Saudi Arabia attracts 26% of investors in MENA region during 1H 2026

Saudi Arabia witnessed a significant surge in its trade surplus during the first half of 2026, with the figure rising by 53.17 percent year-on-year to reach SR154.72 billion, as reported by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). This marked an increase from SR101.01 billion recorded during the same period in 2025. The Kingdom's foreign trade exceeded SR1 trillion during the first half of 2026, reflecting a positive trend.

The growth in the trade surplus was primarily attributed to a 7.3 percent increase in exports and a 2.7 percent decline in imports compared to the preceding year. The trend was most pronounced in March, when the trade surplus skyrocketed by approximately 213.7 percent to SR56.49 billion. This was followed by a second quarter surplus of SR61.52 billion in the later months.

The overall volume of the Kingdom's foreign merchandise trade also saw a 2.82 percent year-on-year increase during the first half of 2026, reaching SR1.052 trillion. This was a slight improvement from the SR1.024 trillion recorded during the same period in 2025. February of 2026, in particular, saw the highest level of trade exchange at SR183.17 billion, a 10.3 percent increase year-on-year. However, June marked a decline in trade volume, recording SR158.21 billion, a 3.86 percent decrease year-on-year.