The UAE and Saudi Arabia are two of the region’s most active digital markets, where search plays an important role in how people discover and explore what they need.
Consumer interests can shift quickly around cultural occasions, shopping events, school seasons, and national celebrations. This makes search behavior useful for understanding changing demand across both markets.
This statistical roundup looks at Google search trends across the UAE and Saudi Arabia and the key moments shaping consumer interest.
Methodology:
We collected the data from Google’s 2025 report, State of Commerce: Search and Spend Decoded, which analyses Google Search data for the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The report uses Google internal search data from January to December 2024 to examine search behaviour, consumer demand, and key peak periods across both markets.
Highlights
- Google search volume grew by 10% in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia during 2024.
- Searches for leading international ecommerce brands jumped by 90% in both markets in 2024.
- Quick commerce searches increased by 35% in the UAE during the first half of 2024.
- Food and grocery searches rose by 13% in the UAE and 10% in Saudi Arabia in 2024.
- Beauty-related searches in Saudi Arabia climbed by 43% between the third and fourth weeks of Ramadan.
- Luxury apparel searches in Saudi Arabia increased by 45% during the same Ramadan period.
- Deal-related searches in the UAE surged by 69% during Black Friday week.
- Deal-related searches in Saudi Arabia rose by about 70% around the country’s major national celebrations.
- Luxury apparel and beauty searches around Eid Al Adha grew by 11% in the UAE and 15% in Saudi Arabia.
- Luxury apparel and beauty searches increased by 12% in the UAE and 11% in Saudi Arabia during the final two weeks of 2024.
How much did Google search volume grow in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
Google search volume increased by approximately 10% in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia. By early 2025, the UAE had 21.9 million active mobile connections, while Saudi Arabia had 48.1 million. The report links the growing digital activity with increased consumer searches and spending across major discretionary categories.
How is international ecommerce search demand changing in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
Search interest for leading international ecommerce brands increased by 90% in both countries in 2024.
Some newer international ecommerce brands recorded triple-digit search growth for two consecutive years. This shows continued growth in searches for international ecommerce platforms, beyond the initial growth seen after their market entry.
How are local, online, and quick commerce searches changing?
Search interest for online-only stores increased in both markets. Searches containing “near me” and Google Maps also recorded strong double-digit growth. In the UAE, quick commerce search interest increased by 35% during the first half of 2024, while search interest for quick commerce brands grew 12% year over year.
What does fashion search demand look like in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
Consumers show strong interest in international fashion brands, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Premium fashion retailers ranked among the top five fashion ecommerce brands by search interest in both markets. The report also notes growing searches for premium international retailers, pointing to demand for trusted brands, wider product choices, and global shopping platforms.
How much did food, grocery, and restaurant search demand grow?
Food and grocery search interest increased by 13% in the UAE and 10% in Saudi Arabia.
Restaurants also form a larger share of consumer activity in Saudi Arabia, where restaurant spending accounts for 13% of total consumer spend, compared with 8% in the UAE. Saudi restaurant spending also grew 36% year over year.
How strong is Google search demand during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr?
Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr are among the region’s strongest search peaks. In the UAE, Ramadan retail searches come close to the Black Friday peak. In Saudi Arabia, Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr create the biggest retail search peaks. Saudi retail search interest increased by 13% during Ramadan compared with non-peak periods.
Which categories see the biggest search increases before Eid Al Fitr?
Between the third and fourth weeks of Ramadan, Saudi apparel-related searches increased by 23%, while beauty searches increased by 43%.
Luxury apparel search interest increased by 21% in the UAE and 45% in Saudi Arabia. The final two weeks of Ramadan are typically the main shopping period before Eid Al Fitr.
When does back-to-school search demand peak in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
The back-to-school search period lasts around six weeks. Saudi shoppers begin product research about four weeks before schools reopen, with search interest peaking one to two weeks before school starts and remaining elevated for up to two weeks afterward. In the UAE, searches peak one week before school starts and during the first week back.
How much does Black Friday increase Google search demand?
Black Friday-related search interest increased by 15% in the UAE and 14% in Saudi Arabia in Q3 2024.
In the UAE, deal-related searches jumped 69% during Black Friday week. Black Friday was the second-largest search peak in Saudi Arabia after Ramadan. Luxury apparel and beauty searches increased by 5% in the UAE and 12% in Saudi Arabia.
How do Saudi national days affect search demand?
Saudi Founding Day on 22 February and Saudi National Day on 23 September have become important retail and search periods. Deal-related search interest increased by around 70% during these celebrations, while restaurant and food retail searches increased by 9%. Around Saudi National Day, appliance retail searches increased by 13%.
How does Eid Al Adha affect search demand?
Eid Al Adha increased search interest across fashion and beauty categories. In Saudi Arabia, apparel searches rose 9%, and beauty searches rose 11%. Luxury apparel and beauty searches increased by 11% in the UAE and 15% in Saudi Arabia. The report also links the summer timing of Eid Al Adha in 2024 with increased interest in summer travel research.
When does year-end search demand increase in the UAE and Saudi Arabia?
In the UAE, year-end search interest starts rising about two weeks before Christmas. In Saudi Arabia, it rises during the final two weeks of the year. Luxury apparel and beauty searches increased by 12% in the UAE and 11% in Saudi Arabia. Restaurant searches increased by 10% and 8%, respectively, during the final two weeks.
Final Words
Search demand gives businesses a clear view of where consumer attention is moving across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. For brands targeting these markets, being visible when people research products, compare options, and look for services can directly support growth.
ASAD, an AI SEO Agency in Dubai, helps businesses build visibility across Google and AI search platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, Claude, and Gemini. Its approach combines AI SEO, technical SEO, content strategy, and digital PR to turn search visibility into measurable business outcomes.