Saudi Arabia retains top spot in global date exports for fourth year
RIYADH — Saudi Arabia has retained its position as the world’s leading exporter of dates by value for the fourth consecutive year, with the Kingdom’s date exports reaching SR1.938 billion in 2025, according to International Trade Centre data cited by Saudi authorities.
The latest figures underline the growing importance of the date palm sector to Saudi Arabia’s agricultural economy and its broader economic diversification strategy under Saudi Vision 2030. The export value rose 14.3 per cent from 2024 and has increased 59.5 per cent since 2021, according to the National Center for Palms and Dates (NCPD).
The achievement comes as Riyadh seeks to move the traditional agricultural sector beyond raw production towards higher-value processing, branding, packaging and international distribution.
Ahmed Al-Mousa, chief executive of the National Center for Palms and Dates, said government agencies, private-sector companies and other stakeholders had worked together to develop supply chains, improve export efficiency and expand the international reach of Saudi dates.
The NCPD said its Saudi Date Export Empowerment and Global Market Entry Initiative has played a key role in expanding the presence of Saudi dates and processed date products in international markets. The initiative has helped products reach 15 retail markets and more than 1,500 branches worldwide, according to Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi dates are now exported to more than 125 countries, with the Kingdom offering a wide range of varieties that have gained international demand for their quality and production standards.
Saudi Arabia produced more than 1.9 million tonnes of dates in 2025, while the country had more than 37 million palm trees, according to the NCPD.
Separate data from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture show the Kingdom had approximately 37.6 million date palms in 2024, including more than 32.2 million productive trees. Date production stood at about 1.92 million tonnes that year.
The sector is spread across several major agricultural regions, including Riyadh, Al-Qassim, Madinah and Al-Ahsa. The government has increasingly focused on improving productivity, sustainable cultivation and the value chain connecting farmers with domestic and international consumers.
The importance of regional production was highlighted this week in AlUla, where more than 4.2 million palm trees cover around 16,484 hectares and annual date production is estimated at about 130,000 tonnes, according to the Royal Commission for AlUla.
Saudi date exports have also recorded significant growth in individual markets.
Exports to the Netherlands increased 47 per cent in 2025 from a year earlier, while shipments to China rose 39 per cent. Exports to South Africa increased 48 per cent, while Japan recorded the strongest growth among the highlighted markets, at 67 per cent year-on-year.
The figures suggest that Saudi Arabia is increasingly targeting markets beyond its traditional regional customer base, particularly in Europe, Asia and Africa.
At an international workshop on global date marketing and promotion held in Tunisia on October 1, Saudi representatives highlighted the Kingdom’s shift from a production-focused model towards an integrated value chain covering cultivation, grading, processing, innovation, packaging, distribution and global branding.
This approach is intended to increase the value generated from dates rather than relying solely on volume exports.
The date sector fits into Riyadh’s broader effort to diversify the Saudi economy, strengthen non-oil sectors and increase the contribution of agriculture and food industries to national economic activity.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture reported that the broader agricultural sector’s GDP reached SR118 billion in 2025, recording annual growth of 5 per cent. The ministry said the sector’s total production reached 16 million tonnes across basic commodities.
For the date industry, the government’s strategy increasingly combines agricultural production with export promotion, food processing, modern retail and international branding.
The NCPD says the sector is being developed through programmes aimed at improving the entire value chain and strengthening the competitiveness of Saudi dates in global retail markets.
With exports approaching SR2 billion, production exceeding 1.9 million tonnes and Saudi dates reaching markets in more than 125 countries, the Kingdom is seeking to turn one of its oldest agricultural traditions into a stronger non-oil export industry.
The latest export milestone, Saudi officials say, reflects not only the scale of the country’s palm cultivation but also the increasing international commercialisation of Saudi agricultural products under Vision 2030.
