RIYADH — Saudi Arabia maintained a merchandise trade surplus in June 2026, despite national non-oil exports declining 11.4 percent compared with the same month last year, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The merchandise trade surplus declined 10 percent year on year, while overall merchandise exports fell 4.5 percent and imports decreased 3 percent. Overall non-oil exports, including re-exports, decreased by 9.7 percent year on year, while re-exports fell 6.7 percent. The decline in re-exports was driven by a 41.7 percent drop in machinery, electrical equipment and parts, which accounted for 36.1 percent of total re-exports. Oil exports fell 2.3 percent. Despite the decline, oil exports accounted for 72 percent of total exports, up from 70.4 percent a year earlier. The ratio of non-oil exports, including re-exports, to imports fell to 34.9 percent from 37.5 percent in June 2025. Plastics, rubber and their articles were among the most important non-oil export goods, accounting for 20.7 percent of the total and declining 12.8 percent year on year. **media[2755831]** Chemical products and allied industries represented 19.2 percent of total non-oil exports and declined 30.4 percent. On the import side, machinery, electrical equipment and parts accounted for 25.7 percent of total imports and declined 20.4 percent. Chemical products and allied industries represented 11.2 percent of imports and increased 30.5 percent compared with June 2025. By export destination, Japan was Saudi Arabia’s largest merchandise export destination in June, accounting for 13.2 percent of total exports, followed by South Korea at 11.5 percent and China at 9.4 percent. The Kingdom’s top 10 export destinations collectively accounted for 67.1 percent of total exports. As for import sources, China ranked first, accounting for 22 percent of total imports, followed by Switzerland at 8.4 percent and the United States at 8.3 percent. The top 10 import sources collectively represented 65.2 percent of Saudi Arabia’s total imports. Jeddah Islamic Port was the Kingdom’s leading entry point for imported goods, handling 37.2 percent of total imports. Together, the five leading customs ports accounted for 76.9 percent of merchandise imports. For non-oil exports, Jeddah Islamic Port was also the primary outlet, accounting for 31.9 percent of the total. The five leading ports collectively handled 64.5 percent of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil merchandise exports.
