Saudi Arabia Reports 22.1% Growth In Non-Oil Exports Amid Declining Petroleum Sales

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has published its International Merchandise Trade Statistics Bulletins for June and the second quarter of 2025. The data highlights a steady rise in non-oil exports. In June 2025, non-oil exports, including re-exports, surged by 22.1% compared to June 2024. Non-oil national exports alone saw an increase of 8.4%, while re-exported goods experienced a significant rise of 60.2%.

Despite a 2.5% drop in petroleum exports, total commodity exports grew by 3.7% in June 2025. Consequently, the share of petroleum exports decreased to 70.2% of total exports from 74.7% in June 2024. The trade surplus improved by 10.6% during this period compared to the previous year.

Chemical products led the list of non-oil exports, while machinery and electrical equipment were the top imports in June 2025. China maintained its position as Saudi Arabia's main trading partner during this month.

For the second quarter of 2025, non-oil exports increased by 17.8% compared to Q2 2024. Non-oil national exports rose by 5.6%, and re-exported goods grew by an impressive 46.2%. However, total commodity exports fell by 7.3% due to a substantial decline of 15.8% in petroleum exports, reducing their share to 67.9%.

The trade surplus saw a decrease of 56.2% in Q2 2025 compared to Q2 2024, yet the ratio of non-oil exports to imports improved to reach 37.3%. As observed in June, chemical products remained the leading non-oil export category, with machinery continuing as the primary import.

China continued to be Saudi Arabia's foremost trading partner throughout Q2 2025, reflecting consistent trade relations between the two nations.

With inputs from SPA