globaltraffic.earth

Trade between Germany and Saudi Arabia

In 2024, Germany exported $9.4 billion to Saudi Arabia and imported $2 billion. Germany ran a surplus of $7.5 billion with Saudi Arabia, compared with a surplus of $5.5 billion in 2019. Saudi Arabia was Germany’s 40th largest trading partner (0.4% of its trade), and Germany was Saudi Arabia’s 9th (2%).

Summary

Germany → Saudi Arabia
$9.4billion
Saudi Arabia → Germany
$2billion
Germany’s balance
$7.5billion

Balance

Germany’s trade balance with Saudi Arabia

Trade between Germany and Saudi Arabia grew 3.5-fold since 1995

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

  • Exports 9.4
  • Imports 2
  • Balance +7.5

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$2.5 billion$775 million$1.7 billion
1996$2.6 billion$826 million$1.8 billion
1997$2 billion$854 million$1.1 billion
1998$2.4 billion$577 million$1.9 billion
1999$2.5 billion$577 million$1.9 billion
2000$2.7 billion$1 billion$1.7 billion
2001$3 billion$862 million$2.1 billion
2002$3.3 billion$803 million$2.5 billion
2003$4.2 billion$1.1 billion$3.1 billion
2004$4.2 billion$1.3 billion$2.9 billion
2005$5.4 billion$1.7 billion$3.7 billion
2006$6.3 billion$2.1 billion$4.2 billion
2007$7.6 billion$1.5 billion$6.1 billion
2008$8.3 billion$2.3 billion$6.1 billion
2009$7.4 billion$918 million$6.5 billion
2010$8.2 billion$920 million$7.3 billion
2011$9.9 billion$1.4 billion$8.5 billion
2012$10.7 billion$2.3 billion$8.5 billion
2013$12.2 billion$2.4 billion$9.9 billion
2014$12.2 billion$1.6 billion$10.6 billion
2015$11.4 billion$1.1 billion$10.4 billion
2016$8.6 billion$774 million$7.8 billion
2017$7.8 billion$987 million$6.9 billion
2018$7.6 billion$1.5 billion$6 billion
2019$6.9 billion$1.4 billion$5.5 billion
2020$7 billion$1.1 billion$5.9 billion
2021$6.6 billion$1.4 billion$5.1 billion
2022$7.4 billion$3.7 billion$3.7 billion
2023$9.5 billion$2.8 billion$6.8 billion
2024$9.4 billion$2 billion$7.5 billion

What they sell each other

What Germany sells to Saudi Arabia

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

  1. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$906 million · 9.6%
    7 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  2. Cars$692 million · 7.3%
    25 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  3. Vaccines, blood and antisera$362 million · 3.8%
    256 tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  4. Airplanes and helicopters$340 million · 3.6%
    167 tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  5. Medical and dental instruments$312 million · 3.3%
    2 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  6. Other plastic articles$228 million · 2.4%
    4 thousand tonnes
  7. Trucks$187 million · 2%
    30 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  8. Tractors$178 million · 1.9%
    28 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations
  9. Other electrical devices$173 million · 1.8%
    2 thousand tonnes
  10. Turbojets and gas turbines$173 million · 1.8%
    1 thousand tonnes · Germany’s destinations

What Saudi Arabia sells to Germany

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

  1. Crude petroleum$1.1 billion · 53.6%
    1.7 million tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  2. Refined petroleum$145 million · 7.3%
    179 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  3. Catalysts$104 million · 5.3%
    15 thousand tonnes
  4. Polyethylene$93 million · 4.7%
    69 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  5. Slag and ash with metals$77 million · 3.9%
    180 tonnes
  6. Polypropylene$68 million · 3.4%
    50 thousand tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  7. Acetic acid and other saturated acids$29 million · 1.5%
    29 thousand tonnes
  8. Aluminum sheet$29 million · 1.5%
    7 thousand tonnes
  9. Cyclic hydrocarbons$28 million · 1.4%
    24 thousand tonnes
  10. Precious metal scrap$28 million · 1.4%
    80 tonnes

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Hamburg to Jeddah.

The estimated sea route between Hamburg and Jeddah is 4,461 nautical miles (8,262 km) long: ≈ 10.5–13.5 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$6.6 billion · 58%
  2. Air$4.8 billion · 42%

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

How much each matters to the other

Saudi Arabia was Germany’s 40th largest trading partner (0.4% of its trade), and Germany was Saudi Arabia’s 9th (2%).

Saudi Arabia in Germany’s trade
0.4%
Saudi Arabia’s rank among Germany’s partners
40th
Germany in Saudi Arabia’s trade
2.2%
Germany’s rank among Saudi Arabia’s partners
9th

Compare with

Other partners of Germany

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.