The Business Confidence Index is considered one of the most important leading and forward-looking economic indicators. It provides a set of benchmark indicators that reflect the level of optimism among business establishments in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding their current conditions and future performance expectations. This is based on establishments’ assessments of inputs and outputs, employment, business development, and expansion.
Survey objectives
• Reflects the current and short-term outlook of the business sector.
• Enables monitoring of business sector performance to anticipate economic cycles and identify turning points and growth rates.
• Enables decision-makers and policymakers to assess confidence trends in the business sector and support the development of economic policies based on periodic and forward-looking indicators.
Data collection tools
Key concepts
• Inputs: Elements, products, or technologies that must be available in advance to carry out a specific process. They may be obtained internally or externally, and some outputs of one process may serve as inputs for another.
• Outputs: Goods or services produced within the establishment that become available for final use outside the establishment.
• Business development or expansion: Identifying and converting opportunities into actual business activities and implementing strategies for growth.
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The Business Confidence Index is calculated on a scale ranging from 0 to 100 using the Diffusion Index method. A value of 50 represents the neutral point. Values above 50 indicate optimism and higher levels of business confidence, while values below 50 indicate pessimism and lower confidence levels.
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The index is calculated using a method that accounts for the size of each economic activity within the national economy. The contribution of each activity to value added, as well as the number of employed individuals, is used to determine its relative weight when calculating the overall index results.
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What establishments are targeted in the Business Confidence Index?
Business establishments operating across various economic activities, with a sample that is representative of all establishment sizes.
• How is the Business Confidence Index calculated?
The Business Confidence Index is calculated on a scale ranging from 0 to 100 using the Diffusion Index method. A value of 50 represents the neutral point. Values above 50 indicate optimism and higher levels of business confidence, while values below 50 indicate pessimism and lower confidence levels.
• How is the index calculated to ensure its results reflect the realities of different economic activities?
The index is calculated using a method that accounts for the size of each economic activity within the national economy. The contribution of each activity to value added, as well as the number of employed individuals, is used to determine its relative weight when calculating the overall index results.
• How do establishments compare performance across months?
Assessment of the current situation
o The current month’s performance is measured relative to the previous month.
o The establishment assesses its performance for the current month based on actual performance up to the date of response, supported by its expected outlook for the remaining days of the same month.
Assessment of future expectations
o Expectations for the next month are measured relative to the current month.
o The establishment evaluates next month’s performance based on its anticipated performance trends compared with current levels.
• What indicators are produced by the Business Confidence Survey?
The survey produces four main business confidence indicators:
1. Industrial Sector Business Confidence Index, covering establishments operating in:
Manufacturing; Mining and Quarrying; Electricity and Gas; Water Supply, Sewerage, and Waste Management.
2. Services Sector Business Confidence Index, covering establishments operating in:
Finance and Insurance; Wholesale and Retail Trade; Transportation and Storage; Accommodation and Food Services; Real Estate Activities; Information and Communication; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation.
3. Construction Sector Business Confidence Index, covering establishments in construction.
4. Overall Business Confidence Index, reflecting expectations across all targeted economic activities:
Manufacturing; Mining and Quarrying; Electricity and Gas; Water Supply and Sewerage; Finance and Insurance; Wholesale and Retail Trade; Transportation and Storage; Accommodation and Food Services; Real Estate Activities; Information and Communication; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; Construction.
• How often is the survey conducted?
The Business Confidence Survey is conducted monthly, and its indices are calculated on a monthly basis. -
• تقييم الوضع الراهن
• يُقاس أداء الشهر الجاري مقارنةً بالشهر السابق.
وتقوم المنشأة بتقييم الشهر الجاري بالاعتماد على أدائها الفعلي حتى وقت الإجابة، مدعومًا برؤيتها المتوقعة للأداء العام لبقية أيام الشهر ذاته.• تقييم التوقعات المستقبلية
• تُقاس توقعات الشهر القادم مقارنةً بالشهر الجاري.
وتقوم المنشأة بتقييم الشهر القادم استنادًا إلى رؤيتها المتوقعة لاتجاهات الأداء خلال الشهر القادم مقارنةً بالأداء الحالي. -
يتم تنفيذ مسح ثقة الاعمال واحتساب مؤشراته بصورة شهرية.
Privacy Policy
The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) is a government entity with an independent legal personality. It is the only official statistical reference for implementing, supervising, and regulating the statistical work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It provides statistical products in social, economic, and environmental fields to support policymakers and decision-makers in advancing the implementation of development plans.
You can contact us by clicking on contact us link in our website, or send an email to: info@stats.gov.sa
Date of last update:
The last update on the privacy notice was made on (update date).
What is personal data?
Any data, regardless of its source or form, that may lead to identifying an individual specifically, or that may directly or indirectly make it possible to identify an individual, including name, personal identification number, addresses, contact numbers, bank and credit card numbers, photos, and videos of an individual, and any other data of personal nature.
