Egypt's trade with Saudi Arabia rose 21 per cent year-on-year to $5.9 billion in the first half of 2025, driven by higher imports, the state statistics agency CAPMAS said on Thursday. Egyptian exports to Saudi Arabia slipped to $1.5 billion from $1.7 billion a year earlier, while imports climbed to $4.4 billion from $3.2 billion, the data showed. Top Egyptian exports included copper ($237 million), vegetables and fruits ($192 million), ready-made garments ($152 million), electrical machinery ($143 million) and iron and steel ($139 million). Key imports from Saudi Arabia were mineral fuels ($3.3 billion), plastics ($596 million), organic chemicals ($139 million), aluminium ($109 million) and paper products ($49 million). Saudi investments in Egypt reached $532 million in the first half of fiscal 2024/2025, up from $408.5 million a year earlier. Egyptian investments in Saudi Arabia also rose to $116.2 million from $107.6 million. Remittances from Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia fell to $8 billion in 2023/2024, from $8.3 billion the previous year. Transfers from Saudis in Egypt dropped to $11.6 million from $26.1 million. CAPMAS also said Egypt's population reached 108 million in August 2025, compared with Saudi Arabia's 34.6 million, with about 1.1 million Egyptians residing in the kingdom at the end of 2023. The trade figures come as President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is visiting Saudi Arabia, underscoring the kingdom's role as one of Egypt's most important economic partners. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
