Share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of female sole proprietors was 34.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia, 2015–2024
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of sole proprietors.
Analysis
In 2024, share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia stood at 34.1%. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
The figure is up 56.6% on the previous year and up 161.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia peaked at 34.1% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 13.0%, in 2015.
That places Saudi Arabia 51st out of 78 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 13.0% | — |
| 2016 | 14.4% | +10.7% |
| 2017 | 14.2% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 15.6% | +9.6% |
| 2019 | 17.0% | +9.2% |
| 2020 | 18.2% | +6.9% |
| 2021 | 22.5% | +23.3% |
| 2022 | 20.9% | -7.1% |
| 2023 | 21.8% | +4.4% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | +56.6% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 34.1% is below the median for high income countries, which is 38.2%, 89% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 34.1% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 24.5%, 1.4× the median. (10 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 14.9% | 13.0% | 17.0% | 5 |
| 2020s | 23.5% | 18.2% | 34.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More private sector data for Saudi Arabia
- Merchandise trade 44.2% (2025)
- Food imports 13.0% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 70.5% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 254.06 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.9% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 15.9% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 310.67 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,403 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2433 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 1.69 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of female sole proprietors in Saudi Arabia was 34.1% in 2024, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 34.1% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.0% in 2015.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of female sole proprietors?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 51st out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of female sole proprietors rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 161.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of female sole proprietors is the proportion of female newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.