Labor force, female in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Labor force, female was 18.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, female in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database. Measured in % of total labor force.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 18.9% for labor force, female in 2025.
That represents a change of up 1.4% on the previous year and up 55.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, female in Saudi Arabia peaked at 19.4% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2017.
That places Saudi Arabia 178th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, female in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 12.9% | — |
| 1991 | 12.8% | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 12.8% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | +2.6% |
| 1994 | 13.5% | +2.6% |
| 1995 | 13.8% | +2.6% |
| 1996 | 14.2% | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 14.6% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 15.0% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 15.4% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 14.5% | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 14.0% | -3.8% |
| 2002 | 13.6% | -2.5% |
| 2003 | 13.7% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 13.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 13.7% | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 13.0% | -5.1% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | -4.4% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 12.2% | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 12.5% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 12.4% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 11.9% | -3.8% |
| 2014 | 11.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 12.2% | +3.3% |
| 2016 | 12.7% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 11.5% | -9.4% |
| 2018 | 12.8% | +11.7% |
| 2019 | 14.1% | +10.0% |
| 2020 | 16.8% | +19.1% |
| 2021 | 19.4% | +15.5% |
| 2022 | 19.3% | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 19.0% | -1.3% |
| 2024 | 18.6% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 18.9% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.8% | 12.8% | 15.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.4% | 11.9% | 14.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.4% | 11.5% | 14.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 16.8% | 19.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 19.42 % change on previous year (2022)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 244,652 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -2.16 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.65 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 20.66 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.71 million (2024)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 18.25 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 430,399 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 77.4 % change on previous year (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, female in Saudi Arabia?
- Labor force, female in Saudi Arabia was 18.9% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 2021.
- What is the lowest labor force, female recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2017.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for labor force, female?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 178th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, female rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 55.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, female (% of total labor force). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Female labor force as a percentage of the total show the extent to which women are active in the labor force. Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period.