Share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of the population with lower secondary education was 85.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 85.8% for share of the population with lower secondary education in 2024. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.8% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia peaked at 85.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 42.8%, in 2000.
Saudi Arabia ranks 53rd of 135 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 42.8% | — |
| 2004 | 48.8% | +14.1% |
| 2013 | 66.5% | +36.3% |
| 2017 | 68.8% | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 73.5% | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 74.3% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 77.2% | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 74.8% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 76.9% | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 79.6% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 85.8% | +7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.8% | 42.8% | 48.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 70.8% | 66.5% | 74.3% | 4 |
| 2020s | 78.9% | 74.8% | 85.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 1.69 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), annual growth rate 0.5853 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, female (number), per capita 0.048 units per person (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.75 million (2024)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), annual growth rate 4.42 % change on previous year (2022)
- Enrolment in primary education, male (number), per capita 0.0497 units per person (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of the population with lower secondary education in Saudi Arabia was 85.8% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 85.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of the population with lower secondary education recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.8% in 2000.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of the population with lower secondary education?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 53rd out of 135 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population with lower secondary education rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with lower secondary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of adults aged 25 and older who have completed lower secondary education or higher.