Travel services in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Travel services was 24.1% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Travel services in Saudi Arabia, 1971–2025
Source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF). Measured in % of commercial service imports.
Analysis
In 2025, travel services in Saudi Arabia stood at 24.1%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.4% on the previous year and down 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, travel services in Saudi Arabia peaked at 50.5% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 13.1%, in 1981.
That places Saudi Arabia 72nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
Travel services in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of commercial service imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 50.5% | — |
| 1972 | 43.4% | -13.9% |
| 1973 | 33.1% | -23.9% |
| 1974 | 24.9% | -24.6% |
| 1975 | 16.4% | -34.4% |
| 1976 | 18.0% | +9.8% |
| 1977 | 18.1% | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 33.4% | +84.8% |
| 1979 | 18.8% | -43.9% |
| 1980 | 16.6% | -11.5% |
| 1981 | 13.1% | -21.0% |
| 2005 | 37.6% | +186.9% |
| 2006 | 43.5% | +15.5% |
| 2007 | 45.0% | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 33.2% | -26.4% |
| 2009 | 40.1% | +20.8% |
| 2010 | 38.5% | -3.9% |
| 2011 | 29.1% | -24.6% |
| 2012 | 31.4% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 31.3% | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 35.5% | +13.3% |
| 2015 | 31.8% | -10.3% |
| 2016 | 30.2% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 29.7% | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 27.8% | -6.5% |
| 2019 | 22.7% | -18.4% |
| 2020 | 17.3% | -23.8% |
| 2021 | 19.6% | +13.0% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | -2.0% |
| 2023 | 22.4% | +16.8% |
| 2024 | 23.5% | +5.1% |
| 2025 | 24.1% | +2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 28.5% | 16.4% | 50.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 14.9% | 13.1% | 16.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 39.9% | 33.2% | 45.0% | 5 |
| 2010s | 30.8% | 22.7% | 38.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.0% | 17.3% | 24.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More private sector data for Saudi Arabia
- Merchandise trade 44.2% (2025)
- Food imports 13.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 70.5% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 254.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.9% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 15.9% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 310.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,403 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is travel services in Saudi Arabia?
- Travel services in Saudi Arabia was 24.1% in 2025, according to Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
- What is the highest travel services recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.5% in 1971.
- What is the lowest travel services recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.1% in 1981.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for travel services?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 72nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is travel services rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF), published as part of Travel services (% of commercial service imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Travel services cover goods and services for own use or to give away acquired from an economy by nonresidents during visits to that economy, or acquired from other economies by residents during visits to these other economies. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are commercial services provided by non-residents to residents.