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The Kingdom’s non-oil merchandise exports rose 9% y-o-y in 1Q 2025 to SAR 54.1 bn, according to the latest data from the General Authority for Statistics (Gastat) (pdf). Total non-oil exports — including re-exports — were up 13.4% y-o-y at SAR 80.7 bn during the same period, with re-exports jumping 23.7% y-o-y to SAR 26.6 bn.
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NON-OIL EXPORTS-
Non-oil exports are still the frontrunners: The ratio of non-oil exports to imports inched up by 1.9 percentage points y-o-y to 36.2% in 1Q 2025, despite imports increasing 7.3% to SAR 222.7 bn, a slower rate of growth than exports.
Chemical goods remain the Kingdom’s top non-oil exports, accounting for 23.8% of total non-oil exports at SAR 19.2 bn, up 8.1% y-o-y. Plastics, rubber, and their derivatives followed, making up 21.9% of total non-oil exports at SAR 17.6 bn, a 10.4% y-o-y increase.
Machinery and electrical equipment were the most imported goods during the quarter, accounting for 25.8% of all imports at SAR 57.4 bn, an 18.7% y-o-y increase. Transportation equipment and parts came in second with SAR 32.6 bn, which accounted for 14.6% of total imports, marking a 17.3% y-o-y increase.
OUR TRADING PARTNERS-
China still wears the crown: China was the main destination for the Kingdom’s exports, receiving 15.7% of total exports at SAR 44.9 bn. It was followed by India (9.8% of total exports at SAR 28 bn) and Japan (9.3% of total exports at SAR 26.5 bn). South Korea, the UAE, Egypt, the US, Poland, Bahrain, and Taiwan rounded out the top 10 export markets for the Kingdom.
Top import markets: China also held first place for the Kingdom’s imports, accounting for over a quarter of our imports SAR 59.3 bn, followed by the US (7.9%), and India (5.5%). The UAE, Germany, Japan, Egypt, Italy, France, and the UK rounded out our top 10 import markets, accounting for a combined 64.8% of total imports.
The main ports: Dammam’s King Abdulaziz Port received 26.9% of the Kingdom’s total imports, valued at SAR 60 bn, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port (21.5% at SAR 47.8 bn), and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (13.5% at SAR 30 bn). Other major ports of entry for imports included King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah and King Fahad International Airport in Dammam, with those five ports together accounting for 75.8% of total merchandise imports entering the Kingdom.
ON THE OIL FRONT-
Oil exports still on the decline: Oil exports decreased 8.4% y-o-y during the quarter, pushing merchandise exports down 3.2% to SAR 285.8 bn. Meanwhile, the percentage of oil exports out of total exports decreased by 4.1 percentage points to 71.8% over the same period, valued at SAR 205.1 bn.
