Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) was 84.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia stood at 84.0%. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia peaked at 84.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 73.5%, in 1999.
That places Saudi Arabia 17th out of 196 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 80.0% | — |
| 1999 | 73.5% | -8.1% |
| 2000 | 75.3% | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 74.5% | -1.1% |
| 2002 | 73.6% | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 74.3% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 74.5% | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 74.4% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 76.5% | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 77.6% | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 78.2% | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 78.2% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 77.6% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 78.3% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 78.4% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 78.9% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 80.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 79.8% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 79.2% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 79.6% | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 83.6% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 83.6% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 84.0% | +0.5% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 84.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.2× the median. (79 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 84.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 71.2%, 1.2× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 76.7% | 73.5% | 80.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 74.4% | 73.6% | 75.3% | 7 |
| 2010s | 78.2% | 76.5% | 80.3% | 9 |
| 2020s | 81.6% | 79.2% | 84.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More work & labour data for Saudi Arabia
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.5946 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.6842 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.31 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.5985 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 40,709 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 4,348 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 31,198 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 39,809 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 71,007 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia?
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) in Saudi Arabia was 84.0% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 84.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 73.5% in 1999.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+)?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 17th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.