Cross-border travel continued to gain momentum across Saudi Arabia in 2025, with land ports recording more than 70.7 million passenger movements, up 7.2 percent from the previous year.
The figures coincided with an increase in the Kingdom’s vehicle fleet, which surpassed 16.7 million registered and roadworthy vehicles, according to GASTAT.
Arrivals Lead Land Passenger Traffic
The flow of passengers leaned slightly towards arrivals, which exceeded 37 million and made up 52.3 percent of total movements.
Meanwhile, departures accounted for the remaining 47.7 percent, reaching around 33.7 million, the authority’s Road Transport Statistics 2025 report showed.
Passenger movements were concentrated at a few key crossings, with the King Fahd Causeway alone handling 49.1 percent of total traffic.
Al-Khafji Port followed at a considerable distance, accounting for 12.2 percent.
The pace of travel also shifted across the year, with January emerging as the busiest month, recording more than 7.4 million passengers, while March saw the lowest traffic at approximately 4.6 million.
How Is Land Transport Supporting Trade Growth?
On the roads, the number of registered and roadworthy vehicles continued to climb, surpassing 16.7 million by the end of 2025, up 5.3 percent from the previous year.
Private vehicles represented the largest category at 71.2 percent, while private and public transportation vehicles accounted for 20 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively.
More boldly, the expansion of the Kingdom’s vehicle fleet was also reflected in new registrations, which reached nearly 1.1 million in 2025, marking a 3.6 percent increase compared with the previous year.
The movement of goods through the Kingdom’s land borders also gained momentum. Imports and exports combined exceeded 26.8 million tons, accounting for annual growth of 4.4 percent.
Exports recorded the stronger increase, rising 6.3 percent to 14.3 million tons, while imports climbed 2.4 percent to 12.5 million tons.
Al-Batha Leads Saudi Land Trade
Al-Batha Port handled the largest share of land freight in both directions, accounting for 27.9 percent of total exports and 31.9 percent of imports.
The figures also offer a glimpse into the Kingdom’s driving population. Valid driving licenses exceeded 11.3 million by the end of 2025, with private licenses making up 87.2 percent of the total.
Saudi nationals accounted for 51 percent of license holders, compared with 49 percent for non-Saudis, while males represented 87.6 percent and females 12.4 percent.
Despite the size of the licensed driving population, the number of newly issued licenses declined by 8.1 percent year on year to approximately 1.2 million in 2025.
Meanwhile, road safety remained a key pillar of the transport landscape. Saudi Arabia recorded 17,805 serious traffic accidents during the year, with 62.5 percent occurring within cities.
What Do Saudi Arabia’s Road Safety Figures Reveal?
Road safety figures presented a contrasting picture in 2025, as the traffic fatality rate increased by 2.9 percent to 11.99 deaths per 100,000 people, even as the injury rate fell by 3.9 percent to 65.53 per 100,000 people.
The figures also revealed a significant demographic divide, with males accounting for 86.2 percent of traffic fatalities.
Young adults aged 19 to 30 represented the largest age group, making up 33.5 percent of those killed in traffic accidents.
Related Topics:
GASTAT: Saudi Airports Record 140.9 Million Passengers in 2025
Saudi Non-Oil Exports Rise 18.9% to $97bn in 2025: GASTAT
GASTAT President Highlights Saudi Statistical Transformation at GCC Forum
