Government transparency in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Government transparency was -0.5156 in 2010. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2010)
-0.5156
Change on year
down 1,133.8%
World rank
84th
of 125 countries
All-time high
0.7956
in 2007
All-time low
-0.6631
in 1983
Years of data
31
1980–2010

Government transparency in Saudi Arabia, 1980–2010

-0.500.511980199520101980: -0.291981: -0.2951982: -0.6491983: -0.6631984: -0.6621985: -0.6541986: -0.6611987: -0.6631988: -0.6541989: -0.6531990: -0.6521991: -0.6521992: -0.6511993: -0.651994: -0.6521995: -0.6511996: -0.6511997: -0.6381998: -0.6071999: -0.5712000: -0.5682001: -0.5682002: -0.5692003: -0.6072004: -0.592005: 0.3332006: 0.7652007: 0.7962008: 0.1422009: -0.0422010: -0.516

Source: Hollyer et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for government transparency in Saudi Arabia is -0.5156, measured in 2010.

The figure is down 1,133.8% on the previous year and up 9.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, government transparency in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.7956 in 2007 and was at its lowest, -0.6631, in 1983.

That places Saudi Arabia 84th out of 125 countries with data for 2010, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Government transparency in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Government transparency in Saudi Arabia, 1980 to 2010.
Year Value Change
1980 -0.2902
1981 -0.2953 +1.8%
1982 -0.6489 +119.7%
1983 -0.6631 +2.2%
1984 -0.6622 -0.1%
1985 -0.6538 -1.3%
1986 -0.661 +1.1%
1987 -0.6628 +0.3%
1988 -0.6541 -1.3%
1989 -0.6533 -0.1%
1990 -0.652 -0.2%
1991 -0.6521 +0.0%
1992 -0.6514 -0.1%
1993 -0.6497 -0.3%
1994 -0.6518 +0.3%
1995 -0.6511 -0.1%
1996 -0.6508 -0.0%
1997 -0.6381 -1.9%
1998 -0.6065 -5.0%
1999 -0.5711 -5.8%
2000 -0.5683 -0.5%
2001 -0.5675 -0.1%
2002 -0.5694 +0.3%
2003 -0.6066 +6.5%
2004 -0.5899 -2.8%
2005 0.3335 -156.5%
2006 0.7646 +129.3%
2007 0.7956 +4.1%
2008 0.1424 -82.1%
2009 -0.0418 -129.4%
2010 -0.5156 +1133.8%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's -0.5156 is below the median for high income countries, which is 2.87. (39 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's -0.5156 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is -0.3438, 1.5× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Government transparency 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.

YearChange FromTo
2010 -1133.8% -0.0418 -0.5156
2005 +156.5% -0.5899 0.3335
2009 -129.4% 0.1424 -0.0418
2006 +129.3% 0.3335 0.7646
1982 -119.7% -0.2953 -0.6489
2008 -82.1% 0.7956 0.1424

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s -0.5845 -0.6631 -0.2902 10
1990s -0.6375 -0.6521 -0.5711 10
2000s -0.0907 -0.6066 0.7956 10
2010s -0.5156 -0.5156 -0.5156 1

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 81 Algeria -0.3438 compare
  2. 82 Nepal -0.4144 compare
  3. 83 Uganda -0.5129 compare
  4. 85 Benin -0.5362 compare
  5. 86 Gambia -0.5766 compare
  6. 87 Nigeria -0.586 compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is government transparency in Saudi Arabia?
Government transparency in Saudi Arabia was -0.5156 in 2010, according to Hollyer et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest government transparency recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 0.7956 in 2007.
What is the lowest government transparency recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was -0.6631 in 1983.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for government transparency?
Saudi Arabia ranks 84th out of 125 countries with data for 2010.
Is government transparency rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 9.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
The figures come from Hollyer et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Government transparency. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Government transparency in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on Hollyer et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/government-transparency/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Government transparency
Source
Hollyer et al. (2014) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
125 places, 3,875 data points, 1980–2010
Last refreshed

The scores capture the extent to which governments report economic data to the World Bank. Higher scores mean more data is reported.