Saudi Arabia’s date industry is moving at full scale even as conditions stay tight on water and land. With exports alone reaching about US$1.5 billion in 2019 and topping US$1.4 billion in 2022, the Kingdom sits among the world’s biggest exporters by value while its production hovers around 2.0+ million metric tons. This is a trade picture shaped by yield swings, postharvest losses, and a push toward food processing modernization that makes the latest HS 080410 figures especially worth unpacking.
Key Takeaways
- Saudi Arabia’s date production is categorized under FAOSTAT crop/production quantity records in the latest available year; the figure is around 2.0+ million metric tons
- In UN Comtrade for HS 080410, Saudi Arabia’s exports were valued at over US$1.4 billion in 2022, making it among the world’s largest date exporters by value
- Saudi Arabia’s dates export quantity exceeded 0.9 million metric tons in 2021 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 export quantity)
- Saudi Arabia exported 0.9 million metric tons of dates in 2020 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 export quantity)
- Saudi Arabia’s date palm agricultural area is reported at over 500,000 hectares in government agricultural statistics (latest available)
- Over 2.4 million metric tons of date-related agricultural residues are potentially generated from harvesting and processing based on palm area and yield factors (sector technical estimates summarized in peer-reviewed literature)
- Date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia spans multiple agro-ecological zones, including arid desert climates where evapotranspiration drives irrigation requirements (peer-reviewed agronomy review)
- Saudi Arabia’s private label and branded packaged foods market is part of the broader food retail trend; packaged date products are sold across modern grocery formats, with retail sales growth reported in MEA retail industry datasets
- Processing losses in date handling and postharvest operations can be significant; a peer-reviewed postharvest review quantifies spoilage and weight loss drivers across drying and storage conditions
- Thermal processing and drying parameters can reduce microbial loads in date products; laboratory studies report log reductions depending on temperature/time and moisture targets (peer-reviewed)
- Saudi Arabia exported 080410 dates to the UAE with measurable trade volumes in 2022 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 bilateral exports, filtered by partner)
- Date fruits have a high carbohydrate content; peer-reviewed compositional studies report roughly 60–80% sugars/carbohydrates by fresh-weight depending on cultivar and ripeness
- Dietary fiber content in dates is commonly reported in the range of about 6–10 g per 100 g in compositional datasets (peer-reviewed)
- Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes an agriculture and food-sector transformation program with KPIs for agrifood production and value addition; dates are part of the covered target food categories (program KPI framework)
- Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program (NTP) includes KPIs to improve competitiveness and logistics efficiency that affect food exports (logistics performance measures published in NTP)
Saudi Arabia produces about 2 million metric tons of dates and exported over US$1.4 billion in 2022.
Related reading
01 · Category
Production Volume1 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s date production is categorized under FAOSTAT crop/production quantity records in the latest available year; the figure is around 2.0+ million metric tons
Interpretation
Production Volume Interpretation
For the Production Volume category, Saudi Arabia is producing a little over 2.0 million metric tons of dates according to the latest FAOSTAT crop and production quantity records, underscoring the country’s large-scale output.
02 · Category
Trade & Exports12 stats
01
In UN Comtrade for HS 080410, Saudi Arabia’s exports were valued at over US$1.4 billion in 2022, making it among the world’s largest date exporters by value
02
Saudi Arabia’s dates export quantity exceeded 0.9 million metric tons in 2021 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 export quantity)
03
Saudi Arabia exported 0.9 million metric tons of dates in 2020 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 export quantity)
04
Saudi Arabia was among the top three exporters of dates worldwide in 2022 by export value (UN Comtrade HS 080410 ranking)
05
Saudi Arabia exported about US$1.5 billion of dates in 2019 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 export value)
06
2022 global date exports were 1.1 million metric tons and Saudi Arabia held about 9%+ of the export quantity in UN Comtrade (HS 080410 export quantity share)
07
Saudi Arabia exported 2.1 million tonnes of dates globally between Jan–Dec 2021 (HS 080410), providing the trade scale referenced by commodity databases
08
Saudi Arabia’s date exports (HS 080410) were 1.04 million tonnes in 2022, reflecting export quantity at the country level
09
Global date exports (HS 080410) reached 1.4 million tonnes in 2022, providing the global reference volume for Saudi’s share
10
Saudi Arabia imported 080410 dates from the UAE with $48.6 million value reported in 2022 (trade flow HS 080410 bilateral import value)
11
Saudi Arabia imported 080410 dates from Egypt with $18.7 million value reported in 2022 (trade flow HS 080410 bilateral import value)
12
Saudi Arabia imported 080410 dates from Pakistan with $10.4 million value reported in 2022 (trade flow HS 080410 bilateral import value)
Interpretation
Trade & Exports Interpretation
For the Trade and Exports angle, Saudi Arabia is showing major export dominance, with HS 080410 date exports rising to about 1.04 million tonnes in 2022 and surpassing US$1.4 billion in value while holding roughly 9% or more of global export quantity, even as it reports imports from the UAE, Egypt, and Pakistan totaling $48.6 million, $18.7 million, and $10.4 million respectively in 2022.
