Freedom in Saudi Arabia
Where Saudi Arabia sits on every statistic this site carries, each against the countries the same source covers. Saudi Arabia has a figure for 57 of 60 indicators.
Personal
What a person may say, believe, publish, join and where they may go.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom of expression | 0.092 | 2025 | 149 of 163 |
| Freedom of association | 0.026 | 2025 | 157 of 163 |
| Civil liberties | 0.178 | 2025 | 153 of 163 |
| Freedom from political violence | 0.264 | 2025 | 137 of 163 |
| Equal protection of rights | 0.317 | 2025 | 131 of 163 |
| Academic freedom | 0.066 | 2025 | 155 of 163 |
| Media censorship effort | -1.316 | 2025 | 135 of 163 |
| Harassment of journalists | -2.253 | 2025 | 155 of 163 |
| Media self-censorship | -1.815 | 2025 | 150 of 163 |
| Universal right to vote | 0.000 | 2025 | 161 of 167 |
| Legal rights for women | 71.3 | 2023 | 121 of 164 |
| Women can get a passport as men do | 1.000 | 2023 | 113 of 164 |
| Access to justice for women | 0.000 | 2025 | 134 of 163 |
| Access to justice for men | 0.000 | 2025 | 137 of 163 |
| Civil liberties score | 8.0 | 2025 | 152 of 167 |
| Political rights score | 1.0 | 2025 | 151 of 167 |
Economic
What a person may own, trade, earn and keep.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trade openness | 57.9% | 2025 | 83 of 125 |
| Tax revenue as a share of GDP | 8.1% | 2024 | 7 of 83 |
| Government spending as a share of GDP | 24.2% | 2023 | 34 of 79 |
| Foreign investment inflows | 2.6% | 2025 | 26 of 87 |
| Regulatory quality | 66.1 | 2024 | 34 of 169 |
| GDP per capita | $63.1K | 2025 | 15 of 157 |
| GDP growth | 4.5% | 2025 | — |
| Inflation | 2.1% | 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 3.0% | 2025 | 35 of 163 |
Digital
What a person may read, send and encrypt online, and who is watching.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet use | 100.0% | 2024 | 2 of 154 |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions | 44.1 | 2024 | 10 of 134 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 159.5 | 2024 | 15 of 134 |
Government
How power is held, checked and abused.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electoral democracy | 0.016 | 2025 | 163 of 163 |
| Liberal democracy | 0.047 | 2025 | 151 of 163 |
| Rule of law | 0.396 | 2025 | 96 of 163 |
| Judicial checks on government | 0.285 | 2025 | 111 of 163 |
| Legislative checks on government | 0.045 | 2025 | 154 of 157 |
| Political corruption | 0.326 | 2025 | 55 of 163 |
| Civil society participation | 0.250 | 2025 | 145 of 163 |
| Women’s political empowerment | 0.347 | 2025 | 154 of 163 |
| Voice and accountability | 29.8 | 2024 | 151 of 170 |
| Control of corruption | 63.1 | 2024 | 36 of 170 |
| Government effectiveness | 66.6 | 2024 | 37 of 169 |
| Political stability | 65.1 | 2024 | 77 of 170 |
Society
Health, schooling, safety and who takes part.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Development Index | 0.900 | 2023 | 31 of 165 |
| Life expectancy | 79.0 | 2024 | 38 of 170 |
| Adult literacy | 97.9% | 2024 | 6 of 27 |
| Secondary school enrolment | 110.7% | 2024 | 10 of 85 |
| Government spending on education | 4.5% | 2023 | — |
| Health spending | 5.7% | 2023 | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket | 14.1% | 2023 | 36 of 164 |
| Maternal mortality | 7.0 | 2023 | 35 of 167 |
| Women in parliament | 19.9% | 2025 | 108 of 156 |
| Women in the workforce | 33.6% | 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 2.31 | 2024 | — |
| Urban population | 84.6% | 2025 | — |
| Refugees who left | 6.9 | 2024 | 58 of 168 |
| Population | 37M | 2025 | — |
Environment
Energy, emissions and access to power.
| Statistic | Value | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| CO₂ emissions per person | 18.49 | 2024 | 160 of 165 |
| Renewable energy use | 0.1% | 2021 | 166 of 169 |
| Access to electricity | 100.0% | 2024 | 68 of 169 |
What is missing
3 of the 60 statistics here have no figure for Saudi Arabia in the year they were last ranked. Coverage differs by source: an indicator missing here is one its producer does not publish for Saudi Arabia, not a zero. Who publishes what