Gender Inequality Index in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Gender Inequality Index was 0.228 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Gender Inequality Index in Saudi Arabia, 2003–2023
Source: UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, gender inequality index in Saudi Arabia stood at 0.228.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and down 26.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gender inequality index in Saudi Arabia peaked at 0.78 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.219, in 2022.
That places Saudi Arabia 109th out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Gender Inequality Index in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 0.78 | — |
| 2004 | 0.771 | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 0.766 | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.763 | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 0.765 | +0.3% |
| 2008 | 0.762 | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 0.763 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 0.754 | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 0.751 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 0.749 | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.309 | -58.7% |
| 2014 | 0.308 | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 0.301 | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 0.297 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.309 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 0.298 | -3.6% |
| 2019 | 0.283 | -5.0% |
| 2020 | 0.245 | -13.4% |
| 2021 | 0.22 | -10.2% |
| 2022 | 0.219 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 0.228 | +4.1% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 0.228 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.081, 2.8× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 0.228 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.379, 60% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Gender Inequality Index in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | -58.7% | 0.749 | 0.309 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 0.7671 | 0.762 | 0.78 | 7 |
| 2010s | 0.4359 | 0.283 | 0.754 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.228 | 0.219 | 0.245 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More poverty & inequality data for Saudi Arabia
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 2.28 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 5,122 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.39 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 7.99 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 8.0% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, annual growth rate 10.76 % change on previous year (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 24.0% (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.0862 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is gender inequality index in Saudi Arabia?
- Gender inequality index in Saudi Arabia was 0.228 in 2023, according to UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gender inequality index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.78 in 2003.
- What is the lowest gender inequality index recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.219 in 2022.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for gender inequality index?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 109th out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is gender inequality index rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UNDP, Human Development Report (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Gender Inequality Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This index captures gender-based disadvantage in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market; ranges from 0 (full equality) to 1 (maximum inequality), representing the share of potential human development lost because of gender gaps.