RIYADH — Around 99.3 percent of Saudi citizens and 98.6 percent of non-Saudis use internet, according to a survey, released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Tuesday. The results of the 2025 survey on access to and use of information and communication technology among households and individuals, carried out by GASTAT, revealed that 99 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 74 in Saudi Arabia use the internet. The usage rate was 99 percent among males and 98.9 percent among females. The internet usage rate among Saudi males was 99.5 percent while the rate among Saudi females stood at 99.2 percent. It was revealed in the survey that 98.7 percent of individuals use internet at home, while 48.7 percent use it while traveling or commuting. In terms of frequency of use, 96.8 percent reported using the internet at least once a day, compared to 2.4 percent who use it once a week or more, but not daily. Meanwhile, 0.8 percent use the internet once a month or more, but not weekly. According to the results, 98.4 percent of individuals use mobile phone to access the internet, while 9.9 percent use a tablet, 8.6 percent use a laptop, and 1.3 percent use other mobile devices. The percentage of individuals watching online video content reached 79.4 percent, while those listening to audio content constituted 32 percent and those using the internet to play games made up 11.5 percent. Social networking sites were the most common area of internet use, representing 96.2 percent of all internet users, with similar percentages for males and females at 95.7 percent and 97.1 percent respectively. This was followed closely by seeking information about goods or services, which accounted for 57.2 percent with males at 57.7 percent and females at 56.4 percent. The survey revealed that 98.2 percent of people have their access to government services through online. This figure includes 98.2 percent of Saudis, with 98.6 percent of males and 97.9 percent of females utilizing government services. The most frequently used e-government service was access to government services at 92.7 percent of all online users. The survey also indicates that 71 percent of individuals in the Kingdom purchase goods and services online. Saudis comprise 80.2 percent of this online purchase, with 82.8 percent of females and 77.6 percent of males. The most frequently purchased goods and services online are clothing, footwear, and sporting goods, accounting for 88.8 percent of online purchases, followed closely by cosmetics at 40.2 percent.
