Years of schooling in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Years of schooling was 11.61 in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
11.61
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
11.61
in 2021
All-time low
5.58
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Years of schooling in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, years of schooling in Saudi Arabia stood at 11.61. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, years of schooling in Saudi Arabia peaked at 11.61 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.58, in 1990.
Saudi Arabia ranks 53rd of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Years of schooling in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5.58 | — |
| 1991 | 5.68 | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 5.78 | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 5.88 | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 5.98 | +1.7% |
| 1995 | 6.08 | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 6.2 | +2.0% |
| 1997 | 6.31 | +1.9% |
| 1998 | 6.43 | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 6.55 | +1.8% |
| 2000 | 6.67 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 6.88 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 7.09 | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 7.31 | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 7.52 | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 7.76 | +3.2% |
| 2006 | 8 | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 8.23 | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 8.47 | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 8.71 | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 8.95 | +2.7% |
| 2011 | 9.18 | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 9.42 | +2.6% |
| 2013 | 9.66 | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 9.8 | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 9.94 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 10.08 | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 10.22 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 10.58 | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 10.95 | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 11.31 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 11.61 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 11.61 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11.61 | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 11.61 is below the median for high income countries, which is 12.39, 94% of the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 11.61 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 10.13, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.05 | 5.58 | 6.55 | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.66 | 6.67 | 8.71 | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.88 | 8.95 | 10.95 | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.53 | 11.31 | 11.61 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More education data for Saudi Arabia
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 99.72 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 99.47 (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is years of schooling in Saudi Arabia?
- Years of schooling in Saudi Arabia was 11.61 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest years of schooling recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.61 in 2021.
- What is the lowest years of schooling recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.58 in 1990.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for years of schooling?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 53rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
- Is years of schooling rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).