The latest official data issued by the General Authority for Statistics showed a stable and growing performance for the Saudi export sector, as the Kingdom's exports of chemical and related products recorded about 6.62 billion riyals during November 2025. This vital sector achieved a slight increase of 0.5% compared to the same period of the previous year 2024, reflecting the resilience of Saudi products in global markets despite economic challenges.
Monthly performance and discrepancies in the figures
Despite the annual growth, exports saw a limited decline on a monthly basis, with the value of exports decreasing by approximately 178.2 million riyals, representing a 3% decrease compared to October 2025. This monthly fluctuation is a natural part of the supply and demand cycles in the global petrochemical markets, which are usually affected by seasonal factors and global energy prices.
Chemicals are a cornerstone of Vision 2030
These figures gain particular significance when placed within the broader economic context of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, which primarily aims to diversify income sources and reduce dependence on crude oil. Chemical industry exports constituted approximately 20% of the Kingdom's total non-oil exports, which reached SAR 32.7 billion last November. This figure underscores that the petrochemical and downstream industries sector remains at the forefront of Saudi Arabia's export strategy, being the most mature and globally competitive sector.
Heading East: India and China lead the way
Regarding the geographical distribution of exports, Asian markets continued to dominate as the primary destination for Saudi products. India topped the list of countries importing Saudi chemical products, with a value of SAR 1.58 billion, accounting for 24% of the sector's total exports. China came in second with a 12% share. This distribution reflects the depth of the strategic economic partnerships between the Kingdom and major consumers in Asia, where industrial demand in India and China is experiencing continuous growth, requiring a reliable supply of basic and specialty chemicals provided by the Kingdom.
Import movement and trade balance
Conversely, on the import side, the Kingdom recorded a 2% year-on-year increase in its imports of chemical industry products, reaching approximately SAR 6.5 billion in November. These imports constituted 8% of the Kingdom's total imports of SAR 77.4 billion during the same period. This data indicates the dynamism of the local market and the continued demand for raw materials or specialized chemical products that are part of the supply chains of other local industries, thus strengthening the integration of the industrial economic cycle within the Kingdom.
