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Average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Average years of schooling among adults was 11.61 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
11.61 years
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
53rd
of 192 countries
All-time high
11.61 years
in 2021
All-time low
5.58 years
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023

Average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia, 1990–2023

02.557.51012.51990200620231990: 5.6 years1991: 5.7 years1992: 5.8 years1993: 5.9 years1994: 6 years1995: 6.1 years1996: 6.2 years1997: 6.3 years1998: 6.4 years1999: 6.6 years2000: 6.7 years2001: 6.9 years2002: 7.1 years2003: 7.3 years2004: 7.5 years2005: 7.8 years2006: 8 years2007: 8.2 years2008: 8.5 years2009: 8.7 years2010: 8.9 years2011: 9.2 years2012: 9.4 years2013: 9.7 years2014: 9.8 years2015: 9.9 years2016: 10.1 years2017: 10.2 years2018: 10.6 years2019: 10.9 years2020: 11.3 years2021: 11.6 years2022: 11.6 years2023: 11.6 years

Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia stood at 11.61 years. 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, average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia peaked at 11.61 years in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.58 years, 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 6.05 years 5.58 years 6.55 years 10
2000s 7.66 years 6.67 years 8.71 years 10
2010s 9.88 years 8.95 years 10.95 years 10
2020s 11.53 years 11.31 years 11.61 years 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 50 Marshall Islands 11.64 years compare
  2. 51 Andorra 11.61 years compare
  3. 51 South Africa 11.61 years compare
  4. 54 Greece 11.55 years compare
  5. 55 Romania 11.55 years compare
  6. 56 Bulgaria 11.45 years compare

See the full ranking of 192 places →

More education data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia?
Average years of schooling among adults in Saudi Arabia was 11.61 years in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 11.61 years in 2021.
What is the lowest average years of schooling among adults recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 5.58 years in 1990.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for average years of schooling among adults?
Saudi Arabia ranks 53rd out of 192 countries with data for 2023.
Is average years of schooling among adults 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 UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Average years of schooling among adults. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Average years of schooling among adults
Unit
years
Source
UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
192 places, 6,079 data points, 1990–2023
Last refreshed

Average number of years (excluding years spent repeating individual grades) adults over 25 years participated in formal education.