Share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of female workers by sector was 0.4454 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia is 0.4454, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 36.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia peaked at 1.06 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.376, in 1992.
Saudi Arabia ranks 173rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 0.3857 | — |
| 1992 | 0.376 | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 0.3902 | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 0.4067 | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 0.4249 | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 0.4448 | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 0.4652 | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 0.4843 | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 0.5073 | +4.8% |
| 2000 | 0.5151 | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 0.526 | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.5359 | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 0.5548 | +3.5% |
| 2004 | 0.5728 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 0.5919 | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 0.6083 | +2.8% |
| 2007 | 0.6137 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 0.6239 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.6225 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.64 | +2.8% |
| 2011 | 0.658 | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 0.6685 | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.6744 | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 0.6847 | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 0.7003 | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.7248 | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 0.7319 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 0.6121 | -16.4% |
| 2019 | 0.7995 | +30.6% |
| 2020 | 1.06 | +32.1% |
| 2021 | 0.4921 | -53.4% |
| 2022 | 0.4435 | -9.9% |
| 2023 | 0.5096 | +14.9% |
| 2024 | 0.4577 | -10.2% |
| 2025 | 0.4454 | -2.7% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.4454 is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.26, 35% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.4454 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.81, 12% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of female workers by sector 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | -53.4% | 1.06 | 0.4921 |
| 2020 | +32.1% | 0.7995 | 1.06 |
| 2019 | +30.6% | 0.6121 | 0.7995 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.4317 | 0.376 | 0.5073 | 9 |
| 2000s | 0.5765 | 0.5151 | 0.6239 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6894 | 0.6121 | 0.7995 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5674 | 0.4435 | 1.06 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 170 Belgium 0.6246 compare
- 171 Luxembourg 0.5846 compare
- 172 United Kingdom 0.4693 compare
- 174 United States Virgin Islands 0.4078 compare
- 175 Puerto Rico 0.3744 compare
- 176 Jordan 0.37 compare
More gender data for Saudi Arabia
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 8,519 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.7629 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 28,924 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 28,924 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 1.65 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 275,243 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 288,722 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 275,525 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 288,548 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 263,011 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of female workers by sector in Saudi Arabia was 0.4454 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of female workers by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.06 in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of female workers by sector recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.376 in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of female workers by sector?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 173rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of female workers by sector rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.4%. 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 Share of female workers by sector. 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).