Real estate deals down 65% to SAR 19.37B in March

09/05/2026 Argaam Special


The value of real estate transactions in the Saudi market fell 65% year-on-year (YoY) in March 2026 to around SAR 19.37 billion, from SAR 55.18 billion on weaker activity in the residential and non-residential sectors.

 

Residential real estate transaction value reached SAR 12.03 billion in March, down 67% YoY, while non-residential deals dropped 60% YoY to SAR 7.34 billion. 

 

Last March largely coincided with Ramadan and the Eid Al Fitr holiday period.

 

Transaction Values (SAR bln)

Type

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Residential

37

12.03

(67%)

Non-residential

18.18

7.34

(60%)

Total

55.18

19.37

(65%)

 

The number of real estate transactions saw a notable decline in March 2026, with both residential and non-residential sectors falling equally by 52%.

 

No. of Transactions by Sector

Sector

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Residential

29,489

14,222

(52%)

Non-residential

3,110

1,500

(52%)

Total

32,599

15,722

(52%)

 

Residential transaction values declined across all property types in March 2026 compared to the previous year, with land recording the steepest drop at 76%.

 

Residential Transaction Value by Property Type (SAR bln)

Type

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Land

24.30

5.87

(76%)

Villa

4.92

1.94

(61%)

Apartment

4.53

2.37

(48%)

Duplex

1.01

0.73

(28%)

Floor

0.86

0.67

(22%)

Others

1.37

0.45

(67%)

 

Data also showed a broad decline in the number of residential transactions across all property types in March 2026.

 

No. of Residential Transactions by Property Type

Type

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Land

19,008

7,720

(59%)

Villa

1,995

1,277

(36%)

Apartment

6,234

3,529

(43%)

Floor

921

707

(23%)

Duplex

791

641

(19%)

Others

540

348

(36%)

 

Liquidity was concentrated in major regions, with Riyadh accounting for 48% of total transaction value, followed by Makkah at 26% and the Eastern Province at 12%, with the three regions together representing 86% of total real estate transaction value.

 

Top Regions by Real Estate Transaction Value

Region

Value (SAR bln)

Share

Riyadh

9.38

48%

Makkah

4.97

26%

Eastern Province

2.36

12%

Madinah

0.85

4%

Qassim

0.41

2%

 

Riyadh also led in transaction volume, accounting for 30% of total deals executed across the Kingdom.

 

Data showed that nearly two-thirds of market activity was concentrated in three main regions: Riyadh, Makkah, and the Eastern Province.

 

Top Regions by Number of Real Estate Transactions

Region

Transactions

Share

Riyadh

4,773

30%

Makkah

3,143

20%

Eastern Province

2,504

16%

Qassim

1,278

8%

Madinah

747

5%

 

Rental market: Transaction value rises 6% to SAR 7.66 billion in March 2026

 

Rental transaction value increased to around SAR 7.66 billion in March 2026, compared to SAR 7.2 billion in March 2025, marking a 6% YoY rise.

 

Rental Transaction Value by Sector (SAR bn)

Sector

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Residential

3.80

4.06

+7%

Non-residential

3.40

3.60

+6%

Total          

7.20

7.66

+6%

 

The rental market showed relative stability in overall activity, with total lease contracts rising slightly by 0.2% YoY.

 

Residential contracts improved by 1% to 181,950, while non-residential contracts declined marginally by 2%.

 

No. of Lease Contracts by Sector

Sector

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Residential

180,831

181,951

+1%

Non-residential

47,469

46,737

(2%)

Total

228,300

228,688

+0.2%

 

However, the rental market recorded a 2% YoY decline in the total number of transactions in March 2026.

 

This decline was driven by a 2% drop in residential transactions and a 3% decline in non-residential transactions.

 

No. of Rental Transactions by Sector

Sector

March 2025

March 2026

Change

Residential

208,752

205,466

(2%)

Non-residential

71,155

69,320

(3%)

Total

279,907

274,786

(2%)

 

Riyadh topped regions in rental transaction value at SAR 3.21 billion, followed by Makkah at SAR 1.97 billion.

 

Top Regions by Rental Transaction Value

Region

Value (SAR bn)

Share

Riyadh

3.21

42%

Makkah

1.97

26%

Eastern Province

1.08

14%

Madinah

0.38

5%

Aseer

0.23

3%

 

Riyadh also ranked first in the number of rental transactions, recording 88,400 deals, representing 32% of total transactions across the Kingdom.

 

Makkah came second with 66,600 transactions (24%), followed by the Eastern Province with 47,400 transactions (17%).

 

Top Regions by No. of Rental Transactions

Region

Transactions

Share

Riyadh

88,397

32%

Makkah

66,572

24%

Eastern Province

47,399

17%

Madinah

14,746

5%

Aseer

12,549

5%

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