RIYADH: Despite a decline in oil-related production, Saudi Arabia’s non-oil industrial activity was robust in March, with output up 1.4% from February and several manufacturing divisions showing consistent increase.
The Kingdom’s non-oil operations remained largely unchanged year over year, according to preliminary statistics issued by the General Authority for Statistics, thanks to ongoing improvements in manufacturing, utilities, and downstream industries. March saw a 14.1 percent year-over-year decline in Saudi Arabia’s total Industrial Production Index, driven by lower mining and quarrying output and reduced oil-related activity.
As the Kingdom advances efforts to diversify growth drivers under Vision 2030 through investments in manufacturing, infrastructure, and industrial development, the data demonstrate the continued momentum of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil industrial economy.
According to GASTAT’s most recent report, “the index of non-oil activities remained stable at a level close to its performance in the same period of the previous year, while the index of oil activities decreased by 20 percent in March 2026 compared to the same month of the previous year.”
The results also indicated that the index of non-oil activities increased by 1.4 percent while the index of oil activities decreased by 30.8 percent compared to February 2026,” the statement continued.
The country’s oil-related industrial activity is declining at a time when global energy markets are more turbulent. The International Energy Agency warned that supply problems in the Middle East had cut millions of barrels per day from global markets, tightening exports and impacting industrial output across oil-producing economies. In March, OPEC+ production fell precipitously.
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