Unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Unemployment rate of males vs females was 1.49 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1.49
Change on year
down 18.9%
World rank
175th
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.65
in 1991
All-time low
1.49
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 1.49 for unemployment rate of males vs females in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 18.9% on the previous year and down 47.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.65 in 1991 and was at its lowest, 1.49, in 2025.
That places Saudi Arabia 175th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.65 | — |
| 1992 | 7.53 | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 7.22 | -4.0% |
| 1994 | 6.83 | -5.4% |
| 1995 | 6.33 | -7.4% |
| 1996 | 5.61 | -11.3% |
| 1997 | 4.93 | -12.1% |
| 1998 | 4.24 | -14.0% |
| 1999 | 3.66 | -13.6% |
| 2000 | 3.77 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 3.88 | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 4.26 | +9.8% |
| 2003 | 4.43 | +4.0% |
| 2004 | 4.58 | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 4.72 | +3.0% |
| 2006 | 4.84 | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 4.38 | -9.6% |
| 2008 | 3.74 | -14.6% |
| 2009 | 3.79 | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 3.72 | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.63 | -2.5% |
| 2012 | 3.22 | -11.2% |
| 2013 | 3.18 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 3.29 | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 2.85 | -13.4% |
| 2016 | 2.88 | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 3.58 | +24.3% |
| 2018 | 3.55 | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 2.74 | -22.9% |
| 2020 | 4.22 | +54.0% |
| 2021 | 3.74 | -11.4% |
| 2022 | 2.9 | -22.6% |
| 2023 | 2.03 | -30.0% |
| 2024 | 1.84 | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 1.49 | -18.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 1.49 is below the median for high income countries, which is 4.94, 30% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 1.49 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.53, 17% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6 | 3.66 | 7.65 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.24 | 3.74 | 4.84 | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.27 | 2.74 | 3.72 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.7 | 1.49 | 4.22 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 172 United Arab Emirates 1.58 compare
- 173 East Timor 1.56 compare
- 174 Tonga 1.54 compare
- 176 Solomon Islands 1.44 compare
- 177 Laos 1.43 compare
- 178 Chad 1.3 compare
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 unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia?
- Unemployment rate of males vs females in Saudi Arabia was 1.49 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate of males vs females recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.65 in 1991.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate of males vs females recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.49 in 2025.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for unemployment rate of males vs females?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 175th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate of males vs females rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 47.8%. 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 Unemployment rate of males vs females. 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).