Non-oil exports grow by 13.4% in Q1 and 10.7% in March 2025

26-05-2025

The General Authority for Statistics has released today the monthly and quarterly International Merchandise Trade Statistics Publication for March and the Q1 of 2025. The publication highlights continued growth in non-oil exports. 
According to the report, non-oil exports (including re-exports) saw a significant rise of 13.4% in the Q1 of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. In March 2025 alone, they grew by 10.7% compared to March 2024. This growth highlights the increasing contribution of non-oil sectors to the kingdom's foreign trade.
However, total merchandise exports experienced a decline of 3.2% in Q1 2025 and 9.8% in March. On the other hand, merchandise imports increased by 7.3% in Q1 and 0.1% in March compared to the previous year. As a result, the trade surplus decreased by 28% in Q1 and 34.2% in March.
The publication also shows an improved ratio of non-oil exports to imports, reaching 36.2% in Q1 2025 (up from 34.3% in Q1 2024) and 36.5% in March (up from 33% in March 2024). This coincides with a decrease in the share of oil exports within total exports, which fell to 71.8% in Q1 2025 (from 75.9%) and to 71.2% in March (from 76.5%). Chemical products led the non-oil exports, accounting for 23.8% in Q1 and 25.7% in March 2025. Meanwhile, "machinery, electrical appliances, and their parts" were the largest imported goods, making up 25.8% in Q1 and 26.1% in March.
The publication indicated that the People’s Republic of China remained Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner. China accounted for 15.7% of the Kingdom’s total exports and 26.6% of total imports in Q1 2025. In March, China’s share stood at 15.5% of exports and 25.3% of imports. It is worth noting that the International Merchandise Trade Statistics are based on administrative records from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority for non-oil data, and from the Ministry of Energy for oil data. Goods are classified according to the Harmonized System for describing and coding basic goods 2022.

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