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
Production Volume
Production Volume Interpretation
Trade & Exports
Trade & Exports Interpretation
Farms & Resources
Farms & Resources Interpretation
Value Chain & Processing
Value Chain & Processing Interpretation
Quality & Nutrition
Quality & Nutrition Interpretation
More related reading
Investment & Policy
Investment & Policy Interpretation
Demographics
Demographics Interpretation
Production & Agronomy
Production & Agronomy Interpretation
Policy & Food Security
Policy & Food Security Interpretation
Research & Technology
Research & Technology Interpretation
How We Rate Confidence
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
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.
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Saudi Dates Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics
Thomas Lindqvist. "Saudi Dates Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics.
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Saudi Dates Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-dates-industry-statistics.
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