Saudi Arabia: Non-Saudi employed population by main group of economic activities (Q1 2021-Q1 2025)

Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4 2021 Q1 2022 Q2 2022 Q3 2022 Q4 2022 Q1 2023 Q2 2023 Q3 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 Q1 2025
 Agriculture, forestry and fishing 89,866 87,361 85,806 90,183 114,724 158,234 NA 329,267 495,115 516,859 120,078 121,665 143,492 179,181 180,956 260,485 309,326
 Mining and quarrying 64,007 62,227 61,459 62,230 58,220 40,509 NA 36,599 39,424 47,402 49,174 51,940 57,965 68,646 77,780 96,875 95,109
 Manufacturing 626,216 613,277 611,982 627,008 657,697 708,428 NA 778,389 810,469 827,488 860,211 866,598 939,706 971,814 1,006,783 1,110,221 1,168,267
 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 37,403 37,410 36,521 36,533 37,377 6,516 NA 6,220 6,316 6,378 6,837 7,623 8,800 12,503 13,161 14,607 15,237
 Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities 18,487 18,306 17,885 18,283 21,585 69,590 NA 86,157 100,914 107,210 126,842 130,018 115,375 133,381 137,368 143,692 142,836
 Construction 1,803,570 1,742,895 1,705,712 1,755,671 1,834,116 2,105,858 NA 2,090,698 2,172,686 2,176,449 2,227,945 2,233,402 2,418,405 2,494,244 2,562,464 2,820,589 2,962,223
 Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles 1,426,482 1,382,250 1,353,746 1,330,197 1,338,295 1,288,581 NA 1,205,767 1,228,816 1,210,761 1,208,148 1,205,372 1,241,277 1,252,451 1,253,248 1,336,936 1,361,689
 Transportation and storage 192,230 193,485 193,817 205,458 233,721 298,939 NA 319,993 335,369 339,805 363,482 370,573 412,744 429,590 451,537 607,845 629,132
 Accommodation and food service activities 308,053 306,689 310,997 439,731 521,987 511,858 NA 525,044 543,139 536,229 537,183 526,551 537,539 538,446 536,782 569,825 576,931
 Information and communication 38,608 37,643 38,492 38,056 38,163 49,573 NA 46,617 47,524 46,256 45,484 45,000 47,827 48,515 49,135 54,671 54,920
 Financial and insurance activities 12,839 12,611 12,549 12,895 13,361 16,840 NA 16,290 16,522 16,287 16,542 16,602 16,867 16,845 16,892 17,163 17,204
 Real estate activities 25,182 24,553 24,763 24,420 24,066 41,504 NA 31,702 32,236 31,885 31,464 31,152 32,704 32,557 32,157 34,296 34,771
 Professional, scientific and technical activities 88,617 87,325 86,903 88,300 94,998 112,818 NA 107,904 111,935 112,984 115,985 120,029 126,321 129,204 132,005 139,253 141,635
 Administrative and support service activities 883,841 844,057 807,982 837,078 861,342 951,563 NA 964,928 999,359 969,999 938,446 919,046 965,916 985,419 1,009,595 1,044,940 1,075,106
 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security 70,341 78,223 79,515 83,754 79,588 62,956 NA 60,471 58,374 58,004 56,932 56,553 56,437 57,447 57,125 57,346 57,328
 Education 62,365 58,392 60,562 60,845 60,978 75,140 NA 75,749 78,429 79,296 83,810 85,642 90,571 89,292 92,949 180,909 179,883
 Human health and social work activities 229,046 234,130 235,835 251,008 203,369 212,023 NA 226,453 233,374 227,766 225,641 222,443 225,911 224,659 225,189 226,024 227,819
 Arts, entertainment and recreation 18,432 18,837 19,029 19,557 20,350 18,622 NA 19,440 20,264 19,602 18,996 18,509 18,828 18,886 19,081 25,694 26,237
 Other service activities 174,281 167,529 164,890 166,359 199,012 215,299 NA 196,109 198,215 194,097 192,496 188,702 200,990 208,368 211,165 229,426 237,190
 Activities of households as employer Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodiess; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use 110 114 119 196 223 99 NA 88 78 81 76 71 69 59 68 59 59
 Activities of extraterritorial organizations and bodies 404 420 419 434 438 250 NA 243 232 225 218 198 209 213 211 118 116
Not specified 131,412 117,098 114,094 142,300 309,379 153,469 NA 217,495 279,057 338,819 890,201 886,614 964,794 1,042,623 1,112,768 573,739 569,869
Total 6,301,792 6,124,832 6,023,077 6,290,496 6,722,989 7,098,669 NA 7,341,623 7,807,847 7,863,882 8,116,191 8,104,303 8,622,747 8,934,343 9,178,419 9,544,713 9,882,887

