Saudi Arabia has ranked first in the Middle East for women’s empowerment and recorded the highest global improvement in supportive frameworks, according to the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2026 report.
The Kingdom posted the largest increase in points worldwide in the “supportive frameworks” pillar and also advanced in the legal frameworks category. The supportive frameworks indicator evaluates national policies, action plans and initiatives designed to ensure effective implementation of legislation related to women.
Women’s empowerment has been a central priority for the Saudi government, particularly the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, under Vision 2030. Expanding women’s participation in the labor market is one of the Vision’s core objectives.
A series of legislative reforms and regulatory changes in recent years has strengthened women’s position in Saudi society, enabling them to play a greater role in economic, social, scientific and cultural fields.
According to the World Bank report, Saudi Arabia achieved the highest score in the supportive frameworks pillar among Middle East countries and ranked first among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in overall performance across all indicators.
The Kingdom also outperformed several Group of Twenty (G20) economies, including the United States, China and Türkiye, in the same category, underscoring the scale of its recent reforms.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia raised its target for women’s labor force participation to 40 percent by 2030, after already surpassing its initial Vision 2030 goal of 30 percent. Female participation rose from 17 percent to 35.3 percent, exceeding expectations well ahead of schedule.
Momentum continued in 2025, with women’s labor force participation surpassing 36 percent. Female unemployment fell to its lowest levels on record, reaching 10.5 percent overall and 12.1 percent during the first half of the year.
These gains were driven by legislative reforms and targeted initiatives such as “Wusool,” which supports transportation for working women, and “Qurrah,” which provides childcare assistance.
Women’s representation in leadership and technology roles has also increased significantly, reinforcing their role as key contributors to Vision 2030.
More than 122,000 female job seekers have benefited from the Parallel Training Initiative, which offers specialized programs designed to boost sustainability in private-sector employment.
The initiative boasts more than 800 training modules covering both soft and technical skills, delivered through partnerships with over 70 training providers. To date, more than 280,000 certificates have been issued to participants, strengthening their qualifications and long-term career prospects.
