Country profile · Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia covers most of the Arabian Peninsula. It is the world's third-largest oil producer, after the United States and Russia. It is an absolute monarchy with no national elections. King Salman is head of state. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman runs the government. Iran has attacked it since February 2026, and the Houthis in Yemen since July.
Where Saudi Arabia ranks
All rankings →Who runs Saudi Arabia?
King Salman, who is 90, has reigned since 2015. His son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, runs the government. Mohammed bin Salman became crown prince on June 21, 2017, and prime minister on September 27, 2022. He studied law at King Saud University and finished second in his class. He told Fox News in 2023 that he has loved video games since childhood. The Public Investment Fund he chairs bought the game maker Electronic Arts in a deal that closed on August 4, 2026. A US intelligence report released in February 2021 found he approved an operation to capture or kill the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Portrait (2025): The White House, public domain
Who are Saudi Arabia's allies and rivals?
Saudi Arabia's main security partner is the United States, which designated it a major non-NATO ally in January 2026. On September 17, 2025, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact. On August 7, 2026, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca pact. An attack on one is an attack on all. Saudi Arabia and Iran restored ties in a deal brokered by China on March 10, 2023. Iran struck Saudi Arabia from February 28, 2026. Saudi Arabia expelled Iran's military attaché in March 2026. The Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi ports on July 20, 2026. A rift with the UAE over Yemen began in December 2025.
Allies and partners
United StatesMajor non-NATO ally since January 2026
PakistanMutual defense pact, September 2025
TurkeyMecca defense pact, August 2026
EgyptJoined Red Sea defense alliance, August 2026
QatarBlockade ended 2021, rail link agreed 2025
ChinaLargest trading partner
Rivals and tensions
IranStruck Saudi Arabia since February 2026- HouthisDeclared blockade of Saudi ports, July 2026
United Arab EmiratesRift over Yemen since December 2025
- Strait of Hormuz Blocked on and off by Iran since February 2026. In September 2026, Saudi tankers used a US-guarded lane along Oman's coast.
- Yanbu Red Sea end of the East-West pipeline. Pipeline shut September 11 to 22, 2026 after drones from Iraq hit it.
- Bab el-Mandeb The Houthis took Mokha, Perim Island and the Hanish Islands in September 2026.
- Saudi Arabia
- Partner
- Rival
Who does Saudi Arabia trade with?
China is Saudi Arabia's largest trading partner. Saudi Arabia exported $312.0 billion of goods in 2025 and imported $253.3 billion. Oil was 68.7% of exports, down from 73.1% in 2024. China took 14.6% of exports and supplied 27.5% of imports. Non-oil exports rose 18.9% to $97.6 billion. Oil paid for 54.6% of government revenue in 2025. The budget deficit was $73.8 billion. Public debt reached about $405 billion at the end of 2025. Since July 24, 2026, Saudi goods entering the United States have paid a 12.5% tariff.
Sells to
Share of Saudi Arabia's exports
South Korea
Buys from
Share of Saudi Arabia's imports
- China27.5%
- United States8.2%
- United Arab Emirates5.7%
India4.8%
Germany4.4%
Goods trade, 2025. Shares of Saudi Arabia's exports (including re-exports) and imports, from GASTAT, the General Authority for Statistics, published on DataSaudi.
How strong is Saudi Arabia's military?
SIPRI estimates Saudi Arabia spent $83.2 billion on its military in 2025, 6.5% of GDP. The IISS counts 257,000 active troops. Saudi Arabia was the third-largest arms importer in 2021 to 2025. The United States supplied 77% of those imports. On September 17, 2026, the State Department approved a possible sale of 48 F-35 jets. Saudi Arabia has no nuclear weapons. It joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1988. In 2018 the crown prince told CBS that Saudi Arabia would follow suit if Iran built a nuclear bomb. A US-Saudi civil nuclear agreement signed in July 2026 allows uranium enrichment only if both governments agree after a two-year study. Congress is still reviewing it.
Military spending in the Middle East, 2025
Full ranking →
KuwaitSIPRI Military Expenditure Database, 2026 edition
How much oil does Saudi Arabia produce?
The EIA estimates Saudi Arabia produced 9.556 million barrels of oil a day in 2025. Its capacity is 12 million barrels a day. Before the war, in February 2026, it reported 10.88 million to OPEC. Most Saudi crude exports normally leave through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blocked on and off since February 2026. The East-West pipeline carries up to 7 million barrels a day to Yanbu on the Red Sea, but about 2 million feeds refineries. Output fell to 6.24 million barrels a day in August 2026, the lowest since 1990. Aramco, the state oil company, earned $93.4 billion in 2025.
Oil production, 2025 (barrels a day)
Full ranking →- United States13,586,000
Russia9,885,000- Saudi Arabia9,556,000
Canada4,964,000
Iraq4,388,000- China4,325,000
- Iran4,051,000
- United Arab Emirates3,771,000
US Energy Information Administration, International Energy Statistics