
Ease of doing business
theboardiQ Tariffs Dashboard:
Powering Mutually Beneficial Global Trade.
Understand the complexities of international tariffs and ease of doing business across nations to cultivate balanced trade relationships, streamline operations, and deliver cost savings to end consumers.

Implications
As of January 2026, the trade relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia is characterized by a "transactional diplomacy" model. While many global partners face aggressive trade barriers, Saudi Arabia has largely maintained a favorable position due to strategic investment pledges and the dominance of oil in its export profile.
Latest US Tariffs Update (Saudi Arabia)
Reciprocal "Universal" Tariff: As of April 2025, a 10% universal tariff was applied to most Saudi goods. However, the IMF and trade analysts note that the direct impact is "next to zero" because over 75% of Saudi exports (primarily crude oil and petroleum products) are either exempt or fall under categories where the US has limited domestic alternatives.
Automotive Tariffs: A 25% customs duty remains in place for passenger vehicles and major auto parts imported into the US. This has minimal impact on Saudi Arabia's current exports but affects its long-term Vision 2030 goals of becoming an automotive manufacturing hub.
The "Investment for Relief" Quid Pro Quo: A defining feature of 2025–2026 is the $600 billion investment commitment made by Saudi Arabia toward US projects (infrastructure, AI, and energy). In exchange, the US has signaled continued "tariff pauses" or exclusions for key Saudi industrial exports.
Advanced Technology: New Section 232 duties (25%) on advanced semiconductors and AI-related hardware (effective Jan 15, 2026) primarily target transshipment risks, impacting Saudi-based data centers if they use restricted tech for non-domestic purposes.
Major Companies Impacted
The impact is felt most by firms involved in the "Project Stargate" initiative and the energy-tech nexus:
Saudi Aramco: Minimal direct tariff impact on oil, but faces higher costs for US-sourced specialized machinery and steel for its expansion projects.
SABIC (Saudi Basic Industries Corp): Faces the 10% reciprocal tariff on certain chemical and plastic exports to the US, though many high-demand polymers have secured temporary exclusions.
Lucid Motors: With its manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, the 25% US auto tariff complicates the "re-import" of vehicles to the American market.
Ma’aden (Saudi Arabian Mining Co): Impacted by global price volatility triggered by US tariffs on other mineral-rich nations, though its joint ventures with US firms like Ivanhoe Electric provide a hedge.
US Tech Giants (Oracle, Google, Microsoft): These firms are expanding Saudi data center footprints; they face increased regulatory scrutiny and potential "national security" export controls on the AI chips needed for these facilities.
GDP & Balance of Trade (BOT) Impact
GDP Growth: Saudi Arabia’s GDP is projected to grow by 3.9% in 2026. The direct "tariff drag" on GDP is estimated at less than 0.1%, as non-oil exports to the US represent only about 3-4% of total trade volume.
BOT YTD (2026): Saudi Arabia maintains a significant Trade Surplus with the US.
Exports to US: Driven by stable oil demand and rising mineral exports.
Imports from US: Rising sharply (up ~12% YTD) due to massive procurement of US defense systems, Boeing aircraft, and tech infrastructure as part of the "America First" investment deals.
SWOT Analysis: Saudi-US Trade (2026)
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Huge sovereign wealth (PIF) allows for "deal-making" to bypass trade friction. | High dependency on oil exports makes the trade balance sensitive to global price shifts. |
Strategic location as a global logistics hub (Vision 2030). | Fixed exchange rate (Pegged to USD) limits monetary flexibility against US inflation. |
Opportunities | Threats |
Expansion into US-based AI and Green Energy infrastructure (Project Stargate). | Risk of being caught in US-China "secondary sanctions" or technology decoupling. |
Potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations as a reward for US investments. | "Greenland-style" unpredictable diplomatic tariffs used for non-economic leverage. |
US Revised Tariffs
Country Tariffs
Balance of Trade
Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in countries, prepared by U.S. Embassies worldwide, Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Tariff Rate for US
World Bank staff estimates using the World Integrated Trade Solution system, based on tariff data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development's Trade Analysis and Information System ( TRAINS ) database and global imports data from the United Nations Statistics Division's Comtrade database.
