Saudi unemployment rises to 6.8% in Q2 2025: GASTAT

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Saudi Arabia’s unemployment rate among nationals rose to 6.8% in the second quarter of 2025, up from 6.3% in the first quarter, according to the Labor Force Survey released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The Kingdom had already achieved its Vision 2030 target of reducing Saudi unemployment to 7%, with the Ministry of Human Resources now aiming for a new target of 5%.

Unemployment among Saudi males stood at 4.3%, while the rate among Saudi females reached 11.3%. Unemployment rate for non-Saudis was 1.4%.

The overall unemployment rate for the working-age population reached 3.2% in Q2 2025, compared to 2.8% in the previous quarter.

GASTAT data also showed that the labor force participation rate for Saudi males fell to 64% in Q2 2025, while the participation rate for Saudi females declined to 34.5%.

Regionally, Jazan recorded the highest overall unemployment rate at 5.3%, followed by the Northern Borders at 4.8%. Riyadh and the Eastern Province registered the lowest rates at 2.2% and 2.4%, respectively.