Source: Register-based Labour Market Statistics, General Authority for Statistics (GAStat)

1. Data collection methodology

LFS were first conducted in 2001 and became bi-annual after 2006. Data were collected through nationally representative household sample surveys, which sampling was based on most recent censuses.
Since 2016, Labour Force Surveys have been conducted and published on a quarterly basis, based on a household telephone survey conducted by GAStat. Employment data extracted from administrative records were also introduced as a complement to the results of Labour Force Surveys in Labour Market Statistics’ publications, starting on Q1 2017.

The present data is taken from administrative records.

Population of reference: workers subject to the rule of the General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI):
a. contributors on the job who are subject to social insurance laws and regulations in the private and government sector;
b. new contributors, and contributors who terminated their contribution to social insurance during the quarter.

Figures of workers in Labor Market statistics which were derived from administrative records do not include the following categories:
1-Workers in the military and security sectors
2- Workers who are not registered in the civil service, social insurance (GOSI) and domestic workers’ records, which include:
 – Saudis working for their own businesses and are not subjected to the labor regulations, also, not registered in social insurance,
such as those who work in delivery through electronic apps
– Saudi employers who work in establishments and not registered in the social insurance
– Non-Saudi staff working in foreign international, political or military missions

3- Non-Saudi employees who come to the Kingdom for work that normally takes less than three months to be completed.

Definitions and categories used by GAStat in Labour Markets Statistics (employment; unemployment; occupation and activity sectors, etc.) are based on international standards:
For LFS methodology and definitions, see metadata section in report, and:
https://database.stats.gov.sa/Methodologies/En_Documents/03_Labor%20Market%20Bulletin%20Methodology,%20Fourth%20Quarter%202020%20_%20General%20Authority%20for%20Statistics.pdf
https://database.stats.gov.sa/Methodologies/En_Documents/03_Labor%20Market%20Bulletin%20Methodology,%20Fourth%20Quarter%202020%20_%20General%20Authority%20for%20Statistics.pdf

Classification of economic activities: Saudi Classification of Economic Activities, based on the International Standard Industrial Classification of all economic activities (ISIC4)
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/classifications

2. Institution which provides data 

General Authority for Statistics (GAStat)

3. Data availability 

Since 2021, GAStat has been publishing separately the employment data taken from administrative records,and unemployment/inactivity data as well as general indicators, calculated from the results of the field interviews conducted by GAStat (Labour Force Survey).
The time-series was built using the quarterly Register-based Labour Market Statistics for given quarters 2023-2025: available at:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics-tabs/-/categories/417515?tab=436312&category=417515
Before 2023: available in the “archived data”:
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics?index=1317550
“social statistics”, and “labour force”
https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/statistics-tabs?tab=436312&category=1333429

Last date of access: 26 August 2025.

Keywords: Employment, Saudi Arabia, National & Foreign Labour

GLMM and GRC cannot guarantee that the link to access the source will not change;
that the information will not be removed from the website it was obtained from;
that no geo-blockages will be imposed; or that the information will not be available for any another reason.