Saudi Arabia Trade Surplus Widens in April

Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus narrowed to SAR 17.3 billion in June 2026 from SAR 19.2 billion in the same month last year, marking the smallest trade surplus since January as exports fell more than imports. Exports dropped 4.5% year-on-year to a five-year low of SAR 87.8 billion, mainly driven by a 2.3% fall in oil exports, which represented 72.0% of total exports. Meanwhile, non-oil exports fell 11.4% amid a decline in shipments of plastic, rubber, and their articles (-12.8%), which accounted for 20.7% of total non-oil exports. Japan was the leading destination for Saudi exports, accounting for 13.2% of the total, followed by South Korea (11.5%) and China (9.4%). Imports dropped 3.0% to a three-month low of SAR 70.4 billion, largely due to a sharp decline in machinery, electrical equipment, and parts (-20.4%). China remained the largest source of imports, making up 22.0% of the total, followed by Switzerland (8.4%) and the US (8.3%).

Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus surged to SAR 26.0 billion in May 2026 from SAR 6.1 billion in the same month last year, as exports rose while imports slumped. Exports grew 3.9% year-on-year to SAR 93.8 billion, mainly driven by a 19.5% rise in oil exports, which represented 75.6% of total exports. Meanwhile, non-oil exports dropped 27.3% amid a decline in shipments of electrical equipment and parts (-31.6%), which accounted for 22.0% of total non-oil exports. China remained the leading destination for Saudi exports, accounting for 12.3% of the total, followed by South Korea (9.6%) and the UAE (7.5%). Imports slumped 19.5% to SAR 67.8 billion, largely due to a sharp decline in machinery, electrical equipment, and parts (-28.0%). China also remained the largest source of imports, making up 22.0% of the total, followed by the US (10.7%) and Egypt (8.4%).

Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus expanded to SAR 25.4 billion in April 2026, more than doubling from SAR 12.7 billion in the same month last year, as exports increased while imports declined. Exports rose 9.3% from a year earlier to SAR 101.2 billion, mainly driven by an 11.7% increase in oil exports, which represented 68.8% of total exports. Meanwhile, non-oil exports fell 7.3% amid a decline in shipments of plastic and rubber products (-12.4%), which accounted for 17.1% of total non-oil exports. China remained the leading destination for Saudi exports, accounting for 15.2% of the total, followed by the UAE (10.6%) and South Korea (9.7%). Imports decreased 5.2% to SAR 75.7 billion, largely due to a sharp drop in transport equipment imports (-34.1%). China also remained the largest source of imports, making up 29.4% of the total, followed by the UAE (7.9%) and the US (7.2%).