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MacroSaudi Arabia

Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia

How hard is it to have a job there?

Saudi Arabia's unemployment rate is 3.04 % — #25 of 124 countries on the atlas (lower is better). Period 2025.

3.04%

Checked 8 Sept 2026Period 2025

Source: World Bank open data (GDP growth, GDP/capita, unemployment, government debt)

Unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia over time

7.66 %5.35 %3.04 %7.66 % · 20202000: 4.57 %2001: 4.62 %2002: 5.26 %2003: 5.56 %2004: 5.82 %2005: 6.05 %2006: 6.25 %2007: 5.73 %2008: 5.08 %2009: 5.38 %2010: 5.55 %2011: 5.77 %2012: 5.62 %2013: 5.60 %2014: 5.88 %2015: 5.60 %2016: 5.60 %2017: 5.89 %2018: 6.03 %2019: 5.64 %2020: 7.66 %2021: 6.62 %2022: 5.59 %2023: 4.01 %2024: 3.52 %2025: 3.04 %2000201220253.04 %
26 official observations, 2000 → 2025. Every point is a published value — never interpolated.
Rank
#25 of 124
lower is better
Ranked behind
80 %
99 of 124 countries
Latest move
▼ 0.48 pp
since 2024
Below its peak
4.62 pp
peak 7.66 % in 2020
Full series
▼ 1.53 pp
since 2000

In Asia: #13 of 36vs median 5.25 %: −2.22 pp (better)

Among 124 countries

6 of 124 countries between 0.78 % and 1.53 %6 of 124 countries between 1.53 % and 2.28 %12 of 124 countries between 2.28 % and 3.03 %16 of 124 countries between 3.03 % and 3.78 %7 of 124 countries between 3.78 % and 4.53 %15 of 124 countries between 4.53 % and 5.28 %14 of 124 countries between 5.28 % and 6.02 %7 of 124 countries between 6.02 % and 6.77 %6 of 124 countries between 6.77 % and 7.52 %2 of 124 countries between 7.52 % and 8.27 %10 of 124 countries between 8.27 % and 9.02 %3 of 124 countries between 9.02 % and 9.77 %3 of 124 countries between 9.77 % and 10.52 %2 of 124 countries between 10.52 % and 11.27 %3 of 124 countries between 11.27 % and 12.02 %1 of 124 countries between 12.02 % and 12.77 %1 of 124 countries between 12.77 % and 13.51 %2 of 124 countries between 13.51 % and 14.26 %1 of 124 countries between 14.26 % and 15.01 %2 of 124 countries between 15.01 % and 15.76 %1 of 124 countries between 16.51 % and 17.26 %4 of 124 countries between 18.01 % and 18.76 %median 5.23 %Saudi Arabia: ahead of 80 % of the 124 countries with a published unemploymentSaudi Arabia 3.04 %0.78 %18.76 %
Half of all 124 countries sit between 3.30 % and 8.30 %. Saudi Arabia is ahead of 80 % of them. Axis trimmed to the 2nd–98th percentile; 5 values beyond it sit in the end bars.

The neighbourhood

#CountryUnemploymentvs Saudi Arabia
23 Poland2.98 %−0.06 pp
24 Ghana2.98 %−0.06 pp
25 Saudi Arabia3.04 %—
26 Madagascar3.04 %+0.00 pp
27 Myanmar3.05 %+0.01 pp

Unemployment, share of the labour force (World Bank / ILO estimate).

How to read this figure

Share of the labour force without work but actively seeking it (World Bank / ILO harmonised estimate). People outside the labour force — students, carers, the discouraged — are not counted.

Next, about Saudi Arabia

Average monthly salaryGDP growthGDP per capita
Unemployment rate, all countries ranked →Compare Saudi Arabia with another country →Everything about Saudi Arabia →
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