Country agriculture profile · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Agriculture in Saudi Arabia is practised in one of the world’s most water-limited environments — a hyper-arid desert without perennial rivers, where cultivation depends on groundwater, much of it non-renewable, and increasingly on desalination. Date palms grown in oases are the historic core of Saudi farming, complemented by centre-pivot forage and vegetable production and by some of the region’s largest intensive dairy and poultry operations, which rely heavily on imported feed. Camel, sheep, and goat pastoralism continues across the rangelands. Having once pursued irrigated wheat self-sufficiency, the Kingdom has since scaled back water-intensive cereal cultivation to conserve its aquifers and now meets most of its staple-food needs through imports.
Farming systems (stable overview)
Climate zones
- Hot desert (hyper-arid)
- Highland semi-arid (south-western Asir)
Agroecological zones
- Central desert plains (Najd)
- Eastern oases (Al-Ahsa)
- South-western highlands (Asir)
- Rangeland steppe
Dominant crop systems
- Date palm cultivation in oases
- Centre-pivot irrigated forage (alfalfa) and vegetables drawing on groundwater
- Greenhouse vegetable production
- Irrigated wheat, reduced from earlier self-sufficiency programmes to conserve water
Major livestock systems
- Camel, sheep, and goat pastoralism on the rangelands
- Large intensive dairy operations reliant on imported and irrigated feed
- Commercial broiler and layer poultry
Irrigation: Cultivation depends on irrigation from groundwater — much of it non-renewable fossil aquifer water — supplemented by desalination, making water availability the overriding constraint on farming.
Latest verified data
Each value is the most recent available observation, shown with its own year and unit. Figures are periodically revised — treat them as dated, sourced statistics, not evergreen facts.
| Indicator | Value | Unit | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land | 80.77 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Arable land | 1.6 | % of land area | 2023 |
| Cereal yield | 5,121.7 | kg per hectare | 2023 |
| Agriculture value added | 2.51 | % of GDP | 2024 |
| Livestock production index | 164.71 | index (2014–2016 = 100) | 2022 |
| Irrigated agricultural land | 0.44 | % of agricultural land | 2023 |
| Average precipitation | 59 | mm per year | 2022 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Commodity market data
4,207 official observations across 51 commodities. Figures are shown on each commodity page with the unit, status and release its source published.
| Commodity | Metrics recorded |
|---|---|
| Almonds | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Avocados | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Bananas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Barley Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Import value |
| Black Peppercorns | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cashew Nuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Chickpeas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Cocoa Beans | Imports, Import value |
| Cotton Lint | Imports, Import value |
| Cottonseed | Domestic use, Imports, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Cucumbers | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dates | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dried Chillies | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dried Tobacco Leaf | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Beans | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Bulb Onions | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Dry Peas | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Flaxseed | Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Apples | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Oranges | Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Pineapples | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Strawberries | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Fresh Tomatoes | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Green Coffee | Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Groundnuts | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Imports, Import value |
| Hazelnuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Head Cabbage | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Hen Eggs | Production, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Jute Fibre | Imports, Import value |
| Lentils | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Maize Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Milled Rice | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Imports, Export value, Import value |
| Millet Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Imports, Import value |
| Oat Grain | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Pistachios | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Rapeseed | Imports, Import value |
| Raw Cow Milk | Production, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Raw Wool | Production, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Rice Paddy | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Safflower Seed | Imports, Import value |
| Sesame Seed | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Sorghum Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Import value |
| Soybeans | Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Imports, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Sugarcane | Imports, Import value |
| Sunflower Seed | Domestic use, Imports, Exports, Export value, Import value |
| Sweet Potatoes | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Tea Leaf | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Vanilla Beans | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Walnuts | Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Ware Potatoes | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Index value, Producer price, Exports, Export value, Imports, Import value |
| Wheat Grain | Area harvested, Production, Yield, Beginning stocks, Domestic use, Ending stocks, Exports, Feed use, Imports, Index value, Producer price, Export value, Import value |
Cereal yield over time
Show data table
| Year | kg per hectare |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 5,164.2 |
| 2013 | 5,359.8 |
| 2014 | 5,192.8 |
| 2015 | 5,582.8 |
| 2016 | 5,440.9 |
| 2017 | 5,630.9 |
| 2018 | 5,605.5 |
| 2019 | 5,295.4 |
| 2020 | 4,819.4 |
| 2021 | 4,727.5 |
| 2022 | 5,002.1 |
| 2023 | 5,121.7 |
Source: World Bank Open Data (World Development Indicators) (opens in a new tab) · dataset version 2026-07-01 · retrieved 2026-07-12
Derived indicator
Arable land as a share of agricultural land: 2 % of agricultural land (2023)
Derived value — formula arable-share-of-agricultural-land v1.0.0 (calc v1). Inputs: AG.LND.ARBL.ZS (1.6) ÷ AG.LND.AGRI.ZS (80.8). A derived ratio, not an observed statistic. Sensitive to rounding and to differing revision cycles of the two source series; omit rather than extrapolate when a common year is unavailable.
Documented crops & livestock
Agricultural institutions
- Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) — National ministry responsible for agriculture, water resources, and the environment.
- Saudi Grains Organization (SAGO) — State body managing strategic grain reserves, flour milling, and cereal imports.
Data coverage & limitations
Covered by the World Bank WDI snapshots for land, production, yield, economy, inputs, and environment indicators, compiled largely from FAO and national sources.
| Layer | Status | What is held |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural authorities | Covered | 1 record |
| Official registries | Not yet indexed | — |
| Compliance requirements | Not yet indexed | — |
| Support programmes | Not yet indexed | — |
| Biosecurity listings | Not yet indexed | — |
| Variety registrations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Input authorisations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Extension resources | Not yet indexed | — |
| Market statistics | Covered | 292 records |
| Soil survey observations | Not yet indexed | — |
| Border requirements | Not yet indexed | — |
| Farm economics figures | Not yet indexed | — |
| Climate, drought and water values | Covered | 50 records |
This page describes what AgricultureID has indexed, not what exists. A layer shown as not yet indexed means nobody has looked, and never that the thing is absent in that country. How coverage is worked out.
- Agricultural statistics are dated, versioned, and periodically revised; always read them together with their observation year and dataset version.
- National statistical definitions — of agricultural land, irrigated area, holdings, and livestock categories — differ between countries and over time, which limits strict cross-country comparison.
- Much irrigation draws on non-renewable groundwater, so historical production levels are not necessarily sustainable or repeatable, and policy shifts such as the phase-down of subsidised wheat mean older figures may not reflect current cropping.
- Heavy reliance on food imports means domestic production statistics substantially understate the country’s total food supply.
Sources
This article draws on the following authoritative sources. See our sources & methodology for how they are selected.
- Authoritative
Cited for: Agricultural statistics (WDI)
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12
- [2]FAO — Food and Agriculture Organization (opens in a new tab)Authoritative
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Cited for: Production systems, irrigation, and food-balance context
- Type:
- Intergovernmental organization
- Jurisdiction:
- Global
- Accessed:
- 2026-07-12