Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 3.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2025
Source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 3.2% for unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.
The figure is down 8.0% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2025.
That places Saudi Arabia 143rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 7.2% | — |
| 1999 | 4.3% | -39.3% |
| 2000 | 4.6% | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 4.6% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 5.3% | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 5.6% | +5.7% |
| 2004 | 5.8% | +4.7% |
| 2005 | 6.1% | +3.9% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 5.7% | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 5.1% | -11.3% |
| 2009 | 5.4% | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 5.5% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 5.6% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 5.6% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 5.9% | +4.9% |
| 2015 | 5.6% | -4.7% |
| 2016 | 5.6% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5.9% | +5.2% |
| 2018 | 6.0% | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 5.6% | -6.5% |
| 2020 | 7.7% | +35.9% |
| 2021 | 6.6% | -13.6% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -15.6% |
| 2023 | 4.0% | -28.3% |
| 2024 | 3.5% | -12.2% |
| 2025 | 3.2% | -8.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.8% | 4.3% | 7.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.4% | 4.6% | 6.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.7% | 5.5% | 6.0% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.1% | 3.2% | 7.7% | 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, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Saudi Arabia was 3.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2025.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 143rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 42.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.