Saudi Arabia’s trade surplus narrowed to SAR 15.6 billion in August 2026 from SAR 19.7 billion in the same month last year. Exports dropped 11.5% year-on-year to SAR 87.2 billion, weighed down by a 12.5% fall in oil exports, which accounted for 70.0% of total exports. Meanwhile, non-oil exports rose 8.5%, driven by an increase in shipments of plastics, rubber, and related articles (7.5%), which accounted for 22.6% of total non-oil exports. The UAE was the leading destination for Saudi exports, accounting for 11.4% of the total, followed by South Korea (11.2%) and India (8.4%). Imports fell 9.1% to SAR 71.6 billion, largely due to a sharp decline in machinery, electrical equipment, and parts thereof (-19.8%), which accounted for 26.2% of total imports. China remained the largest source of imports, accounting for 21.9% of the total, followed by the US (8.4%) and Egypt (5.8%).