Saudi Arabia’s merchandise trade surplus surged to its highest level since 2022 in March, driven by strong momentum in oil exports, which rose 37.4%, while the East-West pipeline played a central role in improving the flexibility of crude flows to Red Sea ports, according to official data and an industry expert.
Strategic energy infrastructure helped the Kingdom improve export efficiency and diversify access points to global markets, the General Authority for Statistics said in its international merchandise trade bulletin published on Thursday.
The authority reported that the merchandise trade surplus jumped 218.9% year-on-year in March, marking its highest level since 2022, supported by robust growth in oil exports.
Mohammad al-Sabban, a former senior adviser to the Saudi oil minister, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the rise in the Kingdom’s oil exports in March demonstrated the success of long-term planning through the construction and rehabilitation of the East-West pipeline, which transports crude and petroleum products to the Red Sea port of Yanbu.
He noted that the pipeline had helped Saudi Arabia bypass risks linked to the Strait of Hormuz after remaining closed for extended periods in the past.
Al-Sabban added that the government built the pipeline in the mid-1980s in what proved to be a sound strategic decision, explaining that its current capacity has reached 7 million barrels per day.
He said the infrastructure had contributed to the 37.4% rise in oil exports, equivalent to around SAR100 billion ($26.66 billion), increasing the share of oil in total merchandise exports.
“Many countries have seen their exports shrink after the recent crisis, but with the East-West pipeline in place, the Kingdom was able to raise total merchandise exports,” he stated.
According to the statistics authority, the total value of Saudi merchandise exports reached about SAR115 billion ($30.66 billion) in March, up 21.5% from the same month in 2025.
The increase was driven mainly by a sharp rise in oil exports, which climbed 37.4% to SAR92.5 billion, raising their share of total exports to 80.3% from 71.0% a year earlier.
Non-oil exports, including re-exports, fell 17.3%, while national non-oil exports excluding re-exports declined 27.0% to SAR14 billion ($3.73 billion).
Re-exported goods rose 2.5%, supported by a 51.1% jump in exports of “machinery, electrical equipment and parts thereof,” which accounted for 62.4% of total re-exported goods.
Imports fell 24.8% year-on-year in March to SAR58 billion ($15.46 billion), the report showed.
The sharp decline in imports, combined with higher exports, increased the ratio of non-oil exports to imports to 39.3%, compared with 35.8% a year earlier.
The report indicated that “machinery, electrical equipment and parts thereof” remained the most influential category in non-oil exports, accounting for 27.4% of the total after rising 46.2%. The same category also ranked first among imports at 30.4%, despite an 11.9% decline.
China remained Saudi Arabia’s top trading partner, accounting for 14.1% of Saudi exports, followed by India at 13.7% and Japan at 9.5%. Exports to the Kingdom’s top 10 destinations represented 69.8% of total exports.
China also remained the Kingdom’s largest source of imports, accounting for 26.7% of the total, followed by the United States at 8.4% and the United Arab Emirates at 7.1%.
Jeddah Islamic Port remained the main entry point for imports into the Kingdom, handling 29.8% of total imports.
For non-oil exports, King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah ranked as the leading export gateway with a 23.4% share, followed by Jeddah Islamic Port at 21.2% and the Al-Batha land crossing at 8.2% of Saudi non-oil merchandise exports.
