Prime Highlights:
- Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports rose 17.8% in Q2 2025, showing strong growth in chemicals and machinery despite falling oil sales.
- Machinery, electrical equipment, and parts led export growth with a 120.8% jump, reflecting rapid industrial and technology expansion under Vision 2030.
Key Facts:
- Re-exports increased 46.2%, while national non-oil exports excluding re-exports grew 5.6%, raising the ratio of non-oil exports to imports to 37.3%.
- China remained the largest trading partner, receiving 14.2% of Saudi exports and supplying 27.4% of imports, with the UAE and India following as top export destinations.
Key Background:
Saudi Arabia is also trying to diversify the economy beyond oil, and according to the statistics, the increase in non-oil exports was 17.8 percent in the second quarter of 2025. This growth is despite the declining oil sales and an indication of constant growth in the sector of industries under Vision 2030.
The report said re-exports rose 46.2 percent, while Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, excluding re-exports, went up 5.6 percent. This raised the share of non-oil exports compared to imports to 37.3 percent, up from 35.8 percent a year earlier.
At the same time, overall trade performance showed mixed trends. Oil’s portion of total exports also decreased from 74.7 percent to 67.9 percent, reflecting a gradual change in the export mix.
June data, however, painted a more optimistic picture. Non-oil exports in the month rose 22.1 percent, while imports grew only 1.7 percent. This helped push the trade surplus up by 10.6 percent compared to the same time last year. Even as oil exports dipped slightly by 2.5 percent, overall merchandise exports still recorded a 3.7 percent increase.
Chemicals made up around a quarter of non-oil exports and increased by 5.8 percent. Machinery, electrical equipment, and parts grew the most, jumping 120.8 percent and contributing 21.7 percent of non-oil exports. At the same time, machinery remained the top import, accounting for 28.9 percent of all goods entering Saudi Arabia.
China continued to be Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, taking in 14.2 percent of exports and supplying 27.4 percent of imports. The UAE and India followed closely as major destinations for Saudi exports.
The information supports the strategy of Saudi Arabia to develop its industry and logistics, with giga-projects and advanced production becoming the main investment areas of economic diversification.
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