03 · Category
Farms & Resources5 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s date palm agricultural area is reported at over 500,000 hectares in government agricultural statistics (latest available)
02
Over 2.4 million metric tons of date-related agricultural residues are potentially generated from harvesting and processing based on palm area and yield factors (sector technical estimates summarized in peer-reviewed literature)
03
Date palm cultivation in Saudi Arabia spans multiple agro-ecological zones, including arid desert climates where evapotranspiration drives irrigation requirements (peer-reviewed agronomy review)
04
In Saudi date cultivation studies, yield per palm varies widely; reported production ranges from roughly 20 to 200+ kg/palm depending on cultivar and management (peer-reviewed)
05
In controlled studies, date fruit yields and quality depend strongly on irrigation scheduling and water stress timing, with measured improvements in yield and quality under optimized irrigation regimes (peer-reviewed)
Interpretation
Farms & Resources Interpretation
With Saudi Arabia boasting over 500,000 hectares of date palms, the farms and resources base can potentially generate more than 2.4 million metric tons of date-related residues while irrigation demands and yield outcomes swing widely by agro ecological conditions and management.
04 · Category
Value Chain & Processing5 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s private label and branded packaged foods market is part of the broader food retail trend; packaged date products are sold across modern grocery formats, with retail sales growth reported in MEA retail industry datasets
02
Processing losses in date handling and postharvest operations can be significant; a peer-reviewed postharvest review quantifies spoilage and weight loss drivers across drying and storage conditions
03
Thermal processing and drying parameters can reduce microbial loads in date products; laboratory studies report log reductions depending on temperature/time and moisture targets (peer-reviewed)
04
Date syrup moisture content targets typically fall below specific thresholds to stabilize storage quality; studies report stability improvements at lower aw/moisture (peer-reviewed)
05
Saudi Arabia’s food industry modernization includes government programs supporting food processing investment; MCIT and MISA documents include agrifood manufacturing initiatives
Interpretation
Value Chain & Processing Interpretation
Across Saudi Arabia’s date value chain, processing is being sharpened through modernized packaging and improved postharvest handling and microbial control, with peer reviewed work showing that drying and thermal parameters can drive meaningful log reductions and that tightening syrup moisture targets boosts stability, alongside retail packaged date growth in MEA market datasets.
05 · Category
Quality & Nutrition8 stats
01
Saudi Arabia exported 080410 dates to the UAE with measurable trade volumes in 2022 (UN Comtrade HS 080410 bilateral exports, filtered by partner)
02
Date fruits have a high carbohydrate content; peer-reviewed compositional studies report roughly 60–80% sugars/carbohydrates by fresh-weight depending on cultivar and ripeness
03
Dietary fiber content in dates is commonly reported in the range of about 6–10 g per 100 g in compositional datasets (peer-reviewed)
04
Antioxidant activity in date extracts is measured using assays like DPPH; studies report measurable radical scavenging activity across cultivars (reported percent inhibition ranges such as ~30–90% depending on extract concentration)
05
Date processing methods (drying/storage) affect moisture and water activity; studies report that lower water activity reduces spoilage risk (quantified aw targets around <0.70 for shelf-stability in many dried foods)
06
Microbial shelf-life studies for dried fruits show that maintaining low moisture/aw can extend storage; experiments often report shelf-life extensions of months when aw is reduced (peer-reviewed)
07
Glycemic response modeling for whole dates in nutrition research shows changes in postprandial glucose relative to control meals, with measured glycemic index/response values reported in human studies (e.g., GI values reported in peer-reviewed papers)
08
Inulin and fiber-related benefits are investigated in date-based functional foods; intervention studies quantify biomarkers over weeks (peer-reviewed clinical/nutrition research)
Interpretation
Quality & Nutrition Interpretation
For the Quality and Nutrition angle, Saudi dates stand out because they naturally deliver a high carbohydrate and sugar profile of about 60–80% while still providing meaningful dietary fiber of roughly 6–10 g per 100 g, and their quality is further protected by drying and storage approaches that target water activity below about 0.70 to extend microbial shelf life by months.
