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Trade between Belgium and Saudi Arabia

In 2024, Belgium exported $2 billion to Saudi Arabia and imported $1.5 billion. Belgium ran a surplus of $485 million with Saudi Arabia, compared with a deficit of $349 million in 2019. Saudi Arabia was Belgium’s 34th largest trading partner (0.4% of its trade), and Belgium was Saudi Arabia’s 28th (0.7%).

Summary

Belgium → Saudi Arabia
$2billion
Saudi Arabia → Belgium
$1.5billion
Belgium’s balance
$485million

Balance

Belgium’s trade balance with Saudi Arabia

Trade between Belgium and Saudi Arabia grew 3.7-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Belgium’s exports and imports; bars: its balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 2
  • Imports 1.5
  • Balance +0.5

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$768 million$175 million$593 million
1996$771 million$105 million$666 million
1997$519 million$118 million$401 million
1998$565 million$132 million$432 million
1999$569 million$112 million$457 million
2000$581 million$179 million$402 million
2001$573 million$230 million$342 million
2002$742 million$258 million$485 million
2003$822 million$302 million$520 million
2004$892 million$609 million$283 million
2005$1 billion$794 million$253 million
2006$1.2 billion$1.3 billion-$132 million
2007$1.3 billion$1.5 billion-$155 million
2008$1.6 billion$1.5 billion$29 million
2009$1.4 billion$1.1 billion$355 million
2010$1.1 billion$862 million$254 million
2011$1.4 billion$1 billion$442 million
2012$1.3 billion$914 million$373 million
2013$1.3 billion$1.4 billion-$32 million
2014$1.4 billion$1.2 billion$162 million
2015$1.4 billion$1.1 billion$320 million
2016$1.3 billion$1.3 billion-$58 million
2017$1.2 billion$1.5 billion-$251 million
2018$1.2 billion$1.8 billion-$623 million
2019$1.3 billion$1.7 billion-$349 million
2020$1.3 billion$909 million$376 million
2021$2 billion$1.4 billion$646 million
2022$2 billion$1.7 billion$256 million
2023$2.2 billion$1.6 billion$552 million
2024$2 billion$1.5 billion$485 million

What they sell each other

What Belgium sells to Saudi Arabia

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Open-chain hydrocarbons$226 million · 11.5%
    97 thousand tonnes
  2. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$191 million · 9.7%
    3 thousand tonnes · Belgium’s destinations
  3. Frozen vegetables$147 million · 7.5%
    107 thousand tonnes
  4. Vaccines, blood and antisera$133 million · 6.8%
    139 tonnes · Belgium’s destinations
  5. Catalysts$86 million · 4.4%
    463 tonnes
  6. Chocolate$69 million · 3.5%
    9 thousand tonnes · Belgium’s destinations
  7. Refined petroleum$69 million · 3.5%
    80 thousand tonnes · Belgium’s destinations
  8. Plastic floor and wall coverings$48 million · 2.4%
    21 thousand tonnes
  9. Air pumps, compressors and fans$44 million · 2.3%
    1 thousand tonnes
  10. PVC and other vinyl polymers$40 million · 2%
    17 thousand tonnes

What Saudi Arabia sells to Belgium

The top 10 headings in 2024, with their share of the total.

  1. Cyclic hydrocarbons$256 million · 17.2%
    243 thousand tonnes
  2. Refined petroleum$238 million · 16.1%
    311 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  3. Polyethylene$184 million · 12.4%
    191 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  4. Other engines and motors$132 million · 8.9%
    146 tonnes
  5. Alcohols$76 million · 5.1%
    84 thousand tonnes
  6. Synthetic rubber$72 million · 4.9%
    35 thousand tonnes
  7. Polypropylene$70 million · 4.7%
    74 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  8. Ethers and organic peroxides$60 million · 4.1%
    65 thousand tonnes
  9. Acrylic acid and other unsaturated acids$37 million · 2.5%
    26 thousand tonnes
  10. Polyethers, polyesters and epoxy resins$33 million · 2.2%
    28 thousand tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Antwerp to Jeddah.

The estimated sea route between Antwerp and Jeddah is 4,173 nautical miles (7,729 km) long: ≈ 9.5–12.5 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Strait of Dover, Strait of Gibraltar and Suez Canal.

Sailing estimate without port calls, waiting or transshipment; not a schedule. One main reference port per country: in large countries it does not represent all of its ports.

Split by transport mode

  1. Sea$2.7 billion · 77.4%
  2. Air$781 million · 22.6%

Mode estimated from value per kilo and geography; both directions together.

How much each matters to the other

Saudi Arabia was Belgium’s 34th largest trading partner (0.4% of its trade), and Belgium was Saudi Arabia’s 28th (0.7%).

Saudi Arabia in Belgium’s trade
0.4%
Saudi Arabia’s rank among Belgium’s partners
34th
Belgium in Saudi Arabia’s trade
0.7%
Belgium’s rank among Saudi Arabia’s partners
28th

Compare with

Other partners of Belgium

Other partners of Saudi Arabia

Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. The sea route comes from our own network derived from World Bank shipping density (not from nautical charts), between one main reference port per country (World Port Index); days are the distance at 14 and 18 knots, without port calls or waiting. Data up to 2024.

Hong Kong, Singapore, the Netherlands and Belgium re-export goods from other countries: their figures include transit.