RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, including re-exports, jumped by 21.5 percent in March 2026 compared to the same month in 2025, while national non-oil exports, excluding re-exports, declined by 27 percent.
According to the data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the total value of merchandise trade reached SR173 billion in March 2026. Merchandise exports amounted to around SR115 billion, while imports totaled approximately SR58 billion, resulting in a merchandise trade surplus of roughly SR57 billion for the month.
The GASTAT’s International Trade Report for March 2026 highlighted that the value of re-exported goods increased by 2.5 percent during the same period, driven primarily by a 51.1 percent rise in machinery, electrical equipment, and parts, which accounted for 62.4 percent of total re-exports.
Merchandise exports rose by 21.5 percent in March 2026 compared to March 2025. Petroleum exports increased by 37.4 percent, with their share of total exports rising from 71 percent in March 2025 to 80.3 percent in March 2026.
Conversely, imports fell by 24.8 percent in March 2026. As a result, the merchandise trade balance registered a surplus that was 218.9 percent higher than in March 2025. The GASTAT noted that the ratio of non-petroleum exports, including re-exports to imports increased in March 2026, reaching 39.3 percent compared to 35.8 percent in March 2025. This growth was attributed to a 17.3 percent decrease in non-petroleum exports, offset by a larger 24.8 percent decline in imports during the same period.
Among non-oil exports, machinery, electrical appliances, equipment, and their parts remained the most significant, representing 27.4 percent of total non-oil exports, an increase of 46.2 percent compared to March 2025. This was followed by chemical and related products, accounting for 20.1 percent of total non-oil exports, which declined by 39.1 percent compared to March 2025.
Regarding imports, machinery, electrical appliances, equipment, and their parts constituted the largest category, representing 30.4 percent of total imports, and they recorded a decrease of 11.9 percent compared to March 2025. This was followed by chemical and related products, which accounted for 9.9 percent of total imports, down 18.5 percent from the same period last year.
China remained the primary destination for Saudi Arabia’s merchandise exports, accounting for 14.1percent of total exports in March 2026, followed by India at 13.7 percent and Japan at 9.5 percent. South Korea, the UAE, Malta, Egypt, Singapore, Myanmar, and Poland completed the top ten export destinations, with exports to these ten countries representing 69.8 percent of the Kingdom’s total exports.
In terms of imports, China also ranked first, accounting for 26.7 percent of total imports in March 2026, followed by the United States at 8.4 percent and the UAE at 7.1 percent. Switzerland, Egypt, Germany, France, India, Italy, and Japan were among the top ten sources of imports, with their combined share totaling 68.4 percent of the Kingdom’s imports.
Source: Saudi Gazette