Share of imports that come from China in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of imports that come from China was 23.6% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Share of imports that come from China in Saudi Arabia, 1971–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 23.6% for share of imports that come from china in 2024. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 11.4% on the previous year and up 71.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of imports that come from china in Saudi Arabia peaked at 23.6% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.
That places Saudi Arabia 41st out of 206 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of imports that come from China in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0.0% | — |
| 1972 | 0.0% | +251.0% |
| 1973 | 0.0% | -42.2% |
| 1974 | 0.1% | +387.4% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | -7.5% |
| 1976 | 0.2% | +79.5% |
| 1977 | 0.3% | +21.4% |
| 1978 | 0.5% | +99.2% |
| 1979 | 0.7% | +20.9% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | +43.1% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | -17.6% |
| 1982 | 0.7% | -14.3% |
| 1983 | 0.7% | +1.8% |
| 1984 | 0.6% | -4.1% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | +50.7% |
| 1986 | 1.3% | +34.6% |
| 1987 | 1.7% | +31.7% |
| 1988 | 2.0% | +13.6% |
| 1989 | 2.1% | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 1.9% | -8.5% |
| 1991 | 2.2% | +17.0% |
| 1992 | 2.2% | -1.5% |
| 1993 | 2.3% | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 2.2% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 2.9% | +30.0% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | +9.8% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | +9.4% |
| 2000 | 4.0% | +13.1% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +16.7% |
| 2002 | 5.4% | +15.9% |
| 2003 | 6.0% | +12.0% |
| 2004 | 6.7% | +12.0% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | +11.2% |
| 2006 | 8.7% | +16.3% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | +12.8% |
| 2008 | 11.1% | +13.1% |
| 2009 | 11.6% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 11.9% | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 13.4% | +12.3% |
| 2012 | 13.0% | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 12.8% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 13.7% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 14.1% | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 14.3% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 15.4% | +7.7% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 19.2% | +15.0% |
| 2020 | 19.7% | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 20.4% | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | +4.5% |
| 2023 | 21.2% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 23.6% | +11.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 23.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.4%, 2.8× the median. (72 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 23.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 18.0%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of imports that come from China in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +387.4% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1972 | +251.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1978 | +99.2% | 0.3% | 0.5% |
| 1976 | +79.5% | 0.1% | 0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 1980s | 1.2% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.5% | 4.0% | 11.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 11.9% | 19.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 19.7% | 23.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More economy & growth data for Saudi Arabia
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.26 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 3.52 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 27.03 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0212 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 731.09 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 32.63 billion BoP, current US$ (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 52.91 % change on previous year (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0256 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 882.47 BoP, current US$ per person (2025)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate 8.9 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of imports that come from china in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of imports that come from china in Saudi Arabia was 23.6% in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of imports that come from china recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 23.6% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of imports that come from china recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of imports that come from china?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 41st out of 206 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of imports that come from china rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 71.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of imports that come from China. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of a country's total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, that come from China.