The Transport General Authority (TGA) of Saudi Arabia announced that more than 103 million delivery orders were executed in the Kingdom during the third quarter of 2025, marking a 40 percent year-on-year increase compared to the same period in 2024.
The data highlights the Riyadh region as the top performer, contributing 42.96 percent of all executed orders in the quarter. This was followed by the Makkah region at 22.42 percent and the Eastern Province at 15.77 percent. Smaller contributions were recorded in Madinah (4.91 percent), Asir (4.07 percent), Qassim (2.82 percent), Tabuk (1.84 percent), Hail (1.73 percent), Jazan (1.18 percent), Al-Jouf (0.74 percent), Najran (0.69 percent) and the Northern Borders region (0.55 percent). The Al-Baha region recorded the smallest share at about 0.27 percent. saudigazette
Driving Factors Behind the Surge
The substantial growth in the delivery-order sector is attributed to a combination of rising e-commerce demand, improved logistics infrastructure and regulatory reforms. The TGA noted that consumer behaviour is shifting rapidly, with greater reliance on online shopping and accelerated last-mile fulfilment services. Efforts to enhance digital platforms, optimize delivery routes and strengthen service quality across the logistics chain have contributed significantly to the uptick.
Technological advancements such as real-time tracking, automated dispatch systems and predictive inventory models have helped logistics providers improve responsiveness and expand capacity. Meanwhile, regulatory support has aimed to streamline operations—reducing bottlenecks, improving service standards and encouraging investment across the delivery ecosystem. saudigazette
Regional Breakdown and Implications
The concentration of delivery activity in the Riyadh, Makkah and Eastern provinces reflects both population density and economic scale. Riyadh’s dominance is due to its role as the country’s administrative and business hub, while Makkah’s performance is influenced by urban growth, retail development and tourism-related commerce. The Eastern Province’s share aligns with its industrial base and logistic connectivity via ports and infrastructure.
Smaller regions with lower percentages reflect the geographic and infrastructure challenges inherent in lower-density or remote areas. Nevertheless, the national average growth underscores the logistics sector’s resilience and adaptability.
Sectoral Significance and the Broader Economy
This growth in the delivery sector aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader economic transformation agenda, including the Saudi Vision 2030, which emphasises digital-economy growth, logistics efficiency and support for e-commerce expansion. As the Kingdom targets a logistics hub role in the region, the volume of transactions processed by delivery networks becomes an important economic indicator.
The fact that the delivery order volume increased by 40 percent year-on-year suggests that both consumer activity and business-to-consumer logistics are scaling rapidly. For retailers, e-commerce platforms and logistics providers, this may translate into increased investment in fulfilment centres, courier fleets and service-level improvements.
Challenges and Strategic Considerations
Despite the strong headline numbers, the delivery-sector growth presents operational and strategic challenges. Maintaining high service standards while scaling rapidly requires robust infrastructure, resilient supply chains and workforce capacity. Remote regions with low percentage shares may struggle with cost-efficiency due to long distances, lower order density and more complex routing.
Furthermore, as delivery volumes rise, service-providers must continuously optimise routing, enhance driver productivity and manage returns and reverse logistics efficiently. The speed of fulfilment may become a differentiator, increasing pressure on firms to reduce delivery windows and improve reliability.
From a regulatory perspective, increased volume also raises the stakes for consumer-protection frameworks, data-security compliance and fair-delivery practices. Ensuring transparency in pricing, accurate fulfilment promises and consistency of service across regions are likely to become priorities.
Looking Ahead
Analysts expect the Kingdom’s delivery-order volume to continue its upward trajectory, driven by mobile-commerce growth, improved digital payment adoption and consumer expectations of rapid fulfilment. As e-commerce penetration deepens beyond urban centres, smaller regions may begin to register higher shares of order volume.
Investment in micro-fulfilment hubs, electric courier fleets and AI-driven routing optimisation are likely to accelerate. Logistics firms that harness data analytics to forecast demand, manage inventory closer to locations and dynamically route deliveries will be well placed to benefit.
Conclusion
The 103 million orders executed in Saudi Arabia during the third quarter of 2025 reflect not only strong consumer demand, but also the region’s maturing logistics ecosystem. As the transport- and e-commerce sectors evolve rapidly, the delivery-order metric stands out as a signal of structural change.
For businesses across retail, logistics and technology, the surge offers opportunities — but also underscores the need for operational excellence, scalable infrastructure and strategic investment. If current trends persist, Saudi Arabia could strengthen its position as a regional e-commerce and delivery hub.
