Signal · Geopolitical Risk

‎Saudi merchandise imports fall 20% to SAR 67.8B in May

Argaam - Main News Trade press Published 6th August 2026 Saudi Arabia

What the source reported

Source-reported

‎<img src="https://argaamplus.s3.amazonaws.com/1f9e2cfb-bfad-4c03-a4a4-b18c704fd14a.png" > Jeddah Islamic Port <hr> Saudi Arabia’s merchandise imports declined by 20% year-on-year (YoY) to nearly SAR 67.8 billion in May 2026. Compared to April, merchandise imports fell 14%, or nearly SAR 11 billion, according to GASTAT. Machinery, mechanical appliances, electrical equipment and their parts topped imports in May, representing 26% or SAR 17.9 billion of the Kingdom's total imports. Mineral products followed, making up about 12%. The table below shows details of Saudi imports in May by segment: Saudi Imports in May by Segment (SAR bln) <table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr > <td > Segment </td> <td > Value </td> <td > % of Total </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Machinery, MechanicalAppliances, ElectricalEquipment, Their Parts </td> <td > 17.87 </td> <td > 26.4% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Mineral Products </td> <td > 8.08 </td> <td > 11.9% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Vehicles, Aircraft, Vessels, and Associated Transport Equipment </td> <td > 6.85 </td> <td > 10.1% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Products of the Chemical or Allied Industries </td> <td > 5.95 </td> <td > 8.8% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Base Metals and Articles of Base Metal </td> <td > 5.29 </td> <td > 7.8% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Precious Stones, Metals, TheirArticles, Jewelry </td> <td > 4.20 </td> <td > 6.2% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Vegetable Products </td> <td > 2.82 </td> <td > 4.2% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Food Products, Beverages, and Tobacco </td> <td > 2.64 </td> <td > 3.9% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Animal Products </td> <td > 2.44 </td> <td > 3.6% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Plastics, Rubber and Their Articles </td> <td > 2.12 </td> <td > 3.1% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Optical Instruments and Apparatus </td> <td > 2.03 </td> <td > 3.0% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Art Collections and Antiquities </td> <td > 1.83 </td> <td > 2.7% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Textile Materials and Products </td> <td > 1.61 </td> <td > 2.4% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Miscellaneous Products </td> <td > 0.93 </td> <td > 1.4% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Others </td> <td > 3.10 </td> <td > 4.6% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Total </td> <td > 67.76 </td> <td > 100.0% </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div ></div> Saudi Arabia’s imports came mainly from China, reaching SAR 14.9 billion and accounting for 22% of the total in May. The US came in second with SAR 7.22 billion, followed by Egypt at SAR 5.67 billion. The top 10 exporters to Saudi Arabia accounted for almost 69%, or SAR 46.7 billion, of total imports in the same month. <table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr > <td colspan="3" > Top 10 Exporters to Saudi Arabia in May (SAR bln) </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Country </td> <td > Value </td> <td > % of Total </td> </tr> <tr > <td > China </td> <td > 14.92 </td> <td > 22.0% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > US </td> <td > 7.22 </td> <td > 10.7% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Egypt </td> <td > 5.67 </td> <td > 8.4% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > UAE </td> <td > 5.24 </td> <td > 7.7% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > India </td> <td > 3.10 </td> <td > 4.6% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Germany </td> <td > 2.75 </td> <td > 4.1% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Switzerland </td> <td > 2.30 </td> <td > 3.4% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Italy </td> <td > 2.24 </td> <td > 3.3% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > France </td> <td > 1.66 </td> <td > 2.5% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Russian Federation </td> <td > 1.59 </td> <td > 2.3% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Other Countries </td> <td > 21.06 </td> <td > 31.1% </td> </tr> <tr > <td > Total </td> <td > 67.76 </td> <td > 100.0% </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

Publication: Argaam - Main News · Trade Publication
Published: 6th August 2026
Original report: argaam.com

ProcIntel stores what the source published in its feed — a headline, a summary and a link. It does not store or reproduce the full article.

What ProcIntel recorded

ProcIntel-derived

Category: Geopolitical Risk
Geography: Saudi Arabia
Organisations: None identified
Collected: 6th August 2026 · 14:59

Initial assessment ProcIntel's automatic, provisional read of this individual Signal -- Initial Significance and Initial Confidence, computed deterministically before any Event extraction or human review.

A provisional, automatically computed reading of this individual Signal, before Event extraction or human review. Not a final rating.

Significance 2 · Moderate

Confidence 2 · Low

Initial Significance Moderate (30.0/100). Strongest contributor: Procurement Impact (12.0/30 points). Limiting factor: Likely Event Severity (3.0/30 points). Initial Confidence Low (26.5/100, data sufficiency: Partial). Strongest contributor: Source Authority (20.0/40 points). Limiting factor: Corroboration (2.5/25 points).

Strongest contributor: Procurement Impact
Limiting factor: Likely Event Severity

What the source reported

What ProcIntel recorded

Initial assessment ⓘMore about Initial Signal AssessmentProcIntel's automatic, provisional read of this individual Signal -- Initial Significance and Initial Confidence, computed deterministically before any Event extraction or human review.

Initial assessment ProcIntel's automatic, provisional read of this individual Signal -- Initial Significance and Initial Confidence, computed deterministically before any Event extraction or human review.