More related reading
06 · Category
Investment & Policy4 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 includes an agriculture and food-sector transformation program with KPIs for agrifood production and value addition; dates are part of the covered target food categories (program KPI framework)
02
Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program (NTP) includes KPIs to improve competitiveness and logistics efficiency that affect food exports (logistics performance measures published in NTP)
03
In 2023, Saudi Arabia announced capacity and modernization initiatives for food processing through government investment vehicles totaling billions of SAR over multi-year plans (published investment program total)
04
The Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO) sets standards for food products; conformity assessments for food including dates are required under applicable standards frameworks (SASO food standards program)
Interpretation
Investment & Policy Interpretation
Under the Investment and Policy lens, Saudi Arabia is tying dates to long term agrifood transformation and export logistics goals while backing multi year food processing capacity with government investment vehicles totaling billions of SAR in 2023.
07 · Category
Demographics2 stats
01
41.5% of Saudi Arabia’s population (about 15.5 million people) were ages 15–64 in 2023, underpinning domestic demand for food and packaged dates
02
Saudi Arabia’s total population was 32.9 million in 2023, indicating the scale of the local consumer base for dates
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
In Saudi Arabia, 41.5% of the population, about 15.5 million people, were aged 15–64 in 2023 out of a total population of 32.9 million, signaling a large domestic consumer base that supports steady demand for dates under the Demographics category.
08 · Category
Production & Agronomy4 stats
01
United Nations FAO’s “World Food and Agriculture—Statistical Yearbook 2021” reports that global production of dates (palms) is on the order of 7–8 million tonnes annually in the early 2020s, establishing the industry’s global output magnitude
02
Saudi Arabia’s renewable internal freshwater resources were 2.0 km3 in 2022 (World Bank indicator), constraining irrigation-dependent date production
03
Saudi Arabia’s arable land area was 2.6 million hectares in 2022, providing land-base context for date palm cultivation relative to total agricultural land
04
Saudi Arabia’s agricultural land (permanent crops included) was 4.3 million hectares in 2022, supporting the relative footprint used for fruit crops such as dates
Interpretation
Production & Agronomy Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s production and agronomy outlook for dates is shaped by tight water limits and a modest land footprint, with only 2.0 km3 of renewable internal freshwater in 2022 and 2.6 million hectares of arable land supporting cultivation in a country where agricultural land reaches 4.3 million hectares.
09 · Category
Policy & Food Security4 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s Food Security Index score was 69.2 in 2023 (The Economist Intelligence Unit), supporting the context for local production and imports of date-based foods
02
Saudi Arabia’s Consumer Confidence Index averaged 88.4 in 2023 (National and/or public benchmark series compiled by tradingeconomics), reflecting demand conditions for consumer foods including dates
03
Saudi Arabia’s inflation rate averaged 2.3% in 2023, affecting input and retail pricing for date products
04
The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2022–2031 projects global dates/fruit demand to increase modestly through 2031 driven by income growth, supporting long-run consumption trends for date products
Interpretation
Policy & Food Security Interpretation
With Saudi Arabia’s Food Security Index at 69.2 in 2023 alongside stable consumer demand indicated by an 88.4 consumer confidence average, date producers and policymakers can better justify strengthening local supply and trade planning since modest global demand growth through 2031 is also expected while inflation at 2.3% helps keep pricing pressures manageable.
10 · Category
Research & Technology3 stats
01
A 2021 peer-reviewed study reported that date palm pollen viability can remain high for weeks under appropriate storage conditions, enabling improved breeding and cultivar development
02
A 2020 peer-reviewed study found that enzymatic pretreatment combined with dehydration can improve drying kinetics and quality attributes in date processing relative to untreated controls (reported as statistically improved texture/rehydration outcomes)
03
A 2019 peer-reviewed study reported that storing dates under controlled temperature/humidity reduces microbial load growth compared with ambient storage, extending shelf-life (quantified by log reduction/microbial counts over time)
Interpretation
Research & Technology Interpretation
Across these Research and Technology studies from 2019 to 2021, targeted storage and processing controls show measurable gains such as weeks of maintained date palm pollen viability, improved drying kinetics and texture after enzymatic pretreatment, and reduced microbial load with controlled temperature and humidity over time, collectively pointing to science driven optimization in Saudi date production.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Saudi Dates Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Saudi Dates Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Saudi Dates Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
48 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+31 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)