The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has achieved a new economic milestone that reflects the success of its economic diversification plans, as the latest results of international trade statistics in services showed a qualitative leap in the total value of Saudi service exports during the third quarter of 2025.
According to official data from the General Authority for Statistics, the value of service exports reached SAR 58.2 billion, compared to SAR 46 billion during the same period in 2014, registering a remarkable growth of 26.5%. These figures confirm the effectiveness of national strategies aimed at enhancing local content and increasing the contribution of non-oil sectors to the gross domestic product.
Economic context and Vision 2030
These figures cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader context of Saudi Vision 2030, which has placed the development of non-oil exports at the forefront of its priorities. This rapid growth in service exports reflects the structural transformation of the Saudi economy, which is no longer solely reliant on petroleum commodity exports, but has instead embraced the services sector as a key driver of growth. This surge is largely attributed to massive investments in tourism, logistics, and technology infrastructure, positioning the Kingdom as a global destination for business and tourism.
Details of service export performance
In terms of sector performance, travel services the way with exports valued at SAR 33.8 billion, with personal travel accounting for the largest share at 88.6%. This figure clearly reflects the recovery of the tourism and hospitality sector and the success of Umrah seasons and entertainment and cultural events that attracted visitors from around the world.
Transportation services came in second place with a value of SAR 9.7 billion, driven by the air transport sector, which accounted for 39.6% of total exports in this sector. This aligns with the National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which aims to solidify the Kingdom's position as a global logistics hub. Communications and information technology services also recorded exports worth SAR 2.4 billion, highlighting the rapid development of the Kingdom's digital infrastructure.
Services imports and the trade balance
On the other hand, data showed a 5.3% increase in the Kingdom's service imports, reaching SAR 120.8 billion in the third quarter of 2025, compared to SAR 114.7 billion in the same quarter of the previous year. Transportation services topped the list of imports at SAR 32.3 billion, followed by travel services at SAR 30.8 billion, and then construction services at SAR 18.5 billion. This reflects the continued momentum in major construction and development projects within the Kingdom.
Economic importance and future prospects
This growth in service exports carries significant economic implications, as it directly contributes to improving the balance of payments and reducing the services trade deficit. Furthermore, the diversification of the service export basket, encompassing tourism, transportation, technology, and management consulting (which accounted for 50% of other business services), strengthens the resilience of the Saudi economy and its ability to withstand global economic fluctuations, thus promising further sustainable growth in the coming periods.
