Saudi Arabia's trade surplus with Gulf countries surged 92% in August

Saudi Arabia’s merchandise trade surplus with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries surged by 91.85% year-on-year in August 2026, driven by higher trade surpluses with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, according to a statistic compiled by Arabiya Business. The Kingdom’s trade surplus with GCC nations in August (excluding petroleum exports) rose to $2.47 billion (SAR 9.28 billion), compared to $1.29 billion (SAR 4.84 billion) in the same month of 2025, based on preliminary data for Saudi non-petroleum merchandise trade released by the General Authority for Statistics. This growth coincided with a 46.66% year-on-year increase in Saudi Arabia’s merchandise trade surplus with the United Arab Emirates in August, reaching $1.88 billion (SAR 7.06 billion), and a 210.67% growth in the surplus with Kuwait to $452.67 million (SAR 1.7 billion).