The General Authority for Statistics has released the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Publication for Q1 of 2025. According to the results, net FDI inflows reached SAR 22.2 billion, marking a 44% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year, while recording a 7% decrease compared to Q4 of 2024.
The publication also showed that outward FDI flows from the Kingdom’s economy amounted to approximately SAR 1.8 billion during Q1 of 2025, a 54% decrease compared to the same quarter last year, despite a 7% increase compared to Q4 of 2024. Meanwhile, inward FDI flows into the Kingdom's economy reached around SAR 24.0 billion in Q1 of 2025, representing a 24% increase compared to the same quarter last year, when the inflows were approximately SAR 19.4 billion. However, this also represents a 6% decrease compared to the previous quarter of the same year.
It is worth noting that foreign direct investment reflects a long-term relationship and sustained interest by entities resident in an economy other than Saudi Arabia. This typically involves the foreign investor, either individually or jointly with other foreign investors, owning 10% or more of the voting power in the shares of an enterprise.
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released today the Labor Market Statistics Publication for Q1 of 2025. According to the results, the overall unemployment rate (including Saudis and non-Saudis) stood at 2.8%, while the overall labor force participation rate reached 68.2%. The labor force participation rate for Saudis increased to 51.3%, compared to Q4 of 2024.

The publication showed a rise in labor force participation among Saudi males, reaching 66.4%, accompanied by a decline in their unemployment rate to 4%. It also highlighted the success of women’s empowerment initiatives, which contributed to increased female economic participation and enhanced their role in driving growth and sustainable development. The labor force participation rate for Saudi females rose to 36.3%, while their unemployment rate dropped to 10.5%, compared to the previous quarter.

Among young Saudi women (15–24 years), the employment-to-population ratio increased to 14.6%, and their labor force participation rose to 18.4%. Meanwhile, the employment-to-population ratio for young Saudi males declined to 29.2%, with their labor force participation falling to 33.0%. Their unemployment rate dropped to 11.6% compared to Q4 of 2024. These changes are attributed to improvements in labor market policies, driven by the robust performance and growing attractiveness of the Saudi labor market.
Regarding core working-age Saudis (25–54 years), the employment-to-population ratio rose to 65.9%, and the labor force participation rate increased to 69.6%, while the unemployment rate declined to 5.4%. For Saudis (55 years and older), both the unemployment rate and labor force participation rate decreased compared to the previous quarter of 2024.
 
According to the publication, the unemployment rate among Saudis reached a historic low of 6.3% in Q1 of 2025. Likewise, unemployment among Saudi women has declined by more than 11 percentage points since 2021, reaching 10.5%, reflecting the Saudi labor market’s growing capacity to provide economic opportunities for its citizens amid supportive policies focused on development and employment.
The most common job search method was directly approaching employers, used by 75.8% of job seekers, followed by using the national unified employment platform (Jadarat) at 74.6%, while 64.5% of job seekers reported posting or updating their resumes on professional social media platforms. 
 

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) has released today International Merchandise Trade Statistics publication for April 2025. According to the publication’s findings, the total merchandise exports amounted to SAR 90.3 billion, marking a decline of 10.9% compared to April 2024. Meanwhile, non-oil exports (including re-exports) increased by 24.6%, reaching SAR 28.4 billion compared to April 2024.
Imports also rose in April 2025, reaching SAR 76.1 billion, an increase of 18.3%. As a result, the trade balance surplus decreased to SAR 14.2 billion, reflecting a drop of 61.7% compared to April 2024.
The publication’s results showed an increase in the ratio of non-oil exports (including re-exports) to imports, which stood at 37.2% in April 2025 compared to 35.4% in April 2024. On the other hand, the share of oil exports in total exports declined from 77.5% in April 2024 to 68.6% in April 2025.
According to the publication, chemical industry products were among the top non-oil export commodities, amounting to SAR 6.0 billion and accounting for 26.4% of total non-oil exports. As for imports, the leading commodity group was machinery, electrical equipment, and parts thereof, which recorded SAR 21.1 billion and made up 26.0% of total imports.
The publication also indicated that the People’s Republic of China remained the Kingdom’s top trading partner. Exports to China totaled SAR 11.4 billion, representing 12.6% of total exports in April 2025, while imports from China reached SAR19.0 billion, accounting for 25.0% of total imports.
It is worth noting that international trade statistics rely on administrative records from Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (for non-oil trade) and the Ministry of Energy (for oil trade). The Kingdom’s imports and exports are classified according to the 2022 Harmonized System (HS) for the Description and Coding of Goods.