Education, health and communications by region
Literacy, enrolment and years of schooling (survey 2017 (1438–1439 AH)), completion rates (2025 (1446–1447 AH)), health and vaccination (survey 2018 (1439–1440 AH)), life expectancy and fertility (to 2022 (1443–1444 AH)), and phones and internet in households (2025 (1446–1447 AH)), as the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) publishes them. Every figure carries its year, and some are old.
Education by region
Education and training survey, 2017 (1438–1439 AH) — old. Literacy of people aged 15 and over (and of women), the net enrolment rate at each stage (those of the stage’s age who are enrolled in it), and the mean years of schooling of people aged 25 and over. The lowest female literacy in this survey is in Jazan. The rates are our calculation on the numerators and denominators GASTAT published, and Saudi Arabia is the sum of the regions.
| Region | Literacy % | Literacy: women % | Net enrolment: primary % | Net enrolment: intermediate % | Net enrolment: secondary % | Mean years of schooling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 95.3 | 92.7 | 97.0 | 90.9 | 81.0 | 10.2 |
| Riyadh | 96.4 | 94.7 | 97.8 | 93.5 | 81.6 | 10.7 |
| Makkah | 96.0 | 93.9 | 97.4 | 93.1 | 81.8 | 10.3 |
| Eastern Province | 96.3 | 94.0 | 96.6 | 89.7 | 79.5 | 10.5 |
| Madinah | 95.2 | 93.3 | 97.0 | 86.7 | 81.5 | 9.5 |
| Qassim | 95.6 | 93.6 | 97.1 | 89.5 | 81.1 | 10.0 |
| Asir | 95.0 | 91.6 | 95.4 | 88.3 | 77.3 | 9.4 |
| Tabuk | 94.5 | 90.6 | 96.2 | 89.5 | 80.1 | 9.7 |
| Hail | 92.5 | 88.0 | 96.4 | 89.1 | 81.6 | 9.5 |
| Jazan | 88.1 | 81.9 | 95.2 | 87.5 | 81.6 | 8.4 |
| Najran | 90.2 | 85.5 | 96.3 | 89.0 | 84.5 | 8.9 |
| Al-Baha | 91.4 | 85.5 | 97.1 | 85.2 | 82.4 | 9.5 |
| Al-Jouf | 93.4 | 92.0 | 96.3 | 88.1 | 83.7 | 10.1 |
| Northern Borders | 95.4 | 93.7 | 96.6 | 87.5 | 81.8 | 9.8 |
These are 2017 figures: one survey years ago, and GASTAT has not published literacy or enrolment by region in its database since. They show the differences between regions at the time, not today.
Completion rate by stage in Saudi Arabia
The share who completed a stage among those slightly past its graduation age, as GASTAT published it for Saudi Arabia (not by region). Years 2024 (1445–1446 AH) and 2025 (1446–1447 AH).
| Stage | 2024: everyone % | 2024: male % | 2024: female % | 2025: everyone % | 2025: male % | 2025: female % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 99.2 | 99.0 | 99.3 | 99.6 | 99.8 | 99.5 |
| Intermediate | 98.5 | 97.5 | 99.6 | 99.1 | 99.5 | 98.6 |
| Secondary | 96.0 | 94.8 | 97.7 | 97.3 | 97.0 | 97.8 |
- A private school or training centre: See where secondary enrolment was lower and where literacy was lower; this is background on the region, not today’s number of students.
- A body planning literacy or adult education programmes: Read the differences between regions and between men and women in the open file.
A description of what the figures say, not advice; the decision is yours.
