Civil Rights Score in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Civil Rights Score was 2 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Civil Rights Score in Saudi Arabia, 2005–2025
Source: Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for civil rights score in Saudi Arabia is 2, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil rights score in Saudi Arabia peaked at 4 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 2, in 2015.
That places Saudi Arabia 99th out of 128 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Civil Rights Score in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 3 | — |
| 2007 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 2015 | 2 | -33.3% |
| 2017 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 2 | +0.0% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 2 is below the median for high income countries, which is 8, 25% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 2 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3, 67% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.33 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 2010s | 2.6 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| 2020s | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 99 Azerbaijan 2 compare
- 99 Belarus 2 compare
- 99 Burkina Faso 2 compare
- 99 Burundi 2 compare
- 99 Cambodia 2 compare
- 99 Chad 2 compare
- 99 Congo 2 compare
- 99 Ethiopia 2 compare
- 99 Mozambique 2 compare
- 99 Nicaragua 2 compare
- 99 Oman 2 compare
- 99 Pakistan 2 compare
- 99 Russia 2 compare
- 99 South Sudan 2 compare
- 99 Tajikistan 2 compare
- 99 Venezuela 2 compare
- 99 Zimbabwe 2 compare
More social development data for Saudi Arabia
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 448 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 2,368 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil rights score in Saudi Arabia?
- Civil rights score in Saudi Arabia was 2 in 2025, according to Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil rights score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 4 in 2009.
- What is the lowest civil rights score recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 2 in 2015.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for civil rights score?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 99th out of 128 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil rights score rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from Bertelsmann Transformation Index (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Civil Rights Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Indicates the extent to which civil rights are codified in law, and the state prosecutes any violations and works to prevent discrimination.