The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has released Saudi Arabia’s International Trade Statistics Bulletin for April 2025, revealing that the Kingdom’s merchandise exports dropped to SAR 90.3 billion, down 10.9% from April 2024.
However, non-oil exports, including re-exports, showed strong growth, climbing 24.6% year-on-year to SAR 28.4 billion. Imports also increased, rising by 18.3% to reach SAR 76.1 billion. As a result, the Kingdom’s trade surplus saw a steep drop of 61.7%, falling to SAR 14.2 billion compared to the same month last year.
The latest bulletin from the General Authority for Statistics highlighted several shifts in Saudi Arabia’s trade composition for April 2025. The ratio of non-oil exports (including re-exports) to imports rose to 37.2%, up from 35.4% in April 2024, indicating a growing contribution from non-oil sectors. In contrast, the share of oil exports in total exports fell to 68.6%, down from 77.5% a year earlier.
Among non-oil exports, chemical industry products led the category, totalling SAR 6 billion and making up 26.4% of total non-oil exports. On the import side, the dominant category was “machinery, electrical equipment, and their parts,” which reached SAR 21.1 billion, accounting for 26% of total imports.
It was stated that China continued to be Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner. Exports to China amounted to SAR 11.4 billion (12.6% of total exports), while imports from China stood at SAR 19 billion, making up 25% of total imports for the month.
The data in the report is compiled using administrative records from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (for non-oil trade) and the Ministry of Energy (for oil trade), with classifications based on the 2022 Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System.
