Methodology
Every figure on this portal can be traced to a primary source. Every story arc is written from those sources. Here is how it works.
Source tiers
Each source carries one of three public tier badges. The tier reflects how close the source is to the data itself, not its political stance.
- OfficialSaudi government & V2030 sources (Vision2030.gov.sa, GASTAT, ministries, SDAIA, GEA, SAMA, Sakani/MoMAH, MOH, MoT, MoI, PIF)
- Verified newsMainstream outlets with named sources (Arab News, Saudi Gazette, SPA, Reuters, Bloomberg, AGBI, Skift, Economy Middle East)
- AnalysisIndependent research & multilateral bodies (AGSI, Atlantic Council, World Bank, UNWTO, WEF, IMF)
Messaging principles
- Lead with what changed for the citizen, not what the government did.
- Use one verified figure per claim. Cite the publisher and date.
- Distinguish 'achieved', 'on track', 'exceeded', 'revised target' — never blur the lines.
- Honest about where progress is uneven; credibility compounds.
- Keep card titles short. Story arc carries the depth.
Refresh cadence
Each metric carries a `last_verified` date. Metrics older than 180 days must be re-verified before the build.
Quarterly: GASTAT bulletins (unemployment, FDI, trade) drop on a known schedule. The corresponding metric updates within 48 hours.
Annually: Vision 2030 Annual Report (April), Housing Program (July/August), and the various ministry annual reports each trigger a scheduled, deliberate refresh.
Frequently asked questions
›How is each figure verified?
Every metric on the portal traces to a primary source — typically a GASTAT bulletin, a Ministry annual report, an Aramco/PIF disclosure, or a sovereign report like the Vision 2030 Annual Report. Each source is tagged with a tier (Official, Verified News, or Analysis) and a refresh date. If we can't name and link the source, the figure doesn't ship.
›What does the "Official" tier mean?
Official means the source is a government body publishing a primary measurement — GASTAT for unemployment, the Ministry of Tourism for visitor counts, the Saudi Central Bank for FDI. These are the strongest tier. Verified News is reputable journalism reporting on official data; Analysis is think-tank or consultancy work that interprets primary data.
›Are estimated values clearly marked?
Yes. Every regional value that isn't directly published by a primary source carries an "est." badge in the UI. Where the underlying metric publication is partial (for example, the Q4 2022 GASTAT regional unemployment cut covers 5 of 13 regions explicitly), the other 8 regions are flagged as estimates based on historical patterns. The badge is consistent across the metric page, the region detail page, and the regional breakdown bars.
›How often is the data refreshed?
Quarterly indicators (GASTAT bulletins for unemployment, FDI, trade) update within 48 hours of the publication landing. Annual indicators (Vision 2030 Annual Report in April, Housing Program in July/August, ministry annuals) trigger a deliberate, scheduled refresh. The Latest updates feed (/whats-new) lists each refresh with a timestamp.
›Can I redistribute or cite the data?
Yes. The data is derived from public official sources; the portal's editorial layer is attribution-licensed. You can cite specific figures with a link back to the metric page (e.g., /metrics/saudi-unemployment). For bulk redistribution of the underlying dataset, contact the editorial team — we want to know who's using it so we can flag breaking changes.
›Why are some metrics only published nationally?
Regional breakdowns depend on the publisher disclosing them. GASTAT publishes unemployment by region quarterly; the Ministry of Tourism publishes regional visitor data less regularly; some metrics (life expectancy, FDI by region) aren't routinely cut regionally at all. As more regional publications land, the portal's coverage will expand. The "By region" landing page lists current regional coverage.
›Does the portal cover only positive trends?
No. Where indicators have moved in the wrong direction or where targets are at risk, the portal labels them explicitly. The articles section includes a piece ("What could still go wrong") on structural risks the Vision 2030 record hasn't been stress-tested against. The editorial position is to track what the data shows, not to advocate.
Schema version
1.3.0 · last updated 2026-05-18