Saudi Arabia Imports Livestock Worth SAR 20 Billion, Half of It from Sudan

Saudi Arabia’s bill for live livestock imports reached SAR 20 billion over the past five years as the Kingdom moved to secure local market needs and strengthen food security, according to the Financial Analysis Unit of Al-Eqtisadiah (Economist) newspaper.

The value of imports rose sharply from SAR 2.2 billion in 2021 to a peak of SAR 5.1 billion in 2024, before stabilizing at high levels of around SAR 4 billion in 2025.

Sudan remained the leading livestock supplier by a wide margin, accounting for SAR 9.5 billion — nearly half of the total import value during the period.

Somalia ranked second with SAR 3.4 billion, followed by Jordan at SAR 1.8 billion, then Romania with SAR 1.1 billion, while Djibouti came fifth at nearly SAR 1 billion.