🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus remains at $4.8bn in June despite weaker exports
Saudi Arabia maintained a merchandise trade surplus of around $4.8 billion (SR18 billion) in June 2026, although exports slowed. Official data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) show that the surplus was 10% lower than in June 2025.
📉 Exports declined
Total merchandise exports fell 4.5% year-on-year, reaching about SR87.8 billion ($23.4 billion). The main reason was weaker non-oil exports.
- Oil exports: down 2.3%, but still represented 72% of total exports.
- Non-oil exports, including re-exports: down 9.7%.
- National non-oil exports excluding re-exports: down 11.4%.
Among non-oil products, plastics, rubber and related products remained the largest category, while exports of chemical products fell significantly.
📦 Imports also fell
Imports declined 3% year-on-year to approximately SR70.4 billion ($18.8 billion). The fall in imports helped Saudi Arabia preserve a positive trade balance despite weaker exports.
Machinery, electrical equipment and parts represented the largest share of imports at 25.7%, although this category dropped 20.4% from a year earlier.
🌏 Who are Saudi Arabia's main trading partners?
For exports, Japan was the leading destination, accounting for 13.2%, followed by:
- 🇰🇷 South Korea: 11.5%
- 🇨🇳 China: 9.4%
China was Saudi Arabia's largest source of imports, representing 22%, followed by Switzerland at 8.4% and the United States at 8.3%.
📌 What does this mean?
The figures show that Saudi Arabia still generates more from merchandise exports than it spends on imports, but the composition of trade remains heavily dependent on oil. The fact that oil accounted for 72% of exports while non-oil exports declined by 9.7% highlights the challenge of diversifying exports beyond hydrocarbons.
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