Labor participation rate in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Labor participation rate was 65.1 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
65.1
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
59th
of 186 countries
All-time high
65.34
in 2023
All-time low
47.89
in 2003
Years of data
36
1990–2025
Labor participation rate in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 65.1 for labor participation rate in 2025.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor participation rate in Saudi Arabia peaked at 65.34 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 47.89, in 2003.
That places Saudi Arabia 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor participation rate in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 51.35 | — |
| 1991 | 51.26 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 51.35 | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 50.97 | -0.7% |
| 1994 | 50.56 | -0.8% |
| 1995 | 50.13 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 49.66 | -0.9% |
| 1997 | 49.18 | -1.0% |
| 1998 | 48.69 | -1.0% |
| 1999 | 48.22 | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 48.99 | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 48.37 | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 47.98 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 47.89 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 47.91 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 48.06 | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 48.35 | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 48.65 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 49.13 | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 49.58 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 51.43 | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 53.37 | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 55.4 | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 57.15 | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 58.41 | +2.2% |
| 2015 | 59.75 | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 60.69 | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 58.99 | -2.8% |
| 2018 | 59.42 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 61.2 | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 62.41 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 63.51 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 63.8 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 65.34 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | 65.2 | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 65.1 | -0.2% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 65.1 is above the median for high income countries, which is 62.28, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 65.1 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 44.99, 1.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 50.14 | 48.22 | 51.35 | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.49 | 47.89 | 49.58 | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.58 | 51.43 | 61.2 | 10 |
| 2020s | 64.23 | 62.41 | 65.34 | 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 participation rate in Saudi Arabia?
- Labor participation rate in Saudi Arabia was 65.1 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest labor participation rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 65.34 in 2023.
- What is the lowest labor participation rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 47.89 in 2003.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for labor participation rate?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 59th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor participation rate rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Labor participation rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).