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Who does Saudi Arabia rely on?

The largest supplier of Saudi Arabia in 2024 is China, with 23.9% of what Saudi Arabia buys. Its share was 17.1% in 2019 and 2.6% in 1995. 374 of the 1,033 products Saudi Arabia buys for more than $1 million have a supplier selling more than 50% of what Saudi Arabia buys of that product; in 107, more than 75%. In those products, purchases from each one’s dominant supplier add up to 23.1% of what Saudi Arabia buys.

Summary

Largest supplier: China
23.9%
Concentration (HHI)
798
Products with a supplier above 50%
374
Products with a supplier above 75%
107

Concentration index (HHI): 798 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 13 suppliers of the same size

Trend

Trend in shares

China went from 2.6% to 23.9% of what Saudi Arabia buys

Share (%)

  • China 23.9%
  • United States 6.7%
  • India 6.3%
  • United Arab Emirates 5.6%
  • Germany 4.2%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest supplierShare
1995United States18.7%
1996United States18.4%
1997United States26%
1998United States21.6%
1999United States18.6%
2000United States18.3%
2001United States17.7%
2002United States14.2%
2003United States12.9%
2004United States12.9%
2005United States13%
2006United States12.6%
2007United States12.4%
2008United States12.3%
2009United States12.3%
2010United States11.4%
2011China13.1%
2012China13.2%
2013China12.7%
2014China13.5%
2015China14.1%
2016China14.7%
2017China15.5%
2018China14.6%
2019China17.1%
2020China20.2%
2021China19.9%
2022China21.2%
2023China20.7%
2024China23.9%

Its suppliers

  1. China$53.3 billion · 23.9%
  2. United States$14.9 billion · 6.7%
  3. India$14 billion · 6.3%
  4. United Arab Emirates$12.4 billion · 5.6%
  5. Germany$9.4 billion · 4.2%
  6. Japan$8.1 billion · 3.6%
  7. Egypt$7.8 billion · 3.5%
  8. Switzerland$7.3 billion · 3.3%
  9. Italy$7 billion · 3.1%
  10. South Korea$6.1 billion · 2.7%

Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.

Products with a dominant supplier

Of the 1,033 products Saudi Arabia buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.

ProductSupplierShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentChina69.6%Vietnam · 15.8%$8.9 billion
GoldSwitzerland60.3%United Arab Emirates · 35%$8.1 billion
ComputersChina62.1%United States · 6.6%$2.4 billion
Airplanes and helicoptersIndia63.5%France · 16.9%$2.4 billion
RiceIndia75.1%over 75%Pakistan · 11.3%$2 billion
Hot-rolled flat steelChina88.6%over 75%Japan · 4.7%$1.9 billion
Diodes, transistors and solar cellsChina95.8%over 75%Italy · 2%$1.8 billion
Air conditionersChina78.6%over 75%Thailand · 6.1%$1.7 billion
New tiresChina55.8%Thailand · 10.4%$1.5 billion
Refined copperDemocratic Republic of the Congo57.3%Republic of the Congo · 27%$1.5 billion
Poultry meatBrazil61.1%Russia · 14.1%$1.4 billion
Lamps and light fittingsChina80%over 75%Italy · 3.8%$1.4 billion
FurnitureChina51.2%Italy · 9.6%$1.4 billion
Live sheep and goatsSudan56.8%Somalia · 20.7%$1.3 billion
Palm oilIndonesia68.1%Malaysia · 25.7%$1.2 billion
Bulldozers and excavatorsChina51.6%India · 12.3%$1.1 billion
Women's suits and dressesChina51.4%Hong Kong · 12%$1.1 billion
Direct-reduced ironOman70.7%Sweden · 21.5%$1.1 billion
BatteriesChina66.9%Malaysia · 5.3%$1 billion
Armored vehiclesCanada87.1%over 75%South Korea · 12.7%$986 million
Cane and beet sugarBrazil94%over 75%United Arab Emirates · 1.5%$983 million
Seats and chairsChina65.8%Vietnam · 7.1%$898 million
BusesChina55%Turkey · 12.4%$847 million
BarleyRussia60.5%Romania · 16.6%$844 million
Aircraft partsUnited States70%United Kingdom · 7.7%$838 million

and 349 more

A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.

Countries that sell more than 50% of some product; the darker, the higher the value of those products.

Selling: who it relies on

Largest customer: China
18.8%
Concentration (HHI)
768

Concentration index (HHI): 768 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 13 customers of the same size

Trend in shares

China went from 1.1% to 18.8% of what Saudi Arabia sells

Share (%)

  • China 18.8%
  • South Korea 10.2%
  • India 10%
  • Japan 9.7%
  • United Arab Emirates 6.1%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearLargest customerShare
1995Japan19.1%
1996Japan18.1%
1997Japan19.8%
1998United States16.3%
1999United States18.4%
2000United States17.8%
2001United States18.2%
2002United States19.8%
2003United States21%
2004United States18.4%
2005United States17.1%
2006Japan17.4%
2007United States16.4%
2008United States17.3%
2009Japan15.3%
2010Japan14.4%
2011Japan13.8%
2012United States14.7%
2013China14.3%
2014United States13.2%
2015China15.5%
2016China13.5%
2017China14%
2018China14.8%
2019China20.5%
2020China21%
2021China21.2%
2022China19%
2023China19.2%
2024China18.8%

258 of the 663 products Saudi Arabia sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what Saudi Arabia sells of that product; in 92, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 6.3% of what Saudi Arabia sells.

ProductCustomerShareSecondValue
Cameras and broadcast equipmentUnited Arab Emirates99.5%over 75%Hungary · 0.18%$6.5 billion
Natural gas and LPGIndia53.3%China · 20.3%$4.5 billion
Warships and other vesselsUnited Arab Emirates61.3%Bahrain · 18.1%$3.2 billion
Airplanes and helicoptersIndia97.9%over 75%Germany · 0.61%$1.5 billion
TugboatsUnited Arab Emirates82.7%over 75%Bahrain · 5.3%$1.1 billion
Cargo and cruise shipsUnited Arab Emirates62.1%South Korea · 10.6%$640 million
Petroleum coke and bitumenIndia59.3%China · 29.7%$602 million
Copper oreChina97.2%over 75%Peru · 2.1%$601 million
JewelryUnited Arab Emirates76%over 75%Switzerland · 17.4%$586 million
Aluminum scrapIndia65.2%South Korea · 7.7%$582 million
Cables and wireUnited Arab Emirates55.5%Iraq · 16.9%$549 million
Seamless steel pipesChile52%United Arab Emirates · 32%$321 million
Semi-finished steelTurkey56.2%Taiwan · 26.1%$260 million
Uninsulated copper cableIraq54.5%Yemen · 24.8%$257 million
TitaniumUnited States56.9%Japan · 32.5%$173 million

and 243 more

Concentration compared

The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).

RankCountryHHI
161Cyprus804
162Hungary802
163Saudi Arabia798
164Azerbaijan798
165Malawi797
166Denmark785

Sources and method

Sources and licenses

Methodology

The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.

Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.

The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.

Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.

The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.

Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.