Agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Agricultural raw materials imports was 0.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia, 1968–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 0.6% for agricultural raw materials imports in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 49 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.2% on the previous year and down 18.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.2% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 2024.
Saudi Arabia ranks 154th of 196 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 49 years of available data.
Agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1.9% | — |
| 1969 | 2.2% | +14.8% |
| 1974 | 1.7% | -23.8% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | -14.3% |
| 1976 | 2.1% | +44.9% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -31.9% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -30.5% |
| 1979 | 1.1% | +13.4% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | +18.0% |
| 1981 | 1.1% | -18.2% |
| 1982 | 0.9% | -13.3% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | +7.4% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -10.4% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -17.7% |
| 1986 | 0.6% | -13.6% |
| 1987 | 0.6% | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 1.0% | +52.5% |
| 1992 | 1.1% | +13.8% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | +8.8% |
| 1994 | 1.3% | +7.6% |
| 1995 | 1.2% | -11.3% |
| 1996 | 1.1% | -6.8% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 0.9% | -15.3% |
| 2000 | 0.9% | +10.4% |
| 2001 | 1.0% | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 0.9% | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 0.9% | -9.1% |
| 2004 | 0.8% | -11.1% |
| 2005 | 0.7% | -9.0% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -6.2% |
| 2007 | 0.7% | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 0.9% | +38.3% |
| 2011 | 0.8% | -9.1% |
| 2012 | 0.8% | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 0.7% | -7.2% |
| 2014 | 0.7% | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 0.7% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 0.7% | +2.8% |
| 2017 | 0.7% | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 0.7% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 0.7% | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 0.8% | +13.9% |
| 2021 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 0.8% | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -26.3% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -10.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.6% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.9%, 62% of the median. (71 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.8%, 71% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.1% | 1.9% | 2.2% | 2 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.0% | 2.1% | 6 |
| 1980s | 0.9% | 0.6% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 2000s | 0.8% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8% | 0.7% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 0.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Rural population 15.4% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia?
- Agricultural raw materials imports in Saudi Arabia was 0.6% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest agricultural raw materials imports recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.2% in 1969.
- What is the lowest agricultural raw materials imports recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 2024.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for agricultural raw materials imports?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 154th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is agricultural raw materials imports rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 18.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Agricultural raw materials comprise section 2 of SITC Rev. 3 (crude materials, inedible, except fuels) excluding divisions 22 (oil-seeds and oleaginous fruits), 27 (crude fertilizers and minerals excluding coal, petroleum, and precious stones), and 28 (metalliferous ores and scrap). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.