The question
How many people in each region are looking for work and cannot find it? And does that differ between Saudis and non-Saudis, and between men and women?
The figure
According to GASTAT’s Labour Force Survey, the unemployment rate among Saudis in Saudi Arabia was 6.4% in Q1 2026 (Rajab – Shawwal 1447 AH), compared with 6.3% in Q1 2025 (Rajab – Shawwal 1446 AH). Among non-Saudis it was 1.5%, and 3.1% for everyone.
The unemployment rate is the share of people looking for work and not finding it among everyone in the labour force, that is, those working and those looking for work together.
Among Saudi women the rate was 9.0%, and among Saudi men 4.9%; so the rate for women is 1.8 times the rate for men. A year earlier it was 10.5% for Saudi women and 4.0% for men: the rate for women fell and the rate for men rose.
Where is the rate higher, and where lower?
The highest unemployment among Saudis is in Northern Borders, 9.9%, then Asir, 8.9%, then Makkah, 8.7%. The lowest is in Riyadh, 3.9%, then the Eastern Province, 5.0%, then Al-Jouf, 5.9%. So the rate in the highest region is 2.5 times that in the lowest.
Among Saudi women the gap is wider: 15.5% in Northern Borders and 5.7% in Riyadh, and the rate is 10% or more in 7 of 13 regions.
Over the year, the rate among Saudis fell in 9 regions and rose in 4. The largest fall was in Al-Baha, from 9.5% to 6.5%, and the largest rise in Najran, from 4.2% to 6.1%.
For non-Saudis the rate is below 1% in 8 regions, and highest in Makkah, 2.8%.
Unemployment among Saudis in Northern Borders is 2.5 times that in Riyadh
Unemployment rate (% of the labour force), Q1 2026 (Rajab – Shawwal 1447 AH). Highest unemployment among Saudis first.
| Region | Saudis | Saudi women | Saudi men | Non-Saudis | Change in Saudi unemployment over a year (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 6.4% | 9.0% | 4.9% | 1.5% | 0.1 |
| Northern Borders | 9.9% | 15.5% | 7.0% | 2.1% | −0.4 |
| Asir | 8.9% | 13.8% | 6.3% | 0.4% | −1.8 |
| Makkah | 8.7% | 12.2% | 6.9% | 2.8% | 0.8 |
| Jazan | 8.4% | 10.1% | 7.6% | 0.7% | 0.8 |
| Tabuk | 8.2% | 14.3% | 5.5% | 0.2% | −1.6 |
| Madinah | 7.9% | 11.7% | 6.0% | 1.4% | −0.4 |
| Hail | 7.6% | 12.1% | 5.2% | 0.0% | −0.3 |
| Al-Baha | 6.5% | 7.7% | 5.8% | 0.0% | −3.0 |
| Najran | 6.1% | 6.6% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 1.9 |
| Qassim | 5.9% | 7.9% | 4.8% | 0.5% | −0.6 |
| Al-Jouf | 5.9% | 6.5% | 5.5% | 0.6% | −0.5 |
| Eastern Province | 5.0% | 7.3% | 3.8% | 0.9% | −0.0 |
| Riyadh | 3.9% | 5.7% | 2.8% | 1.2% | 0.5 |
What this means for your decision
The national figure is an average that hides large differences between regions and groups; the figure for the region and the group is closer to the reality you deal with.
- For job seekers: the rate in your region shows the share of people without work who compete with you; it does not show the number of jobs available or their type.
- For employers considering expanding into a region: a high rate among Saudi men and women there means a larger share of job seekers in the labour force there.
- For researchers: a region’s own change over a year is clearer than a comparison between two small regions, because the survey is less precise in smaller regions.
An analytical reading, not financial advice; the decision and its responsibility are yours.
Limits of the figure
- A quarterly sample survey; figures for small regions are less precise and fluctuate from one quarter to another.
- An “unemployed” person in the survey is someone without work, looking for it and available for it. Someone who has stopped looking is not counted in the rate, so a lower rate does not always mean that more people found work.
- The file we rely on contains the unemployment rate only. We have not yet retrieved the numbers employed, the employment rate or wages by region, so the reading answers half of the question: who is looking for work.
- The latest published quarter is Q1 2026 (Rajab – Shawwal 1447 AH), retrieved from GASTAT’s database on 30 September 2026 (19 Rabi' al-Akhir 1448 AH).
Source: General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), Saudi Arabia, 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 source statement in Arabic (the Arabic text governs; the English above is a summary)
المصدر: الهيئة العامة للإحصاء (المملكة العربية السعودية) — مسح القوى العاملة: معدل البطالة حسب المنطقة الإدارية والجنسية والجنس، 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.
Full official figures: Labour: the official figures by region, nationality and sex · All insights(Arabic)
Translated from the Arabic reading; the Arabic text is the original. The original reading(Arabic)