Saudi mining and quarrying activity surges 19 percent in July

Saudi Arabia's mining and quarrying sector witnessed a significant surge of 19% in July 2026 compared to the previous month, contributing to a 10.4% rise in the nation's Industrial Production Index (IPI), according to data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The manufacturing sector also experienced a monthly increase of 1.3%, primarily due to a 6.5% jump in the production of coke and refined petroleum products.

Oil activities saw a robust monthly growth of 16.3%, while non-oil activities contracted by 0.2% compared to June. Electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply production rose by 5.4% month-on-month, whereas water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities increased by 2.6%. However, on an annual basis, the IPI declined by 8.1% from July 2025, primarily due to drops in mining and quarrying (-10.9%) and manufacturing (-5.8%).

Within manufacturing, the production of refined petroleum products fell by 13.6%, and chemicals and chemical products decreased by 4%. Oil activities experienced a 11.4% year-on-year decline, while non-oil activities decreased slightly by 0.3%. Conversely, electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply production rose by 4.5% year-on-year, and water supply, sewerage, waste management, and remediation activities surged by 7.8%.