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Saudi Arabia

GDP/capita CAGR
0.5%
Unemployment (2025)
3.0%
Gini index (n/a)
n/a
CO2/capita (2024)
18.5 t

Saudi Arabia: sluggish, near-stagnant growth, 1980–2025

An oil-dominated economy for most of the period, Saudi Arabia has pursued economic diversification under the Vision 2030 program launched in 2016 to reduce dependence on hydrocarbon revenue. Between 1980 and 2025, Saudi Arabia's GDP per capita grew from $27,206 to $34,537 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 0.5% — sluggish, near-stagnant growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 2.4% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 5.2 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 1.0% to 2.6% of GDP (a notable increase), while services rose from 27.4% to 48.9% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 62.4 to 79.0 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 10.0% to 83.9%, while the urban population share grew from 66.4% to 84.6%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 31.87 to 18.48 tonnes CO2e per person.

What it trades

Top exported and imported products, approximate share of total trade value.

Top exports

1
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...68.8%
2
Plastics and articles thereof5.8%
3
Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...5.2%
4
Organic chemicals3.1%
5
Ships, boats and floating structures2.5%
6
Fertilisers2.2%
7
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof1.8%
8
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...1.4%
9
Aluminium and articles thereof0.9%
10
Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof0.8%

Top imports

1
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof14.8%
2
Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...14.2%
3
Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof11.3%
4
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...4.8%
5
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...4.5%
6
Pharmaceutical products3.9%
7
Commodities not elsewhere specified3.5%
8
Articles of iron or steel3.1%
9
Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical ...2.6%
10
Iron and steel2.5%

Events shaping this economy

Central bank perspective

Why the charts below look the way they do, drawing on the country’s own central bank and monetary authority.

Leading companies in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco · EnergyAl Rajhi Bank · BankingSABIC · ChemicalsSaudi Telecom Company · TelecomSaudi National Bank · Banking

Macroeconomic

GDP growth
% annual
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GDP per capita
current US$
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Inflation (CPI)
% annual
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Unemployment
% of labor force
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Government debt
% of GDP
Data not available for Saudi Arabia
Exports
% of GDP
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Imports
% of GDP
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Foreign direct investment, net inflows
% of GDP
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Current account balance
% of GDP
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Government expenditure
% of GDP
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Structural & Microeconomic

Agriculture, value added
% of GDP
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Industry, value added
% of GDP
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Services, value added
% of GDP
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Labor force participation
% of population 15+
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Gini index (inequality)
index (0-100)
Data not available for Saudi Arabia
Poverty headcount ratio
% of population
Data not available for Saudi Arabia

Education & Development

Tertiary school enrollment
% gross
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Adult literacy rate
% of people 15+
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Education spending
% of GDP
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Primary pupil-teacher ratio
pupils per teacher
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Life expectancy at birth
years
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Urban population
% of total
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Total population
people
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Environmental Cost

CO2 emissions per capita
t CO2e per capita
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