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The General Authority for Statistics placed the July rise in the mining and quarrying sub-index at 6.5 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, coinciding with Saudi Arabia’s decision to increase oil output to 9.53 million barrels per day from 8.94 million barrels per day. Overall industrial production advanced by the same margin, according to the authority’s preliminary bulletin, with gains distributed across manufacturing, utilities and water treatment categories. GASTAT noted that the monthly index edged up 1.3 percent from June, reflecting steady operational momentum in key extractive industries.
Manufacturing activity climbed 7 percent year on year, a GASTAT breakdown showed, driven by a 13.8 percent expansion in coke and refined petroleum products together with an 8.9 percent increase in chemicals output. The sub-index for electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply rose 0.9 percent while water supply, sewerage, waste management and remediation activities jumped 8.5 percent. These component gains contributed to a 7.8 percent increase in the oil activities index and a 3.5 percent rise in non-oil activities, the authority’s data indicated.
A separate GASTAT review of the second quarter of 2025 found other mining and quarrying activities expanded 5.4 percent, the highest rate in nine consecutive quarters and among the top four performing sectors in that period. The authority recorded a GDP contribution of 5.175 billion riyals from this sub-category, the third-highest quarterly figure on record. Such results illustrate the sector’s role in national accounts even as quarterly real GDP for the wider mining segment fluctuated in subsequent periods.
The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 68 new mining licenses in July, according to the National Center for Industrial and Mining Information, lifting the total number of active licenses to 2,463 by the end of the month. Building materials quarries accounted for the largest share at 1,499 licenses while exploration licenses reached 651. The ministry’s licensing drive forms part of a broader push to unlock mineral resources that GASTAT statistics show have grown cumulatively by 21 percent since 2016.
Arab News coverage of the GASTAT release framed the July performance as evidence of progress under Vision 2030, which has identified mining as a strategic pillar for reducing dependence on hydrocarbons. The publication reported that non-oil business activity continued to expand, although purchasing managers’ indices moderated slightly in the same period. GASTAT’s short-term business statistics for May had already signaled strength, with mining and quarrying revenues surging 38.7 percent year on year and lifting the overall operating revenue index by 11.4 percent.
Commercial bank credit extended to the mining and quarrying sector reached 46.5 billion riyals in July, Central Bank of Saudi Arabia figures show, essentially unchanged from the prior month but 1.1 percent lower than the year-earlier level. This financing level has supported both conventional extraction and emerging processing ventures across the Kingdom. GASTAT continues to track these credit flows alongside production indices to provide a comprehensive view of sector performance.
