Saudi domestic non-oil exports rise 8.5% in August despite overall trade decline
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s domestic non-oil exports increased by 8.5 percent year-on-year in August 2026, despite an overall decline in merchandise exports, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The authority’s International Merchandise Trade Statistics report showed that plastics, rubber and their products accounted for the largest share of non-oil exports at 22.6 percent, recording a 7.5 percent increase compared with August 2025. Meanwhile, the ratio of non-oil exports, including re-exports, to imports edged up to 36.51 percent, compared with 36.48 percent in August 2025. Despite the growth in domestic non-oil exports, total non-oil exports, including re-exports, declined by 9.1 percent, while re-exported goods fell by 34 percent. Overall merchandise exports decreased by 11.5 percent year-on-year, driven by a 12.5 percent decline in oil exports, while merchandise imports fell by 9.1 percent. The Kingdom’s merchandise trade surplus also decreased by 21 percent compared with August 2025. The United Arab Emirates was Saudi Arabia’s largest merchandise export destination, accounting for 11.4 percent of total exports, followed by South Korea at 11.2 percent and India at 8.4 percent. China ranked as the Kingdom’s largest source of merchandise imports at 21.9 percent, followed by the United States at 8.4 percent and Egypt at 5.8 percent. Jeddah Islamic Port handled the largest share of merchandise imports at 46.7 percent and ranked first for non-oil merchandise exports at 27.5 percent. According to GASTAT, the statistics are based on administrative records from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority and the Ministry of Energy, with 2026 figures classified as preliminary.