Overview In 2020, Saudi Arabia was the number 20 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 30 in total exports, the number 30 in total imports, the number 53 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 32 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of Saudi Arabia are Crude Petroleum ($95.7B), Refined Petroleum ($10.7B), Ethylene Polymers ($9.17B), Propylene Polymers ($5.28B), and Acyclic Alcohols ($3.22B), exporting mostly to China ($33.4B), India ($16.8B), Japan ($16.3B), South Korea ($14.4B), and United Arab Emirates ($9.21B).

In 2020, Saudi Arabia was the world's biggest exporter of Crude Petroleum ($95.7B), Propylene Polymers ($5.28B), Acyclic Alcohols ($3.22B), Ammonia ($2.09B), and Tug Boats ($987M)

Imports The top imports of Saudi Arabia are Cars ($11.2B), Broadcasting Equipment ($5.5B), Refined Petroleum ($3.86B), Packaged Medicaments ($3.14B), and Telephones ($2.38B), importing mostly from China ($31.8B), United Arab Emirates ($18B), United States ($10.8B), Germany ($6.79B), and India ($6.37B).

In 2020, Saudi Arabia was the world's biggest importer of Iron Reductions ($1.32B), Sheep and Goats ($391M), Nutmeg, mace and cardamons ($338M), Bitumen and asphalt ($279M), and Artificial Monofilament ($3.12M)

Location Saudi Arabia borders Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen by land and Bahrain, Egypt, Eritrea, Iran, and Sudan by sea.

December, 2022

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Crude Petroleum, $95.7B

Top Destination (2020): China, $31.8B

In 2020, Saudi Arabia exported a total of $167B, making it the number 30 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Saudi Arabia have changed by -$24.7B from $192B in 2015 to $167B in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Crude Petroleum ($95.7B), Refined Petroleum ($10.7B), Ethylene Polymers ($9.17B), Propylene Polymers ($5.28B), and Acyclic Alcohols ($3.22B). The most common destination for the exports of Saudi Arabia are China ($33.4B), India ($16.8B), Japan ($16.3B), South Korea ($14.4B), and United Arab Emirates ($9.21B).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

Saudi Arabia Exports Services (2018): $19.7B

Saudi Arabia Imports Services (2018): $83.8B

In 2018, Saudi Arabia exported $19.7B worth of services. The top services exported by Saudi Arabia in 2018 were Travel ($13.8B), Transportation ($4.51B), Government services, n.i.e. ($678M), Financial services ($298M), and Computer and information services ($282M).

The top services imported by Saudi Arabia in 2018 were Government services, n.i.e. ($28.8B), Travel ($16.6B), Transportation ($15.7B), Other business services ($10.4B), and Construction services ($6.41B).

Economic Complexity

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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Saudi Arabia has a high level of specialization in Ammonia (32.4), Tug Boats (26.4), Crude Petroleum (15), Other Sea Vessels (14.5), and Ethers (14). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Saudi Arabia observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of Saudi Arabia according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Epoxides (1.62), Phenols (1.44), Blown Glass (1.37), Acrylic Polymers (1.33), and Ketones and Quinones (1.29). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for Saudi Arabia according to the relatedness index, are Iron Reductions (0.13), Bitumen and asphalt (0.12), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (0.11), Gold (0.11), and Other Hides and Skins (0.11). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Saudi Arabia is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

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This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Saudi Arabia. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Saudi Arabia exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

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During the last 20 years Saudi Arabia's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨39th to the 32nd⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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