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Saudi Arabia — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025.
Latest value · 2025
3.04%
Unemployment Rate · % of total labor force · -58.5% since 1991
Unemployment for Saudi Arabia was 3.04% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 7.66% in 2020. Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -2.55% per year.
Saudi Arabia ranks 147 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 79%. The median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan is 9.00%, so Saudi Arabia sits below it. It peaked in 2020 and has fallen 60% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 46%.
Key figures
Latest (2025)
3.04%
First (1991)
7.32%
Change
-58.5%
Highest
7.66%
in 2020
Lowest
3.04%
in 2025
Average
5.62%
Annual growth (CAGR)
-2.55%
Years of data
35
Recent years
| Year | % of total labor force |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.04% |
| 2024 | 3.52% |
| 2023 | 4.01% |
| 2022 | 5.59% |
| 2021 | 6.62% |
| 2020 | 7.66% |
| 2019 | 5.64% |
| 2018 | 6.03% |
| 2017 | 5.89% |
| 2016 | 5.6% |
| 2015 | 5.6% |
| 2014 | 5.88% |
Reading this correctly. Share of the labor force without work but available for and seeking employment. National definitions differ, so cross-country comparison needs care. Figures are in % of total labor force. Comparing this series with a different measure of the same concept (for example a nominal figure against a purchasing-power-parity figure) will give misleading results.
Related data
Source. World Bank Open Data, indicator
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.