SAUDI Arabia’s non-oil exports, including re-exports, rose 22.1 per cent year on year in January to 32.57 billion riyals ($8.68bn), driven by trade with the UAE, India, and China, official data showed, reports the Arab News.
In its latest report, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed that non-oil exports to the UAE stood at 11.59bn riyals over the month, followed by India at 2.68bn riyals, and China at 2.42bn riyals.
The growth underscores Saudi Arabia’s accelerating push to expand this sector of its economy, with rising shipments of industrial goods and re-exports helping offset volatility in crude markets.
The uptick also reflects strengthening regional trade links and improved logistics capacity, as the kingdom positions itself as a key export and re-export hub connecting Asia, the Middle East, and beyond.
In its latest report, GASTAT said: “The ratio of non-oil exports (including re-exports) to imports increased in January 2026, reaching 40pc compared with 34.9pc in January 2025. This increase was driven by a 22.1pc increase in non-oil exports, alongside a 6.5pc increase in imports over the same period.”
Machinery, electrical equipment and parts led the non-oil export basket, making up 24.2pc of outbound shipments and recording a 77.5pc annual increase. This was followed by products of the chemical industries, which represented 19.2pc of total non-oil exports.
In January, Saudi Arabia’s overall merchandise exports stood at 98.71bn riyals, representing a 1.4pc increase compared to the same month of the previous year.
China was the main destination for Saudi Arabia’s merchandise exports, accounting for 15.1pc of total exports in January, followed by the UAE at 12.9pc and India at 9.8pc.
Japan, South Korea, and Bahrain, as well as Singapore, Egypt, Malta, and the US, were also among the top 10 export destinations.
In January, the kingdom’s imports stood at 81.41bn riyals, representing a 6.5pc year-on-year rise, while the merchandise trade surplus decreased by 17.5pc during the same period.
China was Saudi Arabia’s largest source of imports, accounting for 31pc of inbound shipments, followed by the UAE at 7.7pc and the US at 6.9pc. India, Germany, and Italy, as well as Japan, Switzerland, France, and South Korea, were also among the top 10 import sources for the kingdom.
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