Health by region
Family health survey, 2018 (1439–1440 AH) — old. The share of people (15 and over) who rate their health “good” or “very good”, the share of births attended by skilled health personnel, and the share of children under two fully vaccinated. The lowest vaccination rate in this survey is in Madinah.
| Region | Health good or very good % | Births attended by skilled personnel % | Children fully vaccinated % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 95.0 | 99.4 | 97.3 |
| Riyadh | 95.5 | 99.5 | 98.1 |
| Makkah | 95.6 | 99.3 | 95.6 |
| Eastern Province | 95.4 | 99.7 | 99.8 |
| Madinah | 92.3 | 99.3 | 94.4 |
| Qassim | 96.4 | 99.1 | 97.1 |
| Asir | 94.1 | 99.2 | 97.5 |
| Tabuk | 92.8 | 99.3 | 97.5 |
| Hail | 93.1 | 99.0 | 98.3 |
| Jazan | 93.1 | 98.0 | 97.8 |
| Najran | 97.1 | 99.3 | 99.2 |
| Al-Baha | 94.0 | 99.9 | 98.8 |
| Al-Jouf | 95.6 | 100.0 | 99.1 |
| Northern Borders | 94.4 | 100.0 | 96.6 |
These are 2018 figures: one survey, and self-rated health is the respondent’s opinion, not a medical diagnosis. The figures are sample estimates, and small differences between regions are inconclusive.
Life expectancy and fertility in Saudi Arabia
Life expectancy at birth for Saudis, and the total fertility rate (average births per woman over her reproductive years if the year’s rates held), GASTAT estimates from 2011 (1432–1433 AH) to 2022 (1443–1444 AH).
| Year | Life expectancy: Saudis (years) | Men | Women | Total fertility: everyone | Saudi women | Non-Saudi women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 77.5 | 74.7 | 81.0 | 2.81 | 3.79 | 1.31 |
| 2012 | 77.5 | 74.7 | 81.0 | 2.80 | 3.73 | 1.37 |
| 2013 | 77.7 | 74.8 | 81.1 | 2.69 | 3.64 | 1.35 |
| 2014 | 77.6 | 74.7 | 81.1 | 2.70 | 3.63 | 1.38 |
| 2015 | 77.9 | 75.0 | 81.3 | 2.65 | 3.52 | 1.44 |
| 2016 | 77.7 | 74.6 | 81.3 | 2.66 | 3.47 | 1.58 |
| 2017 | 78.2 | 75.4 | 81.5 | 2.69 | 3.46 | 1.68 |
| 2018 | 78.8 | 76.0 | 82.0 | 2.68 | 3.38 | 1.66 |
| 2019 | 78.8 | 76.0 | 81.9 | 2.51 | 3.16 | 1.48 |
| 2020 | 78.9 | 76.1 | 82.0 | 2.29 | 2.98 | 1.17 |
| 2021 | 76.0 | 73.3 | 79.2 | 2.19 | 2.79 | 1.07 |
| 2022 | 77.9 | 75.3 | 80.9 | 2.14 | 2.80 | 0.90 |
The fall in life expectancy in 2021 (1442–1443 AH) coincides with the COVID-19 pandemic; the estimates do not explain the cause.
- A clinic or pharmacy: Read these figures as background on the health of the region’s population years ago, not today’s demand.
- Anyone serving families and children (nurseries, baby supplies): See the direction of fertility for Saudi Arabia as a whole: the average number of births per woman, not the number of births in your region.
A description of what the figures say, not advice; the decision is yours.
Communications in households by region
Survey of household and individual access to ICT, 2025 (1446–1447 AH). The share of households with a mobile phone, a television or a radio, and the share of people using the internet in 2025 (age 15–74) and in 2021. The lowest internet use in 2025 is in Najran, and the difference between regions is a few points.
