Paying taxes: Time in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Paying taxes: Time was 152 hours per year in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
152 hours per year
Change on year
up 375.0%
World rank
134th
of 190 countries
All-time high
152 hours per year
in 2019
All-time low
32 hours per year
in 2018
Years of data
15
2005–2019

Paying taxes: Time in Saudi Arabia, 2005–2019

2550751001251502005201220192005: 69 hours per year2006: 79 hours per year2007: 79 hours per year2008: 79 hours per year2009: 79 hours per year2010: 79 hours per year2011: 79 hours per year2012: 72 hours per year2013: 72 hours per year2014: 64 hours per year2015: 57 hours per year2016: 60 hours per year2017: 40 hours per year2018: 32 hours per year2019: 152 hours per year

Source: World Bank. Measured in hours per year.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 152 hours per year for paying taxes: time in 2019. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 375.0% on the previous year and up 92.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, paying taxes: time in Saudi Arabia peaked at 152 hours per year in 2019 and was at its lowest, 32 hours per year, in 2018.

That places Saudi Arabia 134th out of 190 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Paying taxes: Time in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Paying taxes: Time (hours per year) in Saudi Arabia, 2005 to 2019.
Year hours per year Change
2005 69 hours per year —
2006 79 hours per year +14.5%
2007 79 hours per year +0.0%
2008 79 hours per year +0.0%
2009 79 hours per year +0.0%
2010 79 hours per year +0.0%
2011 79 hours per year +0.0%
2012 72 hours per year -8.9%
2013 72 hours per year +0.0%
2014 64 hours per year -11.1%
2015 57 hours per year -10.9%
2016 60 hours per year +5.3%
2017 40 hours per year -33.3%
2018 32 hours per year -20.0%
2019 152 hours per year +375.0%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's 152 hours per year is above the median for high income countries, which is 141.5 hours per year, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's 152 hours per year is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 174 hours per year, 87% of the median. (23 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Paying taxes: Time 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
2019 +375.0% 32 hours per year 152 hours per year

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 77 hours per year 69 hours per year 79 hours per year 5
2010s 70.7 hours per year 32 hours per year 152 hours per year 10

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 132 Kosovo 153.5 hours per year compare
  2. 132 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 153.5 hours per year compare
  3. 135 Costa Rica 151 hours per year compare
  4. 136 Belize 147 hours per year compare
  5. 137 Tunisia 144 hours per year compare

See the full ranking of 190 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is paying taxes: time in Saudi Arabia?
Paying taxes: time in Saudi Arabia was 152 hours per year in 2019, according to the World Bank.
What is the highest paying taxes: time recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 152 hours per year in 2019.
What is the lowest paying taxes: time recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 32 hours per year in 2018.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for paying taxes: time?
Saudi Arabia ranks 134th out of 190 countries with data for 2019.
Is paying taxes: time rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 92.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
The figures come from the World Bank, published as part of Paying taxes: Time (hours per year). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Paying taxes: Time in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/paying-taxes-time-hours-per-year/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Paying taxes: Time (hours per year)
Unit
hours per year
Source
World Bank
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
190 places, 2,789 data points, 2005–2019
Last refreshed

The time to comply with tax laws measures the time taken to prepare, ?le and pay three major types of taxes and contributions: the corporate income tax, value added or sales tax and labor taxes, including payroll taxes and social contributions.