RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s non-oil industrial activities remained 2.1 percent higher than a year earlier in April, despite a broader decline in factory and mining output that pushed the Kingdom’s Industrial Production Index down 6.8 percent from March, according to official data.
Preliminary figures from the General Authority for Statistics showed the Industrial Production Index fell to 84.9 in April, down from 91 in March and 104.9 in the same month a year earlier.
The decline was driven largely by weaker mining and manufacturing activity. Mining and quarrying output dropped 9.3 percent month on month, while manufacturing activity declined 4.8 percent.
The latest figures come as the US-Iran conflict weighs on industrial activity across the Middle East, with Qatar also reporting a sharp decline of 64.4 percent in output in March following the outbreak of hostilities in late February.
“On a monthly basis, the sub-index of manufacturing activity showed a decrease of 4.8 percent, affected by the decline in the activity of the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products, which decreased by 6.1 percent, and the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products, which decreased by 9.7 percent,” said GASTAT.
Oil-related activities declined 8.7 percent month on month in April, while non-oil activities fell 3.2 percent from March.
On an annual basis, Saudi Arabia’s IPI declined 19.1 percent in April, largely due to a 29.9 percent drop in mining and quarrying activity, a sector that carries significant weight in the Kingdom’s industrial output.
According to the report, manufacturing activity also posted a 6.1 percent annual decline, due to an 18.7 percent drop in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products.
On an annual basis, the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products also decreased by 4.2 percent.
Growth was seen in several other manufacturing segments. Basic metals rose 10.4 percent year on year, non-metallic mineral products increased 5.7 percent, paper and paper products grew 2.8 percent, and furniture edged up 2.1 percent.
In April, the sub-index of electricity, gas, steam, and air-conditioning supply activity recorded an annual increase of 20.8 percent compared to the same month in 2025.
On an annual basis, oil activities declined by 27.8 percent in April, while non-oil activities increased by 2.1 percent.
The IPI measures changes in industrial output based on the International Standard Industrial Classification framework and covers mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply, as well as water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities.
