Year over year, Saudi Arabian spending on imports gained 16% from $131.3 billion during 2020.
In 2021, Saudi Arabia’s largest 5 imported products were cars, phone devices including smartphones, refined petroleum oils, medication mixes in dosage, and gold. Collectively, that quintet of major imports represented over one-fifth (21.9%) of total Saudi imports by value.
Top Suppliers for Saudi Arabian Imports
The latest prorated data shows that 67.7% of products imported into Saudi Arabia were supplied by exporters in: mainland China (20.4% of Saudi’s global total), United States of America (10.2%), United Arab Emirates (8.2%), India (5.3%), Germany (4.9%), Japan (4%), Italy (3%), Egypt (2.8%), France (2.7%), United Kingdom (2.4%), South Korea (2.2%) and Bahrain (1.7%).
From a continental perspective, 53.7% of Saudi Arabia’s total imports by value were purchased from Asian countries. European trade partners supplied 26.1% of products imported into Saudi Arabia while another 11.9% worth of goods originated from North America.
Smaller percentages came from Africa (4.4%), Latin America (2.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (1.3%) led by Australia and New Zealand.
Given Saudi Arabia’s population of 35.5 million people, its total $152.3 billion in 2021 imports translates to roughly $4,300 in yearly product demand from every person in the Middle Eastern nation. That dollar metric eclipses Saudi Arabia’s average $3,800 per person during 2020.
Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Imports
The following product groups represent the highest dollar value in Saudi Arabia’s import purchases during 2021. Also shown is the percentage share each product category represents in terms of overall imports into Saudi Arabia.
- Machinery including computers: US$16.5 billion (10.8% of total imports)
- Vehicles: $15.2 billion (10%)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: $13.7 billion (9%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $7.2 billion (4.7%)
- Pharmaceuticals: $6.9 billion (4.5%)
- Gems, precious metals: $5.44 billion (3.6%)
- Iron, steel: $5.39 billion (3.5%)
- Ships, boats: $5 billion (3.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: $3.8 billion (2.5%)
- Optical, technical, medical apparatus: $3.6 billion (2.4%)
Saudi Arabia’s top 10 imports accounted for 53.3% of the overall value of its product purchases from other countries.
Gems and precious metals posted the fastest growth in value among the top 10 import categories, up by 186.6% from 2020 to 2021. Saudi imports of gold and jewelry drove a large part of that percentage increase.
In second place for higher purchases was the highly capital-intensive product category ships and boats thanks to a 123% expansion. Trailing that were Saudi imports of mineral fuels including oil (up 64.2%).
Optical, technical and medical apparatus incurred the sole decline among the top 10 Saudi imports, falling -3% year over year.
Please note that the results listed above are at the 2-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level. Information presented under the sections below.
Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Machinery Imports
In 2021, Saudi importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of machinery including computers.
- Computers, optical readers: US$2.2 billion (up 6.2% from 2020)
- Taps, valves, similar appliances: $1.5 billion (up 3%)
- Air conditioners: $1.2 billion (down -10.9%)
- Centrifuges, filters and purifiers: $826.4 million (up 32.2%)
- Liquid pumps and elevators: $791.7 million (down -6.1%)
- Move/grade/scrape/boring machinery: $725.8 million (up 177.3%)
- Refrigerators, freezers: $661.8 million (up 14.5%)
- Piston engines: $647.9 million (up 17.6%)
- Turbo-jets: $598.7 million (up 6.1%)
- Machinery parts: $585.8 million (up 2.1%)
Among these import subcategories, Saudi purchases of moving, grading, scraping and boring machinery (up 177.3%), centrifuges, filters and purifiers (up 32.2%) then piston engines (up 17.6%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported machinery among Saudi businesses and consumers.
Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Automotive Imports
In 2021, Saudi importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of vehicles.
- Cars: US$11.9 billion (up 12.4% from 2020)
- Automobile parts/accessories: $1.2 billion (up 28.9%)
- Trucks: $988.6 million (up 20.1%)
- Special purpose vehicles: $274.8 million (up 37.3%)
- Tractors: $234.8 million (down -26.7%)
- Trailers: $177.6 million (down -22.3%)
- Public-transport vehicles: $169.3 million (down -72.1%)
- Motorcycle parts/accessories: $75.2 million (up 0.9%)
- Bicycles, other non-motorized cycles: $62.6 million (up 56.8%)
- Automobile bodies: $36.3 million (down -2.1%)
Among these import subcategories, Saudi purchases of bicycles plus other non-motorized cycles (up 56.8%), special purpose vehicles (up 37.3%) then automobile parts or accessories (up 28.9%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported vehicles among Saudi businesses and consumers.
Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Electrical Product Imports
In 2021, Saudi importers spent the most on the following 10 subcategories of electronic products.
- Phone devices including smartphones: US$6.9 billion (up 11.8% from 2020)
- TV receivers/monitors/projectors: $680.8 million (up 9.2%)
- Electric water heaters, hair dryers: $561.7 million (up 12.3%)
- Electrical converters/power units: $543.1 million (up 12.7%)
- High-voltage switches, fuses: $524.5 million (up 48.8%)
- Insulated wire/cable: $482 million (up 8.8%)
- Lower-voltage switches, fuses: $472.5 million (up 3%)
- Electric storage batteries: $353.1 million (up 9.5%)
- Electric motors, generators: $271.1 million (up 32.5%)
- Electrical/optical circuit boards, panels: $269.3 million (down -0.9%)
Among these import subcategories, Saudi purchases of high-voltage switches and fuses (up 48.8%), electric motors and generators (up 32.5%) then electrical converters and power units (up 12.7%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported electronics among Saudi businesses and consumers.
Saudi Arabia’s Biggest Mineral Fuel Imports & Related Products
In 2021, Saudi importers spent the most on the following subcategories of mineral fuels-related products.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$6.8 billion (up 78.6% from 2020)
- Petroleum oil residues: $185.4 million (up 55.4%)
- Tar pitch, coke: $49.6 million (up 31.8%)
- Petroleum gases: $42.5 million (up 290.1%)
- Coke and semi-coke: $32.4 million (up 103%)
- Coal tar oils (high temperature distillation): $30.2 million (up 27.5%)
- Coal, solid fuels made from coal: $26.2 million (up 5.7%)
- Peat: $10.8 million (up 36.5%)
- Petroleum jelly, mineral waxes: $8.6 million (up 23.4%)
- Natural bitumen, asphalt, shale: $4.2 million (down -98.7%)
Among these import subcategories, Saudi purchases of petroleum gases (up 290.1%), coke or semi-coke (up 103%) then processed petroleum oils (up 78.6%) grew at the fastest pace from 2020 to 2021.
These amounts and the percentage gains within parenthesis clearly show where the strongest demand lies for different types of imported mineral fuels and related products among Saudi businesses and consumers.
See also Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Exports, China’s Top Trading Partners, India’s Top Trading Partners, Turkey’s Top Trading Partners and Singapore’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Middle East: Saudi Arabia. Accessed on June 22, 2022
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on June 22, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 22, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on June 22, 2022
Wikipedia, Saudi Arabia. Accessed on June 22, 2022
