118 Million Orders in One Quarter: Inside Saudi Arabia’s Delivery Boom

The Transport General Authority (TGA) counted more than 118 million delivery orders in Saudi Arabia in the first quarter of 2026, up 49 per cent on the same quarter a year earlier, Arab News reported in April. The fourth quarter of 2025 had been bigger still, at more than 124 million, and the second quarter of 2026 reached more than 132 million, up 30.5 per cent year on year, according to an index reported by Saudi Gazette. Those are large numbers, but they need careful reading: they do not mean 118 million restaurant meals.

What the figure measures

Neither the Arab News report nor the follow-up coverage breaks the total down by category. They describe “delivery orders” and the “delivery sector”. The reasons the authority gives for the growth include e-commerce expansion, food delivery platforms and last-mile logistics, which is a list that mixes meals with parcels and other goods. The honest summary is that restaurant food is part of the number, and that the sources do not say how large a part.

The authority itself ties the rise to wider service scope, better operating efficiency and faster fulfilment of requests, alongside a shift in consumer behaviour towards app-based platforms, real-time tracking and integrated supply chains. A separate account of the same data lists delivery platforms’ adoption of technology, continued e-commerce growth and more efficient operating models at delivery companies as the drivers, again without isolating food.

Spread across the quarter, 118 million orders is about 1.3 million a day. Working back from the 49 per cent rise, the first quarter of 2025 would have been about 79 million orders. For a sense of scale over a full year, Jahez’s chief financial officer told Argaam in March 2025 that orders processed through delivery platforms had totalled 290 million in 2024, of which Jahez handled 91 million, roughly 32 per cent, citing TGA data.

Where orders are placed

The geography is concentrated. In the first quarter, the Riyadh region accounted for 44 per cent of orders, Makkah region for 22.21 per cent and the Eastern Province for 16.23 per cent. Madinah followed at 4.97 per cent, Asir at 3.34 per cent and Qassim at 2.77 per cent. The second-quarter split was almost identical, with Riyadh at 44 per cent, Makkah at 22 per cent, the Eastern Province at 16 per cent and Madinah at 5 per cent.

Platforms and a market in motion

The platform market behind these orders is changing. HungerStation, owned by Delivery Hero, is the largest aggregator in the kingdom, and Uber has agreed to buy Delivery Hero in a deal valued at $14.8 billion, with closing expected in the second half of 2027, subject to approvals. Jahez is a local player that has expanded through partnerships, and Meituan’s Keeta has gained share quickly through aggressive subsidies, Arab News reported in July. Mordor Intelligence puts the broader Saudi delivery-apps market, which includes grocery, pharmacy and other on-demand services as well as food, at about $8.33 billion in 2025, rising to an estimated $9.59 billion in 2026 and a projected $19.45 billion by 2031.

Analysts expect the field to narrow. Gadzhibala Pirmagomedov, a project owner at Syrve MENA, told Arab News he expects further consolidation and a contest between Uber and Keeta, adding that “competition is having a positive effect on market penetration”.

What it means for restaurants

Three points follow from the data. First, the delivery habit is strongest where the restaurants are: with 44 per cent of orders in the Riyadh region, the capital is the market that matters most for any operator building a delivery business. Second, the headline number overstates the restaurant share, so it should not be used as a measure of food demand. Third, a market that may consolidate around fewer, larger platforms is one in which individual restaurants, and the virtual brands described in our piece on cloud kitchens, will have less choice about how they reach customers. That last point is our reading, not a finding in the sources.

For the wider picture of which parts of the Gulf restaurant business are growing and which are not, see our analysis of the Gulf restaurant economy by segment.

Sources & fact-check6

1. Saudi Arabia’s delivery sector up 49% to hit 118m ordersArab News, 21 April 2026
2. Saudi delivery sector soars 30.5% to 132mln orders in 2Q 2026Saudi Gazette via Zawya, September 2026
3. Saudi Delivery Sector Surges 49% to 118 Million Orders in Q1 2026, Riyadh Leads the ChargeMENA Startup Digest, 29 May 2026
4. Jahez holds 32% share of delivery orders in Saudi Arabia: CFOArgaam, 13 March 2025
5. Uber’s $14.8bn Delivery Hero deal set to reshape Saudi food delivery marketArab News, 23 July 2026
6. Delivery Orders Reach 118 Million In Q1 2026Saudi Auto, 22 April 2026

Every name, number and date in this story was checked against the sources above before publication. Spotted something wrong? Tell us — we correct errors openly. See our editorial standards.