Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports rose 13.4 percent annually to SAR81 billion ($21.6 billion) in the first quarter of 2025, according to the latest report by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). National non-oil exports, excluding re-exports, increased by 9 percent, while the value of re-exported goods increased by 23.7 percent during the same period.
The report also revealed that merchandise exports decreased by 3.2 percent in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, as a result of an 8.4 percent decrease in oil exports. Consequently, the percentage of oil exports out of total exports decreased from 75.9 percent in Q1 2024 to 71.8 percent in Q1 2025.
On the other hand, imports increased by 7.3 percent in Q1 2025, and the surplus of the merchandise trade balance decreased by 28 percent compared to Q1 2024
Non-oil exports to imports ratio grows
The ratio of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports to imports increased to 36.2 percent in Q1 2025 from 34.3 percent in Q1 2024. This was attributed to the increase in non-oil exports compared to imports of 13.4 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively, during the same period.
Among the most important non-oil exports for Saudi Arabia were chemical products, which constituted 23.8 percent of the total non-oil exports, recording an 8.1 percent increase compared to Q1 2024. This was followed by plastics, rubber, and their products, which represented 21.9 percent of total non-oil exports, with a 10.4 percent increase compared to Q1 2024.
Meanwhile, the most important imported goods were machinery, electrical equipment and parts, which constituted 25.8 percent of total imports, rising by 18.7 percent compared to Q1 2024. This was followed by transportation equipment and parts, which represented 14.6 percent of total imports, with a 17.3 percent increase compared to Q1 2024.
Read: Dubai’s traffic to improve as 70 percent of Umm Suqeim Street project is completed
China remains Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner
China remained the main destination for Saudi Arabia’s exports, which amounted to 15.7 percent of total exports in Q1 2025. Then came India at 9.8 percent of total exports and Japan at 9.3 percent of total exports. South Korea, the UAE, Egypt, the U.S., Poland, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Taiwan were also countries that ranked in the top 10 destinations. Saudi Arabia’s exports to those 10 countries accounted for 67.6 percent of total exports.
China also held the first position for the Kingdom’s imports, constituting 26.6 percent of total imports in Q1 2025, followed by the U.S. and India. The UAE, Germany, Japan, Egypt, Italy, France and the United Kingdom were among the top 10 countries from which imports were made, with the total value of imports from these ten countries accounting for 64.8 percent of total imports.
