Saudi Arabia employment hits 19M in Q4 2025

Non-Saudis account for 78% of total workforce.

The number of employed persons in Saudi Arabia reached nearly 19.03 million by the end of Q4 2025, according to statistics issued by the General Authority for Statistics.

The total includes workers subject to the laws and regulations of social insurance, as well as civil service laws and regulations.

The number of employed expats in Saudi Arabia reached nearly 14.8 million, or 78% of total employed, while the number of employed Saudis stood at 4.2 million, or 22% of the total.

Employed Saudis holding a bachelors (or equivalent) degree accounted for nearly 39%.

As for employed expats, nearly 26% had intermediate-level education, while 22% had secondary-level education.

In terms of location, 46% (1.94 million) of total employed Saudis were in Riyadh, followed by the Eastern Province at about 18% and Makkah at 17%.

Nearly 5.36 million employed expats, excluding domestic workers, were also in Riyadh.

Data showed that Saudis aged 30-34 years represent 16% (or 711,200) of total employed citizens.

The lowest share of employed Saudis was among those aged over 65 years, at nearly 18,000.

As for employed foreigners in Saudi Arabia, the largest group was aged 25-29 at nearly 2.03 million, or 20% of the total.

According to the data, the average monthly wage of employed Saudis during the period stood at SAR 11,103, while the average monthly wage of foreigners reached SAR 4,131.