Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports surge by 24.6 percent to SR 28.4 billion in April 2025

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus fell sharply in April, even as non-oil exports surged and imports rose at a brisk pace, according to new government data.

Merchandise exports totaled SR90.3 billion ($24.1 billion) in April 2025, marking a 10.9 percent drop from the same month a year earlier, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) reported in its latest International Trade Statistics Bulletin. The steepest decline came in oil exports, whose share of total exports dropped to 68.6 percent from 77.5 percent in April 2024.

Non-oil exports, including re-exports, rose by 24.6 percent year-on-year to SR 28.4 billion, buoyed by chemical industry products. Imports, however, climbed 18.3 percent to reach SR76.1 billion, narrowing the trade surplus to SR14.2 billion, a year-on-year decline of 61.7 percent.

The ratio of non-oil exports to imports rose slightly to 37.2 percent, up from 35.4 percent a year earlier, reflecting the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to diversify away from oil dependency.

Machinery, electrical equipment, and parts made up the largest share of imports, totaling SR21.1 billion, 26 percent of overall imports.

China remained Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner. Exports to China reached SR11.4 billion, accounting for 12.6 percent of total exports. Imports from China were even higher, totaling SR19 billion, or 25 percent of the total.