Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Unemployment rate was 3.04 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
3.04
Change on year
down 13.6%
World rank
146th
of 186 countries
All-time high
7.66
in 2020
All-time low
3.04
in 2025
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 3.04 for unemployment rate in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
That represents a change of down 13.6% on the previous year and down 45.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.66 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.04, in 2025.
Saudi Arabia ranks 146th 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.
Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.32 | — |
| 1992 | 7.2 | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 7 | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 6.73 | -3.8% |
| 1995 | 6.37 | -5.5% |
| 1996 | 5.8 | -8.8% |
| 1997 | 5.28 | -9.0% |
| 1998 | 4.75 | -10.1% |
| 1999 | 4.35 | -8.5% |
| 2000 | 4.57 | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 4.62 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 5.26 | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 5.56 | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 5.82 | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 6.05 | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 6.25 | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 5.73 | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 5.08 | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 5.38 | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 5.55 | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 5.77 | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 5.62 | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 5.6 | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 5.88 | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 5.6 | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 5.6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.89 | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 6.03 | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 5.64 | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 7.66 | +35.9% |
| 2021 | 6.62 | -13.6% |
| 2022 | 5.59 | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 4.01 | -28.3% |
| 2024 | 3.52 | -12.2% |
| 2025 | 3.04 | -13.6% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 3.04 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 60% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 3.04 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9, 34% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.09 | 4.35 | 7.32 | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.43 | 4.57 | 6.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.72 | 5.55 | 6.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.07 | 3.04 | 7.66 | 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 unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia?
- Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia was 3.04 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.66 in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.04 in 2025.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for unemployment rate?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 146th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.8%. 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. 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).