
Saudi non-oil exports jump 10.7% in January
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's non-oil exports, including re-exports, recorded an increase of 10.7 percent in January 2025 compared to the same month last year. The increase in the non-oil exports, with the exclusion of re-exports, stood at 13.1 percent during the period.
This was revealed in the International Trade Report for January 2025, published by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Thursday. The report showed a 2.4 percent increase in merchandise exports compared to January 2024, and a 5.7 percent increase in the value of re-exported goods.
The report showed a 0.4 percent decline in oil exports in January, year-on-year, and a decline in their share of total exports to 72.7 percent, compared to 74.8 percent in January 2024. As for imports, they recorded an 8.3 percent increase in January, and a decline in the trade balance surplus by 11.9 percent, year-on-year.
Non-oil exports, including re-exports, to imports rose to 36.5 percent in January 2025, compared to 35.7 percent in the same month last year, and this is attributed to a higher increase in non-oil exports than imports.
The Kingdom's exports of chemical products recorded an increase of 14.4 percent year-on-year in January, followed by exports of plastics, rubber, and their products, which increased by 10.5 percent.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom's imports of machinery, appliances, and electrical equipment recorded an increase of 27.4 percent in January compared to the same month in 2024. Imports of transportation equipment and parts also increased by 10.3 percent.
The GASTAT report showed that China remains the Kingdom's main trading partner, accounting for 15.2 percent of total exports and 26.4 percent of imports. India ranks second in exports with 10.9 percent, followed by Japan with 10.2 percent. The United States ranks second in imports with 8.3 percent, followed by the UAE with 5.5 percent.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Asharq Al-Awsat
13 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Economy Grows 3.9% in Q2 on Broad Sector Gains
Saudi Arabia's economy grew by 3.9% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to flash estimates released by the General Authority for Statistics. The non-oil sector, a key pillar of the kingdom's economic diversification drive, expanded by 4.7% year-on-year, underscoring continued progress in reducing reliance on hydrocarbons. Oil activities also posted solid gains, rising by 3.8% on an annual basis, reflecting the resilience of the energy sector despite global market uncertainties. Government activities grew modestly by 0.6% over the same period. Oil activities made the largest contribution to quarterly real GDP growth, adding 1.3 percentage points, followed by non-oil activities, which contributed 0.9 percentage points. Government activities and net taxes on products each trimmed growth by 0.1 percentage points. However, when measured annually, non-oil activities emerged as the main growth engine, contributing 2.7 percentage points to the overall GDP increase. Oil activities accounted for 0.9 points, while government activities and net taxes added 0.1 and 0.2 points, respectively. The figures highlight the resilience of the Saudi economy and its growing ability to generate momentum from multiple sources, as authorities push ahead with Vision 2030 reforms aimed at reducing dependence on oil revenues. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently revised up its growth forecast for Saudi Arabia, projecting the economy will expand by 3.6% in 2025 — 0.6 percentage points higher than its April estimate — buoyed by stronger oil receipts and accelerating non-oil activity. The Fund also raised its 2026 forecast to 3.9%, from a previous estimate of 3.7%.


Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi non-oil revenues rise 7% in Q2 2025
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia recorded a 7 percent increase in non-oil revenues during the second quarter of 2025, reaching SR149.861 billion ($39.9 billion), up from SR140.602 billion ($39.5 billion) in the same period last year. This surge brought non-oil revenue to nearly half of the Kingdom's total income for the quarter, accounting for 49.7 percent of all revenues. According to the Ministry of Finance, overall revenues for Q2 stood at SR301.595 billion ($80.4 billion), while expenditures reached SR336.129 billion ($89.6 billion), resulting in a budget deficit of SR34.534 billion ($9.2 billion) for the quarter. Oil revenues, however, saw a significant annual drop of 29 percent, falling to SR151.7 billion. Despite this decline, gains in taxation and other non-oil sectors helped cushion the impact. Revenues from income and profit taxes increased to SR13.729 billion, taxes on goods and services climbed to SR74.950 billion, and trade-related tax income grew to SR6.323 billion. Other taxes and miscellaneous income also recorded moderate growth. On the spending side, government expenditures fell by 9 percent compared to the same quarter last year, declining from SR368.932 billion to SR336.129 billion. In the first half of 2025, total revenues reached SR565.210 billion ($150.7 billion), while spending exceeded SR658.446 billion ($175.5 billion), leaving the government with a cumulative deficit of SR93.236 billion ($24.8 billion). Non-oil revenues during this period totaled SR263.667 billion, with oil revenues contributing SR301.543 billion. The report also noted a 2 percent year-on-year reduction in government spending during the first six months of the year, compared to SR674.753 billion in H1 2024. Saudi Arabia's public debt rose to approximately SR1.39 trillion by the end of June, with SR871.3 billion in domestic debt and SR515.136 billion in foreign obligations. The state reserve increased to SR396.954 billion, while the current account balance stood at SR102.587 billion.


Saudi Gazette
a day ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi budget posts $24.8 billion deficit in H1 2025
Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Saudi Arabia recorded a budget deficit of SR93.236 billion ($24.8 billion) in the first half of 2025, according to figures released by the Ministry of Finance on Thursday. The Kingdom's total revenues for H1 stood at SR565.210 billion ($150.7 billion), while expenditures reached SR658.446 billion ($175.5 billion). In the second quarter alone, revenues amounted to SR301.595 billion ($80.4 billion) against expenditures of SR336.129 billion ($89.6 billion), resulting in a quarterly deficit of SR34.534 billion ($9.2 billion). Oil revenues in Q2 dropped 29% year-on-year to SR151.7 billion, reflecting pressure from lower global oil prices and possible production cuts. In contrast, non-oil revenues rose 7% year-on-year to SR149.9 billion, underscoring the government's continued push to diversify the Arabia's public debt reached SR1.39 trillion by the end of Q2 2025, according to the ministry's statement.