Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 3.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
3.2%
Change on year
down 8.0%
World rank
141st
of 185 countries
All-time high
7.7%
in 2020
All-time low
3.2%
in 2025
Years of data
27
1992–2025

Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Saudi Arabia, 1992–2025

024681992200820251992: 7.2 %1999: 4.3 %2000: 4.6 %2001: 4.6 %2002: 5.3 %2003: 5.6 %2004: 5.8 %2005: 6.1 %2006: 6.3 %2007: 5.7 %2008: 5.1 %2009: 5.4 %2010: 5.5 %2012: 5.6 %2013: 5.6 %2014: 5.9 %2015: 5.6 %2016: 5.6 %2017: 5.9 %2018: 6 %2019: 5.6 %2020: 7.7 %2021: 6.6 %2022: 5.6 %2023: 4 %2024: 3.5 %2025: 3.2 %

Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 3.2% for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of down 8.0% on the previous year and down 42.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Saudi Arabia peaked at 7.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 3.2%, in 2025.

Saudi Arabia ranks 141st of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 27 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 138 Oman 3.3% compare
  2. 139 Cameroon 3.3% compare
  3. 140 Singapore 3.3% compare
  4. 142 Ecuador 3.2% compare
  5. 143 Madagascar 3.2% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Saudi Arabia?
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Saudi Arabia was 3.2% in 2025, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 7.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 3.2% in 2025.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
Saudi Arabia ranks 141st out of 185 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates 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, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Unit
%
Source
Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 5,169 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.