| Region | Households with a mobile phone % | Households with a TV % | Households with a radio % | Use the internet 2025 % | Use the internet 2021 % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 99.8 | 93.9 | 14.4 | 99.0 | 93.0 |
| Riyadh | 99.8 | 93.8 | 14.3 | 99.9 | 94.7 |
| Makkah | 99.7 | 93.7 | 12.3 | 98.9 | 93.4 |
| Eastern Province | 99.9 | 94.7 | 14.4 | 99.5 | 97.6 |
| Madinah | 99.9 | 95.3 | 11.2 | 98.9 | 90.5 |
| Qassim | 99.8 | 94.8 | 14.2 | 98.3 | 94.7 |
| Asir | 99.7 | 92.9 | 15.8 | 97.2 | 88.3 |
| Tabuk | 99.7 | 95.4 | 21.5 | 97.2 | 89.3 |
| Hail | 99.6 | 91.4 | 8.2 | 98.2 | 85.2 |
| Jazan | 99.8 | 90.5 | 32.0 | 97.4 | 83.6 |
| Najran | 99.6 | 90.1 | 7.4 | 96.6 | 90.1 |
| Al-Baha | 99.7 | 93.7 | 28.9 | 98.1 | 89.9 |
| Al-Jouf | 99.4 | 94.7 | 12.2 | 97.6 | 90.9 |
| Northern Borders | 99.9 | 94.9 | 6.5 | 98.0 | 91.6 |
Do not compare the last two columns directly: the 2025 figure is for individuals aged 15–74, and the 2021 regional table does not state the age group. Household internet access by region was not published for 2025.
- An online shop, delivery service or app: Phones and the internet are almost universal in every region, so the difference between regions is not in reaching people but in their number and spending (see population and spending).
A description of what the figures say, not advice; the decision is yours.
- Education by region comes from the 2017 survey and health by region from the 2018 survey; years have passed in which the population and services changed, and we do not know or estimate today’s regional figures for them.
- The finest level here is the administrative region, not the city: Makkah Region, for example, includes Jeddah, Taif and remote villages, so a regional figure does not describe a particular city.
- Education and health rates by region are our calculation (sum of numerators ÷ sum of denominators as GASTAT published them); the other figures are as published.
- The gross enrolment ratio (in the open file) can exceed 100% because it counts those enrolled outside the stage’s age.
- The two years-of-schooling tables (2017) are flagged at the source as not displayed in the database interface; we publish them as they are.
Source: General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Arabia — Education and training survey, family health survey, life expectancy and fertility estimates, and survey of household and individual access to ICT, the official source of the original data. DataPulse organised the data and made calculations on it (such as percentage changes and regrouping). This processing and its results are ours; they are not an official statistic issued by GASTAT and do not imply its endorsement.
Reuse terms: GASTAT data use policy. We do not use GASTAT’s logo or marks.
The attribution statement in Arabic (the Arabic text governs; the English above is a summary)
المصدر: الهيئة العامة للإحصاء (المملكة العربية السعودية) — مسح التعليم والتدريب، ومسح صحة الأسرة، وتقديرات العمر المتوقع والخصوبة، ومسح نفاذ الأسر والأفراد لتقنية المعلومات، وهي المصدر الرسمي للبيانات الأصلية. أجرت «نبض البيانات» على البيانات تنظيمًا وحسابًا (مثل: حساب نسب التغيّر وإعادة التجميع). هذه المعالجة والنتائج من إعدادنا وليست إحصاءً رسميًا صادرًا عن الهيئة، ولا تعني تزكية منها.
شروط إعادة الاستخدام: سياسة استخدام بيانات الهيئة. لا نستخدم شعار الهيئة ولا علاماتها.
GASTAT statistical database: education (DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0101, DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0102, DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0202, DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0204, DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0401, DPV_EDU_EHE_IT_EDUS0402, DSD_AS_HE_V_MV, DSD_ET_HE_V_MV) · health (DPV_HLTH13_DPHLTH1304, DPV_HLTH13_DPHLTH1311, DPV_HLTH_HLTH10, DPV_HLTH_HLTH11, DPV_HLTH_HLTH2) · communications (DSD_ICTH_DE_V_MV) · retrieved 30 September 2026 (19 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH).
Files: gastat-education.csv · gastat-health.csv · gastat-ict-households.csv · Hijri dates use the Umm al-Qura calendar.