustained support has contributed to enhancing the quality and efficiency of statistical sector operations and outputs, as well as its significant development and alignment with global advancements and rapid changes in this field, reflecting the advancement of the Saudi statistical ecosystem.

GASTAT continues its efforts to implement a comprehensive statistical transformation, aimed at developing infrastructure for field and digital surveys and enhancing integration with governmental, private, and non-profit entities. To achieve this transformation, GASTAT relies on innovation and advanced technologies in data collection and analysis, improving the quality of statistical outputs and enabling decision-makers to access accurate data that supports Saudi Vision 2030 targets.

Additionally, GASTAT continues to build national capabilities and adopt best global practices and methodologies to ensure the sustainability of statistical development and keep pace with rapid global changes in the field of statistics.