Service exports down 3% to SAR 71.3B in Q1 2026; imports drop 3%

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Saudi Arabia’s service exports reached SAR 71.3 billion in Q1 2026, declining 3% year-on-year (YoY).

 

Compared to Q4 2025, service exports rose by 8% or SAR 5.2 billion, according to the International Trade in Services Statistics issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

 

The publication aims to build a database measuring the impact of services on the balance of payments across 12 national service categories, hence supporting the development of the national economy.

It covers various service activities, including transportation, travel, financial services, telecommunications, and other internationally traded services.

 

International Trade in Service Exports

Period

Value (SAR bln)

YoY Change

Q1 2023

52.91

--

Q2

66.98

--

Q3

37.51

--

Q4

47.23

--

Q1 2024

64.15

+21%

Q2

68.72

+3%

Q3

46.03

+23%

Q4

56.56

+20%

Q1 2025

73.86

+15%

Q2

62.15

(10%)

Q3

58.19

+26%

Q4

66.09

+17%

Q1 2026

71.30

(3%)
 

Travel services recorded the highest export value at SAR 44.3 billion, representing 62% of the Kingdom’s total service exports in Q1 2026, with personal travel accounting for roughly 97% of that amount.

 

Transport services followed with SAR 10.9 billion (around 15% of total).

 

Value of Service Exports by Category

Category

Value (SAR bln)

% to Total

Travel

44.25

62.1%

Transport

10.87

15.2%

Telecom, Computer & Information

2.63

3.7%

Gov’t Services

2.62

3.7%

Other Business Services

2.41

3.4%

Construction

2.04

2.9%

Financial Services

1.71

2.4%

Manufacturing Services

1.30

1.8%

Insurance & Pension Services

1.26

1.8%

Personal, Cultural & Recreational Services

1.11

1.6%

Maintenance & Repair Services

0.89

1.2%

Intellectual Property Charges

0.22

0.3%

Total

71.30

100%
 

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s service imports amounted to SAR 111.4 billion in Q1 2026, after decreasing by 3% YoY.

 

International Trade in Service Imports

Period

Value (SAR bln)

YoY Change

Q1 2023

105.92

--

Q2

108.69

--

Q3

107.04

--

Q4

110.44

--

Q1 2024

111.60

+5%

Q2

119.92

+10%

Q3

114.73

+7%

Q4

122.79

+11%

Q1 2025

115.08

+3%

Q2

127.06

+ 6%

Q3

120.83

+5%

Q4

119.59

(3%)

Q1 2026

111.43

(3%)
 

Transport services contributed the lion’s share of the first-quarter total at SAR 31.8 billion, representing 29% of total. Travel services followed, dominating nearly SAR 21.3 billion.

 

Value of Service imports by Category

Category

Value (SAR bln)

% to Total

Transport

31.81

28.5%

Travel

21.33

19.1%

Other Business Services

15.82

14.2%

Construction

15.07

13.5%

Gov't Services

6.99

6.3%

Insurance & Pension Services

4.81

4.3%

Telecom, Computer & Information

4.07

3.6%

Manufacturing Services

3.03

2.7%

Personal, Cultural & Recreational Services

2.53

2.3%

Financial services

2.53

2.3%

Maintenance & Repair Services

1.81

1.6%

Intellectual Property Charges

1.65

1.5%

Total

111.43

100%
 

The data showed that the services trade deficit widened to SAR 40.1 billion in Q1 2026.

 

International Trade in Service Balance (SAR bln)

Period

Total Deficit

Q1 2023

(53.01)

Q2

(41.70)

Q3

(69.53)

Q4

(63.21)

Q1 2024

(47.45)

Q2

(51.20)

Q3

(68.70)

Q4

(66.22)

Q1 2025

(41.22)

Q2

(64.90)

Q3

(62.64)

Q4

(53.50)

Q1 2026

(40.12)

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