Industrial mineral production Saudi Arabia by product 2018

In 2018, the most produced industrial mineral in Saudi Arabia was limestone for cement at about 42 million metric tons. It was followed by hydraulic cement production at about 60 million metric tons in that year.

Saudi mining industry

The 2030 goal of Saudi Arabia is to develop its mining industry to become one of the main pillars of the economy. To reach that vision, it has been encouraging investments in the sector by providing lenient mining licenses and attractive tax incentives. The country had an above-average mining and quarrying value-added per capita compared to other Arab countries. In 2017, the revenue from metal ore mining alone exceeded one billion U.S. dollars in Saudi Arabia. Developing the mining sector can also affect rural areas of the country, such as the Northern Borders region. It became a central mining area for the country and has provided thousands of job opportunities; transforming the region into a more developed local community with entertainment centers, infrastructure, and many housing units. Electricity generating facilities were also constructed as a part of their mining facilities, providing electricity to more than 500 thousand homes.

Saudi metals and mineral production

Saudi Arabia has a very high potential for domestic mining operations as its local demand greatly exceeds the local supply. The largest cement producer in Saudi Arabia in 2016 was Yanbu Cement, followed by Saudi Cement. The most produced metal in 2017 was copper at more than 120 thousand tons, however, Saudi Arabia is still the third-largest copper importer in the world. Saudi Arabia aims to be one of the largest phosphate fertilizer producers worldwide by the year 2030. Its phosphate fertilizer production in 2016 exceeded 2.7 million metric tons; a significant increase compared to the 1.8 million metric tons produced in 2012. Additionally, the country has an estimated 20 million ounces of gold reserves underground, while it was only producing approximately 12 metric tons in 2019.