Riyadh – BETH
09 Jumada Al-Akhirah 1447 AH – 30 November 2025

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) today released the first edition of the Mineral Wealth Statistics Bulletin 2024, presenting the latest data on the Kingdom’s mining and mineral sector—one of the strategic pillars of Saudi Vision 2030.

Total Mineral Occurrences Discovered

The bulletin revealed that Saudi Arabia has identified 5,651 mineral occurrences, distributed as follows:

Non-metallic minerals: 3,058 sites (54.1%)

Metallic minerals: 2,423 sites (42.9%)

Sites containing both types: 170 sites (3.0%)

Mining Licenses Up 21% Cumulatively Between 2016 and 2024

The number of mining licenses increased from 1,985 in 2016 to 2,401 in 2024, classified as follows:

Building materials quarry licenses: 1,481 licenses (largest share)

Exploration licenses: 642 licenses

Exploitation licenses (building materials – mining – ore deposits): 215 licenses

Reconnaissance licenses: 41 licenses

Surplus mineral ore licenses: 22 licenses

Mineral Trade: Strong Saudi Presence in Aluminum and Lead Exports

Aluminum

Exports: 283,000 tons (62.9%)

Imports: 167,000 tons (37.1%)

Lead

Exports: 59,000 tons (93.7%)

Imports: 4,000 tons (6.3%)

Zinc

Imports: 88,000 tons (99.9%+)

Exports: 6 tons only

Nickel

Imports only: 407 tons (100%)

Phosphate Fertilizer Exports Grow by 4.6%

Saudi phosphate fertilizer exports reached:

5.7 million tons in 2024
compared to

5.4 million tons in 2023

Meanwhile, imports dropped significantly to 66.2 thousand tons, representing a 51.7% decline.

First Specialized Release

This bulletin marks the first official statistical publication dedicated to Saudi Arabia’s mineral wealth. It covers data from 2021 to 2024, drawing from:

The General Authority for Statistics

Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources

Saudi Geological Survey’s National Geological Database