Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm was 81.66 % in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia is 81.66 %, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and down 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia peaked at 89.56 % in 2004 and was at its lowest, 80.1 %, in 2021.
That places Saudi Arabia 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 87.91 % | — |
| 2001 | 88.85 % | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 88.64 % | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 88.49 % | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 89.56 % | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 88.12 % | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 87.07 % | -1.2% |
| 2007 | 85.96 % | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 85.68 % | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 85.26 % | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 84.11 % | -1.3% |
| 2011 | 83.62 % | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 83.49 % | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 83.8 % | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 83.24 % | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 83.51 % | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 84.19 % | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 85.89 % | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 85.13 % | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 81.63 % | -4.1% |
| 2020 | 80.75 % | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 80.1 % | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 81.01 % | +1.1% |
| 2023 | 81.66 % | +0.8% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 81.66 % is above the median for high income countries, which is 56.69 %, 1.4× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 81.66 % is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 83.42 %, 98% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 87.55 % | 85.26 % | 89.56 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 83.86 % | 81.63 % | 85.89 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 80.88 % | 80.1 % | 81.66 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 12 Qatar 83.42 % compare
- 12 Caribbean 54.62 % compare
- 12 Micronesia 39.9 % compare
- 13 Oman 82.79 % compare
- 13 Viet Nam 38.82 % compare
- 14 Kuwait 82.34 % compare
- 14 Timor-Leste 38.29 % compare
- 15 Lao People's Democratic Republic 37.99 % compare
- 16 Bahrain 81.04 % compare
- 16 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 37.12 % compare
- 17 Tunisia 80.55 % compare
- 17 Melanesia 36.47 % compare
- 18 Morocco 79.88 % compare
- 18 Polynesia 21.8 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Saudi Arabia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0259 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 894.48 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 3.68 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1539 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.6% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.6% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia was 81.66 % in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 89.56 % in 2004.
- What is the lowest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 80.1 % in 2021.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 15th out of 157 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Share of employment by sex in industry: Employment in off-farm agrifood systems — Value — Male — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National — Non-agricultural agrifood systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.