Share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share in vulnerable employment was 1.66 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia stood at 1.66.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.1% on the previous year and down 29.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia peaked at 6.12 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.57, in 2023.
Saudi Arabia ranks 183rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.12 | — |
| 1992 | 6 | -2.0% |
| 1993 | 5.92 | -1.4% |
| 1994 | 5.8 | -2.0% |
| 1995 | 5.68 | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 5.51 | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 5.45 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 5.51 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 5.36 | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 5.1 | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 5.1 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 5.05 | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 4.87 | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 4.62 | -5.2% |
| 2005 | 4.27 | -7.4% |
| 2006 | 4.04 | -5.6% |
| 2007 | 3.83 | -5.0% |
| 2008 | 3.52 | -8.2% |
| 2009 | 3.63 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 3.32 | -8.6% |
| 2011 | 2.9 | -12.6% |
| 2012 | 2.63 | -9.4% |
| 2013 | 2.46 | -6.5% |
| 2014 | 2.28 | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 2.37 | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 2.29 | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 2.17 | -5.1% |
| 2018 | 1.69 | -22.0% |
| 2019 | 3.24 | +91.3% |
| 2020 | 2.51 | -22.6% |
| 2021 | 2.24 | -10.5% |
| 2022 | 1.8 | -20.0% |
| 2023 | 1.57 | -12.3% |
| 2024 | 1.7 | +7.9% |
| 2025 | 1.66 | -2.1% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 1.66 is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.51, 17% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 1.66 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 19.39, 9% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +91.3% | 1.69 | 3.24 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.71 | 5.36 | 6.12 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.4 | 3.52 | 5.1 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.53 | 1.69 | 3.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.91 | 1.57 | 2.51 | 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 share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia?
- Share in vulnerable employment in Saudi Arabia was 1.66 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share in vulnerable employment recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 6.12 in 1991.
- What is the lowest share in vulnerable employment recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.57 in 2023.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share in vulnerable employment?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 183rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).