Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 9.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 9.7% for unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.8% on the previous year and down 61.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia peaked at 25.4% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5.0%, in 1992.
Saudi Arabia ranks 52nd of 187 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.0% | — |
| 1992 | 5.0% | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +11.2% |
| 1994 | 6.1% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 6.6% | +8.4% |
| 1996 | 7.0% | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 7.3% | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 7.6% | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 8.1% | +5.9% |
| 2000 | 9.3% | +14.8% |
| 2001 | 9.2% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 11.6% | +27.1% |
| 2003 | 12.7% | +9.3% |
| 2004 | 13.6% | +7.2% |
| 2005 | 14.4% | +5.8% |
| 2006 | 15.1% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 14.8% | -2.2% |
| 2008 | 14.5% | -1.7% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +17.7% |
| 2010 | 18.7% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 20.8% | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 22.6% | +8.7% |
| 2013 | 23.5% | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 25.2% | +7.3% |
| 2015 | 25.4% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 24.3% | -4.2% |
| 2017 | 23.7% | -2.7% |
| 2018 | 22.9% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 23.3% | +1.7% |
| 2020 | 24.7% | +6.1% |
| 2021 | 18.6% | -24.7% |
| 2022 | 16.9% | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 12.4% | -26.3% |
| 2024 | 10.9% | -12.6% |
| 2025 | 9.7% | -10.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.5% | 5.0% | 8.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 13.2% | 9.2% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.1% | 18.7% | 25.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.5% | 9.7% | 24.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 242,375 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 26,900 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 215,559 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 214,840 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.36 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.45 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.53 % change on previous year (2022)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.0976 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Saudi Arabia was 9.7% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 25.4% in 2015.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.0% in 1992.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 52nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.