Saudi Gazette report
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, including re-exports, recorded an increase of 5.5 percent in August 2025 compared to the same month of 2024. The trade balance recorded a surplus growth of 4.1 percent, amounting to SR24.2 billion, compared with August 2024, driven by a 7.4 percent rise in imports, according to the International Trade bulletin issued on Sunday by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
The ratio of non-oil exports to imports decreased to 39.1 percent in August from 39.8 percent during the same month last year. Machinery, electrical equipment, and parts accounted for 25.4 percent of total non-oil exports, followed by chemical products with 22.7 percent. On the import side, machinery, electrical equipment, and parts made up 29.8 percent of total imports, reflecting an increase of 24.7 percent compared to August 2024. This was followed by transportation equipment and parts with 14.1 percent, up by 6.1 percent over the same period.
Oil exports also rose by 7 percent during the same month, increasing their share of total goods exports from 70.2 percent in August 2024 to 70.5 percent in August 2025.
The GASTAT bulletin also showed that China remained Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 16.2 percent of total exports and 26.4 percent of total imports. The United Arab Emirates followed, with 11.1 percent of exports and 5.4 percent of imports, while India ranked third with 9.2 percent of exports.
Exports from the Kingdom to the top 10 countries accounted for 67.4 percentof the total, while imports from the top 10 countries made up 64.5 percent.
King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam was the main entry point for imports, handling 25.6 percent of the total, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port with 21.9 percent.
The International Trade statistics are based on administrative records from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority and the Ministry of Energy for oil exports, with Saudi exports and imports classified according to the Harmonized System (HS) developed by the World Customs Organization.
