Saudi Arabia has told OPEC that its crude output slumped again last month, falling to the lowest level since 1990, according to figures the kingdom submitted to the producer group and reported by Bloomberg.

The disclosure marks another step down for the world's largest crude exporter and the de facto leader of the OPEC+ alliance. Riyadh has been withholding barrels from the market as it manages production against price targets, and the latest filing confirms the downtrend continued rather than stabilising.

How low is Saudi output now?

The reported level represents the kingdom's weakest production print in roughly 35 years. The reference point — 1990 — predates the capacity expansion programmes that eventually lifted Saudi capability to a nominal 12 million bpd, making the current figure a striking outlier for a producer of Saudi Arabia's scale and installed capacity.

For context within the kingdom's recent history:

• Output has now declined for multiple reporting periods, with Riyadh telling OPEC each time that production fell again.
• The kingdom has repeatedly signalled it will not add barrels back into an oversupplied market and has said it can tolerate low prices for an extended period.
• Saudi officials have framed the curtailments as necessary to absorb barrels from high-volume non-OPEC producers.

Bloomberg reported the data as it stands in the kingdom's submission to the Vienna-based organisation, which compiles direct communications from members alongside independent secondary-source estimates.

What does the report signal for the market?

The Saudi filing lands at a sensitive moment for the producer group. OPEC+ has been accelerating the unwinding of its earlier output cuts, restoring supply even as prices have weakened. A Saudi production print at a 35-year low cuts against that directional narrative and tightens the effective supply picture, at least on paper.

Analysts read Riyadh's direct-communication data as the clearest statement of intent the kingdom can make short of a policy announcement: the barrels are not coming back while the market remains loose. Saudi officials have said publicly they are prepared to keep volume discipline in place for as long as necessary.

The gap between the kingdom's self-reported figures and secondary-source estimates — the two series OPEC publishes side by side — remains a metric traders watch each month for signs of deliberate under-reporting or genuine field-level constraints.

What is the watch item?

The next OPEC monthly report and the subsequent OPEC+ ministerial decisions will show whether the kingdom holds output at three-decade lows or begins returning barrels as group quotas rise. Secondary-source confirmation of the 1990-era level, and the price response to it, are the numbers to track.