RIYADH, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Industrial investments in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have reached roughly 426 billion U.S. dollars, with China emerging as the region's largest source of imports, the Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday, citing official data.

The number of factories across the GCC states stood at nearly 22,000, employing more than 1.7 million people, according to the latest available data as of July 2026, SPA said, citing data from the GCC Statistical Center.

Manufacturing contributed around 13 percent of the GCC states' gross domestic product in 2025, the data shows.

Around 40 percent of industrial investments are concentrated in key industries, including plastics, refined petroleum products, aluminum, gaseous fuels, and iron and steel, according to the data.

In foreign trade, industrial products accounted for roughly 69 percent of total GCC exports, with major exports including petroleum gases and hydrocarbons, petroleum oils, motor vehicles, organic compounds, aluminum, ships and boats, and electrical machinery and equipment.

On the import side, China accounts for around 20 percent of the bloc's total imports. Major imported goods included equipment and machinery, motor vehicles, pharmaceutical products, iron and steel, and plastics.

GCC Statistical Center said the figures reflected the expansion and diversification of the Gulf industrial base amid growing investments, increasing production capacity, and expanding trade networks.

(Source: Xinhua)