Trade + logistics

The Kingdom was the 26th largest global merchandise exporter in 2024, with exports reaching USD 305 bn, according to the World Trade Organization’s recent Global Trade Outlook and Statistics report (pdf). This marks a 5% y-o-y drop, with its position in the ranking down from the 25th in the WTO’s 2023 report. (Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background as well as external sources.)Imports increased 12% y-o-y to USD 232 bn, ranking 30th in the world in terms of global imports.On the commercial services front, the Kingdom ranked 23rd in imports, reporting a 6% y-o-y growth in services purchased from abroad to USD 94 bn. On the cards for the region: Growth in the Middle East’s commercial services exports is expected to plummet from 4.2% in 2024 to 1.7% in 2025 and further down to 1% in 2026. The region's merchandise exports, on the other hand, are expected to remain steady at 5.3% growth in 2025 and 5.1% in 2026. Meanwhile, merchandise imports are predicted to take a slight fall from 6.8% in 2024 to 6.3% in 2025, before rebounding to 6.7% next year.Global trade to take a dip in 2025 on the back of tariffs: Merchandise trade is expected to contract by 0.2% in 2025, down from a 2.9% y-o-y surge in 2024 after WTO economists altered their baseline predictions — previously foreseeing 2.6% growth — following the implementation of new tariff measures since January. Commercial services trade is forecast to slump down to 4% this year, down from 6.8% in 2024. … and is expected to see a resurgence in 2026, with merchandise trade forecast to spike up by 2.5% and commercial services trade to rise by 4.1%.