Saudi Arabia’s Commodity Exports Totaled SAR 90 Billion in May

By: Mohammed Alabdullah

Recent data revealed that total commodity exports reached SAR 90 billion in May 2025, compared to SAR 105 billion in May 2024. Commodity imports reached SAR 81 billion in May 2025, compared to SAR 75 billion during the same period in 2024.

Data issued by the General Authority for Statistics indicated that non-oil exports reached SAR 19 billion in May 2025, while imports reached SAR 81 billion in May 2025. The data indicated that the ratio of non-oil exports to imports reached 38.5% in May 2025, compared to 39% in May 2024. It added that the value of re-exports reached SAR 12 billion in May 2025, compared to SAR 10 billion during the same period in 2024.

The bulletin indicated that machinery, electrical appliances, and equipment and their parts are among the most important non-oil export items, accounting for 23.7% of total non-oil exports. Petroleum exports increased by 99.8% compared to May 2024, followed by “chemical industry products,” which accounted for 22.8% of total non-oil exports, increasing by 0.4% compared to May 2024.

The bulletin added that the most important imported goods were “machinery, appliances, electrical equipment, and parts thereof,” which constituted 29.7% of total imports, increasing by 23% compared to May 2024. Transportation equipment and parts thereof, which constituted 11.4% of total imports, decreased by 9.2% compared to May 2024.

The bulletin confirmed that China is the primary destination for the Kingdom’s exports, accounting for 14% of total exports in May 2024. It was followed by the United Arab Emirates with 11.2% of total exports, then India with 8.9% of total exports, followed by South Korea, Japan, the United States, Egypt, Bahrain, Malta, and Malaysia, which are considered among the most important. The Kingdom exports to 10 countries, with the total value of its exports to these ten countries amounting to 64.4% of total exports.

The bulletin indicated that China ranked first in the Kingdom’s imports, accounting for 28.9% of total imports in May 2025, followed by the United States with 7.5% of total imports, then the United Arab Emirates with 6.3%. India, Japan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Egypt, and France were among the top 10 countries from which it imported, with the total value of the Kingdom’s imports from these ten countries amounting to 67.6% of total imports.

The bulletin stated that King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam is one of the most important ports through which goods transited into the Kingdom, accounting for 26.4% of total imports in May 2025. Other major ports followed, namely Jeddah Islamic Port with 21.6% and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with 13.8%. King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah accounted for 10.9% of the total imports, while King Fahd International Airport in Dammam accounted for 5.3%. These five ports accounted for 78.1% of the Kingdom’s total merchandise imports.