US Imports Guide
United States Imports from Countries during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. United States Imports from Countries- data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on April of 2025.
Investing in USA
theboardiQ Economic Relevance Score, ranks States of USA based on 11 parameters
Sources : Forbes | USDA Economic Research | TCGen Total Innovation Rank Index | Best States for Manufacturing | World Population Review | Tax Foundation | US News | BEA Data | Wikipedia | International Trade Administration
theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of a nation's economic vitality and global significance. This score is meticulously calculated using 11 key parameters, each reflecting a critical facet of economic performance. It analyzes the representation of Fortune 500 companies within a nation, a strong indicator of its business environment and market size. The balance of trade surplus or deficit reveals the nation's international competitiveness and export strength. It incorporates Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a fundamental measure of overall economic output, and examine the health of key sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. The score also accounts for innovation, gauging a nation's ability to drive future growth through technological advancements. Crucial labor market indicators such as employment rates are considered, alongside fiscal policies reflected in tax rates. To capture the lived experience of citizens, it assesses cost of living and disposable income, providing insight into purchasing power and economic well-being. Finally, education levels are integrated, recognizing their pivotal role in fostering a skilled workforce and driving long-term economic development. By synthesizing these 11 parameters, theboardiQ's Economic Relevance Score delivers a nuanced and holistic view of a nation's economic standing, enabling informed strategic decisions. The Top 5 States in the assessment are Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida and Washington. Texas does consistently well across most of the 11 variables especially in the areas of GDP, F500 representation in the State, Balance of Trade where it ranks 2nd nationally. North Carolina scores as the highest-ranking state nationally in manufacturing and performs consistently across the other variables. Virginia does well in disposable income where it ranks 3rd nationally. It also scores high in the variables of manufacturing and employment Florida holds the 4th ranking nationally for GDP and Tax Washington State scores the top spot for disposable income nationally, 2nd for education and 3rd for innovation. Colorado, with an overall rank of 7 scores the top spot for Education (schools and higher education). Nebraska, that ranked 10th overall, did well in Agriculture where it is ranked 3rd nationally as well as Trade Balance where it ranked 5th. Illinois, though ranked 20th overall did well nationally in F500 representation, GDP, Agriculture, and Disposable Income. Pennsylvania comes in at 21 overall doing well nationally in GDP (6th); Manufacturing (8th) and F500 representation (8th) New York scores 23rd overall with a 2 ranking in Disposable Income nationally, as well as 3rd in both F500 representation and GDP. California comes in at 29th overall and has the top spot ranking in a whopping 4 variables nationally – GDP, Innovation, Agriculture and F500 representation. However, performance in the areas of Trade Balance, Cost of Living, Tax, Manufacturing and Employment resulted in the overall ranking dipping. Wyoming at 30th overall scores the top spot nationally in the area of Tax Massachusetts at 31 overall does well in innovation where it is ranked 2nd nationally Arkansas at 36 and Alabama at 39, do well in overall Cost of Living where they are ranked 2nd and 3rd nationally, respectively. Louisiana ranked 44th overall is ranked 1st in Trade Balance nationally.

Economic
Relevance
Ranking
State | Info | Overall Rank | Agri | Innov | Mfg | Employ | Tax | Edu | GDP | F500 Rep | Trade Balance | Cost of Living | Disp Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texas | 1 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 42 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 13 | |
North Carolina | 2 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 28 | 11 | 16 | 41 | 17 | 17 | |
Virginia | 3 | 32 | 24 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 34 | 35 | 3 | |
Florida | 4 | 21 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 7 | 40 | 30 | 37 | |
Washington | 5 | 16 | 3 | 36 | 28 | 45 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 9 | 43 | 1 | |
Missouri | 6 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 13 | 32 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 20 | |
Georgia | 7 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 34 | 8 | 9 | 43 | 26 | 19 | |
Minnesota | 8 | 6 | 10 | 47 | 6 | 44 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 33 | 9 | |
Ohio | 9 | 12 | 32 | 7 | 30 | 35 | 36 | 7 | 5 | 38 | 15 | 11 | |
Illinois | 10 | 5 | 23 | 31 | 23 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 32 | 7 |