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 18.34 % in 2023. ▲ Rising
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 18.34 %, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.4% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm in Saudi Arabia peaked at 19.9 % in 2021 and was at its lowest, 10.44 %, in 2004.
Saudi Arabia ranks 143rd of 157 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising 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 | 12.09 % | — |
| 2001 | 11.15 % | -7.8% |
| 2002 | 11.36 % | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 11.51 % | +1.3% |
| 2004 | 10.44 % | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 11.88 % | +13.8% |
| 2006 | 12.93 % | +8.8% |
| 2007 | 14.04 % | +8.6% |
| 2008 | 14.32 % | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 14.74 % | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 15.89 % | +7.8% |
| 2011 | 16.38 % | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 16.51 % | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 16.2 % | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 16.76 % | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 16.49 % | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 15.81 % | -4.1% |
| 2017 | 14.11 % | -10.8% |
| 2018 | 14.87 % | +5.4% |
| 2019 | 18.37 % | +23.5% |
| 2020 | 19.25 % | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 19.9 % | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 18.99 % | -4.6% |
| 2023 | 18.34 % | -3.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 18.34 % is below the median for high income countries, which is 43.31 %, 42% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 18.34 % is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 16.58 %, 1.1× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.45 % | 10.44 % | 14.74 % | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.14 % | 14.11 % | 18.37 % | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.12 % | 18.34 % | 19.9 % | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
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 18.34 % 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 19.9 % in 2021.
- What is the lowest share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.44 % in 2004.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of employment by sex in industry: employment in off-farm?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 143rd 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 up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 — Female — 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.