What personal data is collected?
Various types of personal data and information is collected, which cover all aspects of life in the Kingdom: (demographic, social, economic, environmental, and cultural), including but not limited to:
Full name, age/date of birth, sex, address, contact information (e.g.: email address and phone numbers), ID number, marital status, current job information, previous job information, information about dependents/spouse/household.
How is personal data collected and what is the purpose?
Personal data is collected and obtained "directly or indirectly", using various methods, which include:
- Direct methods of obtaining personal data:
- Field visit to the household or establishment by GASTAT’s staff or one of its representatives.
- Phone call by GASTAT’s staff through the unified phone number: 920020081.
- Self-completion on GASTAT’s website.
Indirect methods of obtaining personal data:
Collect cookies and data on how you use our site, including your visit date and time, and the type of browser you use.
By collecting data, GASTAT aims to produce official statistics that serve the public interest, i.e., any personal data collected, whether it belongs to the individual, or on behalf of another individual, will be used for statistical purposes and the production of official statistics.
How do we use your personal data?
We use personal data collected directly or indirectly to produce official statistics that serve the public interest, and support policymakers and decision makers in advancing the implementation of development plans. GASTAT is the only official statistical reference for implementing, supervising, and regulating the statistical work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
How do we share your personal data?
Your personal information won't be given to any third party for the purpose of direct marketing. We are also dedicated to protecting the confidentiality of all Saudi Arabia’s resident data, and not disclosing it. GASTAT abides by the participation guidelines that the regulators have approved. We also pledge to enforce the laws governing data confidentiality, non-disclosure, and personal data protection vigorously and strictly.
The legal basis for collecting and processing personal data:
According to the policy of personal data protection issued by the National Data Management Office, the legal basis for collecting and processing personal data is:
- our explicit consent, and you can withdraw your consent at any time except for some exceptions explained above, and to do so you can contact the Data Governance Department.
- Legal Obligation: The regulations and bylaws in force - including Royal and High Orders - are a legal basis on which GASTAT can rely if the collection and processing of personal data is necessary to comply with these statutory requirements.
- Public Interest: Statistics collected from personal data aim to support policymakers, and decision makers to advance the implementation of Saudi Arabia's development plans.
How do we store your personal data?
Your personal data is stored securely in the technical assets of GASTAT in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Your personal data is kept for a specified period, after which we dispose of this data securely so that it cannot be accessed or restored again, based on GASTAT’s data preservation and destruction policy.
Rights of personal data owner:
Under the personal data policy, you have the following rights, which depend primarily on the purpose of collecting and processing personal data:
- Right to access personal data: you have the right to request a copy of your personal data, such data will be provided to you within seven working days via email DPO@stats.gov.sa.
- Right to dispose personal data: you have the right to request the disposal of your personal data in certain circumstances that do not contradict with the legal basis based on which data was collected.
- Right to restrict data processing: you can restrict the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances and for specific period of time.
- Right to object to processing: you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data that is not inconsistent with the legal basis.
- Right to transfer your personal data: you have the right to ask us to transfer your personal data - collected directly from you - to another party, or to deliver it to you for a fee. This right cannot be exercised if your consent is the legal basis for processing.
Except as otherwise specified, you are not required to pay any fees for exercising these rights, and in the event that a request is made to exercise one of these rights, you will be responded to within (7 days) from the request date.
Furthermore, it should be stressed here that some of these rights (the right to data disposal, the right to data transfer, and the right to object to processing) are not absolute rights but rather depend on the primary purpose and the legal basis mentioned earlier. Other than that, they are regarded as absolute rights.
For more details about the processing of your personal data and how to exercise your rights, you can contact the Data Protection Officer at GASTAT using the contact information provided below:
Email: DPO@stats.gov.sa
Except as stipulated, you are not required to pay any fee for the exercise of these rights, and if an application is made to exercise one of these rights you will be answered within (7 days) of the date of application.
It must also be emphasized here that some of these rights (the right to destroy data, the right to transmit data, the right to object to processing) are not absolute rights, but rather depend on the main purpose and statutory basis referred to earlier, and otherwise are absolute rights.
For more details about the processing of your personal data and how to exercise your rights, you can contact the Authority's Personal Data Protection Officer according to the contact data below:
Email: DPO@stats.gov.sa
How to submit a complaint?
If you have any complaints or issues regarding our adherence to the National Data Management Office's policy regarding the protection of personal data, you can contact the Data Governance Department via email at info@stats.gov.sa.
You can email the GASTAT’s Data Governance Department at DPO@stats.gov.sa to file a complaint if you are dissatisfied with how we handled your complaint or if we did not reply to you within three working days.
If GASTAT’s Data Governance Department does not resolve your complaint within 7 days, you may also file a complaint with the National Data Management Office about how we use your personal data.
Address of National Data Management Office:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.
Website: Complaints (sdaia.gov.sa)