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Trade between Saudi Arabia and the United States

In 2024, Saudi Arabia exported $13.3 billion to the United States and imported $14.9 billion. Saudi Arabia ran a deficit of $1.7 billion with the United States, compared with a deficit of $1.7 billion in 2019. The United States was Saudi Arabia’s 6th largest trading partner (5% of its trade), and Saudi Arabia was the United States’ 31st (0.6%).

Summary

Saudi Arabia → United States
$13.3billion
United States → Saudi Arabia
$14.9billion
Saudi Arabia’s balance
-$1.7billion

Balance

Saudi Arabia’s trade balance with the United States

Trade between Saudi Arabia and the United States grew 85% since 1995

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

  • Exports 13.3
  • Imports 14.9
  • Balance -1.7

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$9 billion$6.3 billion$2.7 billion
1996$9.6 billion$6.4 billion$3.2 billion
1997$10.1 billion$8 billion$2.1 billion
1998$7.2 billion$8.4 billion-$1.2 billion
1999$8.9 billion$6.4 billion$2.5 billion
2000$14.4 billion$6.6 billion$7.8 billion
2001$13.3 billion$6.8 billion$6.6 billion
2002$14 billion$5.6 billion$8.4 billion
2003$19.6 billion$6.1 billion$13.6 billion
2004$22.6 billion$6.7 billion$15.9 billion
2005$29.1 billion$8.5 billion$20.6 billion
2006$33.3 billion$9.8 billion$23.5 billion
2007$37.4 billion$11.9 billion$25.4 billion
2008$57.3 billion$15.1 billion$42.2 billion
2009$23.4 billion$12.3 billion$11.1 billion
2010$33 billion$13 billion$20 billion
2011$49.2 billion$16.7 billion$32.5 billion
2012$58 billion$19.1 billion$38.9 billion
2013$53.7 billion$20.2 billion$33.6 billion
2014$48.5 billion$22.1 billion$26.4 billion
2015$23.5 billion$20.8 billion$2.7 billion
2016$18 billion$16.9 billion$1.1 billion
2017$19.8 billion$15.8 billion$4 billion
2018$24.9 billion$15.8 billion$9.1 billion
2019$13.9 billion$15.6 billion-$1.7 billion
2020$9.9 billion$12.7 billion-$2.9 billion
2021$14.2 billion$13.5 billion$676 million
2022$24.4 billion$13.2 billion$11.2 billion
2023$16.5 billion$15.6 billion$962 million
2024$13.3 billion$14.9 billion-$1.7 billion

What they sell each other

What Saudi Arabia sells to the United States

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

  1. Crude petroleum$8.4 billion · 63%
    15.6 million tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  2. Refined petroleum$2.4 billion · 17.7%
    3.9 million tonnes · Saudi Arabia’s destinations
  3. Cyclic hydrocarbons$677 million · 5.1%
    701 thousand tonnes
  4. Mixed fertilizers$636 million · 4.8%
    1 million tonnes
  5. Aluminum sheet$175 million · 1.3%
    44 thousand tonnes
  6. Nitrogen fertilizers$162 million · 1.2%
    486 thousand tonnes
  7. Titanium$98 million · 0.74%
    8 thousand tonnes
  8. Amino acids and amino alcohols (lysine)$72 million · 0.54%
    65 thousand tonnes
  9. Aircraft parts$63 million · 0.47%
    632 tonnes
  10. Cyclic alcohols (menthol)$45 million · 0.34%
    33 thousand tonnes

What the United States sells to Saudi Arabia

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

  1. Cars$1.6 billion · 10.6%
    81 thousand tonnes · the United States’ destinations
  2. Turbojets and gas turbines$682 million · 4.6%
    3 thousand tonnes · the United States’ destinations
  3. Medicines in measured doses or retail packs$676 million · 4.5%
    2 thousand tonnes · the United States’ destinations
  4. Aircraft parts$587 million · 3.9%
    1 thousand tonnes
  5. Medical and dental instruments$434 million · 2.9%
    3 thousand tonnes · the United States’ destinations
  6. Parts for cranes and excavators$419 million · 2.8%
    15 thousand tonnes
  7. Bombs, missiles and ammunition$345 million · 2.3%
    3 thousand tonnes
  8. Valves and taps$343 million · 2.3%
    6 thousand tonnes
  9. Catalysts$259 million · 1.7%
    11 thousand tonnes
  10. Vaccines, blood and antisera$246 million · 1.7%
    374 tonnes · the United States’ destinations

How it travels

Estimated sea route from Jeddah to Los Angeles.

The estimated sea route between Jeddah and Los Angeles is 10,229 nautical miles (18,944 km) long: ≈ 23.5–30.5 days at sea (at 18 and 14 knots).

Passages it crosses: Suez Canal, Strait of Gibraltar and Panama 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$20.9 billion · 73.9%
  2. Air$7.4 billion · 26.1%

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

How much each matters to the other

The United States was Saudi Arabia’s 6th largest trading partner (5% of its trade), and Saudi Arabia was the United States’ 31st (0.6%).

The United States in Saudi Arabia’s trade
5.3%
The United States’ rank among Saudi Arabia’s partners
6th
Saudi Arabia in the United States’ trade
0.6%
Saudi Arabia’s rank among the United States’ partners
31st

Compare with

Other partners of Saudi Arabia

Other partners of the United States

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.