5,651 Mineralisation Sites Discovered in Saudi Arabia in 2024

Saudi Arabia recorded 5,651 discovered mineralisation sites in 2024. The General Authority for Statistics, in its Mineral Resources Statistics 2024 bulletin, reported that non‑metallic minerals accounted for 54.1% with 3,058 sites, metallic minerals for 42.9% with 2,423, and sites containing both types made up about 3% with 170 sites.

The authority noted an increase in mining licences issued, rising from 1,985 in 2016 to 2,401 in 2024, a cumulative growth of 21% over the period. In 2024, building materials quarry licences formed the largest category with 1,481 licences. The bulletin presented these figures as part of a consolidated snapshot of activity in the sector during 2024.

On external trade, aluminium exports reached 283,000 tons, accounting for 62.9% of total aluminium trade, while imports stood at 167,000 tons or 37.1%. Lead exports totalled 59,000 tons, representing 93.7% of its trade, with imports around 4,000 tons or 6.3%. Zinc trade was almost entirely reliant on imports at 88,000 tons, with exports not exceeding six tons. Nickel trade was exclusively import based at 407 tons. The bulletin also recorded phosphate fertiliser exports rising to 5.7 million tons in 2024 from 5.4 million tons in 2023, an increase of 4.6%, while phosphate fertiliser imports declined to 66,200 tons, down 51.7% year on year.