Saudi Arabia: Educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, female (%) (cumulative)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 5.52 percentage points from 84.58% in 2019. Since 2000 it is up 46.33 percentage points from 43.77% in 2000. The World Bank has no value for 14 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

From 2017 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 1.63 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 78% of the movement over 8 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Saudi Arabia had the 22nd highest value of the 36 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Saudi Arabia in the 2024 ranking

• Chile — 19th of 36: 91.74%
• North Macedonia — 20th of 36: 91.36%
• West Bank and Gaza — 21st of 36: 90.26%
• South Africa — 23rd of 36: 88.75%
• Panama — 24th of 36: 88.02%
• Costa Rica — 25th of 36: 85.71%

What this measures

The percentage of population ages 25 and over that attained or completed primary education.

Limitations: Caution is required when using this indicator for cross-country comparison, since the countries do not always classify degrees and qualifications at the same International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) levels, even if they are received at roughly the same age or after a similar number of years of schooling. Also, certain educational programmes and study courses cannot be easily classified according to ISCED. This indicator only measures educational attainment in terms of level of education attained, i.e. years of schooling, and does not necessarily reveal the quality of the education (learning achievement and other impacts).

All 11 values

Educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, female (%) (cumulative) in nearby economies

• Bahrain — 91.74% (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 63.5% (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 82.45% (2023)
• Israel — 95.6% (2023)
• Kuwait — 65.78% (2018)
• Malta — 99.82% (2023)
• Pakistan — 38.35% (2021)

More education data for Saudi Arabia

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) — 83.88% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 1.01 (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, female (% gross) — 84.15% (2024)
• School enrollment, tertiary, male (% gross) — 83.65% (2024)
• Tertiary education, academic staff (% female) — 48.05% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Saudi Arabia's educational attainment, at least completed primary, population 25+ years, female (%) (cumulative)?

90.1% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 46.33 percentage points from 43.77% in 2000. The highest value was 90.1% in 2024 and the lowest 43.77% in 2000.

How does Saudi Arabia rank?

22nd highest of 36 economies with data for 2024.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.CUAT.FE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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