RIYADH — The unemployment rate among Saudi males and females dropped to 7.2 percent during the fourth quarter of 2025 from 7.5 percent in the third quarter of the year, according to the Labor Market Statistics Bulletin released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
The bulletin for the fourth quarter of 2025 showed that the unemployment rate for the total working-age population above 15 years, reached 3.5 percent during the same period. The labor force participation rate for the total population rose to 67.4 percent, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous quarter and 1.0 percentage points from the previous year.
The unemployment rate among Saudi females declined year on year to 10.3 percent, down 1.6 percentage points from Q4 2024. The bulletin results also indicated an increase in the labor force participation rate among Saudi males to 64.7 percent, up by 0.4 percentage points compared to the previous quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, the employment rate of Saudi females increased by 4.2 percentage points over the past five years, reaching 31 percent.
Regarding other labor market indicators, the labor force participation rate among Saudis reached 49.5 percent in Q4 2025, up 0.5 percentage points from Q4 2024 and down 1.6 percentage points year on year. The employment-to-population ratio among Saudis reached 45.9 percent, up 0.6 percentage points from Q3 2025, but down 1.6 percentage points year on year.
As for the total working-age population (15 years and above), the bulletin showed that the unemployment rate among citizens and residents stood at 3.5 percent in Q4 2025, increasing by 0.1 percentage points compared to Q3 of the same year, while remaining stable on an annual basis compared to Q4 2024.
The employment-to-population ratio for the working-age population reached 65 percent, up 0.4 percentage points from Q3 2025 and 1 percentage point from Q4 2024, the bulletin pointed out.
Source: Saudi Gazette