In brief
GASTAT reports that 99.6% of Saudi residents aged 15‑74 use the internet, with mobile phones as the dominant device and social networking as the main activity. The statistics were confirmed by Saudi Press Agency coverage and mirrored in Arabic media, though one outlet’s webpage is currently unavailable. The data underpinning the report follow international standards, allowing for cross‑country comparison.
In a press release issued on 1 November 2026, GASTAT announced that 99.6% of people aged 15 to 74 in the Kingdom were online that year, according to its Survey on Information and Communications Technology Access and Use in Households and by Individuals.
GASTAT said the penetration rate was 99.8% among Saudi males and 99.5% among Saudi females, with the 15‑to‑24 age group achieving the highest level of 99.9%. The survey found that 99.3% of respondents accessed the internet from home, while 98% used it at least once a day. Mobile phones accounted for 98.4% of access, with laptops and tablets used by 13.9% and 12.3% of users, respectively.
Social networking was the most common activity, engaging 99.7% of internet users of both genders, followed by video watching at 87.8%, searching for goods and services at 65.4%, audio listening at 55.2%, and gaming at 19.4%. E‑government services were used by 98.4% of all individuals, rising to 98.6% among Saudi residents, with electronic forms taking the highest share at 89.0%. In e‑commerce, 74.5% of internet users purchased goods and services online, increase to 84.9% among Saudi nationals, with clothing, footwear, sports equipment and household items topping purchases at 85.2%.
Saudi Press Agency highlighted the same figures in its report, noting that GASTAT’s methodology aligns with international organizations and satisfies Sustainable Development Goal indicators, thereby enabling global comparison of indicators.
The Arabic‑language outlet Swiftnewz reported that “99.6% of individuals aged 15‑74 use the internet in Saudi Arabia” in a story dated 9 hours before the official release, although the referenced page is currently unavailable, rendering the link non‑functional for readers seeking the original article.
Alrayah, another Arabic news portal, reiterated the 99.6% figure in a brief announcement dated 10 hours prior, citing the same GASTAT survey but offering no further detail on device use or activity patterns.
Both Saudi Press Agency and Alrayah mention that GASTAT applies a unified methodology, consistent with the procedures of the United Nations and other international statistical bodies, underscoring the credibility of the collected data while enabling cross‑border comparison.
Across the three outlets, the central message is the same: Saudi Arabia’s internet penetration among adults has reached a near‑universal level. While the Saudi Press Agency offers a comprehensive breakdown of demographics and usage habits, Swiftnewz and Alrayah provide brief confirmation of the headline figure, with Swiftnewz’s site presently inaccessible and Alrayah’s summary limited to the overall statistic.
