Last year set records for the Italian stone industry’s exports to Saudi Arabia: thanks to 45% growth from 2023, total sales to the country of natural stones, stone-working technologies and complementary products for the first time surpassed the 100-million-euro mark, reaching 118.6 million (CONFINDUSTRIA MARMOMACCHINE Studies Center data).
In detail, Saudi Arabia was the fifth-ranking market for both Italian finished and semi-finished stone products, with imports worth 84.5 million euros (+37.2% from 2023 and a new peak) and for raw stone materials, with purchases worth 10.8 million (+38%). Also showing heavy growth (+92-6%) were sales of stone technologies Made in Italy to the Persian Gulf country, in 2024 amounting to worth of 23.3 million euros.
At the Saudi-Italian Business Forum held on April 28 in Milan, Barbara Cimmino – CONFINDUSTRIA vice-president for internationalization – stated: “I see enormous potential for Italian companies to contribute to the evolving Saudi panorama. The Italian manufacturing ecosystem is one of the world’s most diversified and innovation-oriented and has the potential to efficaciously integrate with Saudi growth policies”, citing the fact that the strategic Saudi Vision 2030 plan “is guiding unprecedented change. The economic diversification projects are extremely attractive for companies interested in deepening their presence on this market and for those interested in accessing it”.
Vice-president Cimmino also emphasized that “we are registering as yet unexploited potential for Italian exports to Saudi Arabia of 829 million euros, 17% of total exports in 2023 and 13% in 2024. Machinery and some of our renowned consumer goods account for about 40% of this potential. By fueling this channel we can strengthen more integrated bilateral ties”.
We mention that CONFINDUSTRIA MARMOMACCHINE – always in the front lines in sector promotion – will again coordinate the official participation of Italian stone industry companies at MARBLE & STONE SAUDI ARABIA (Riyadh, January 18-21), the main Saudi showcase devoted to stone materials, stone technologies and complementary products, at whose past edition 65 top Italian brands exhibited. The show is part of the many events of BIG 5 CONSTRUCT SAUDI 2026, the Persian Gulf country’s reference expo for the building world, which this year had more than 2,000 exhibiting companies from 60 countries and more than 70,000 visitors.
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