Is Saudi Arabia Considered a Developed Country?

Yes, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is considered one of the advanced countries due to its high ranking in the annual Human Development Index issued by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Kingdom advanced by five positions in the 2022 Human Development Index, ranking thirty-fifth globally out of 191 countries, compared to the fortieth in the previous edition of the report.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report ranked the Saudi economy as the fastest-growing in the G20 for 2022 and 2023, according to its annual report, "World Economic Outlook."

The Kingdom ranked seventeenth globally out of sixty-four of the most competitive countries in the world, placing it among the top twenty in the World Competitiveness Yearbook report issued by the World Competitiveness Center of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD). According to the report, the Kingdom advanced by seven positions in the 2023 edition, driven by strong economic and financial performance in 2022, as well as improvements in business regulations. This placed the Kingdom third among G20 countries for the first time, surpassing advanced economies such as South Korea, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, and China. The report's methodology covers various aspects of competitiveness.

The Kingdom ranked first among G20 countries in worker productivity growth for 2022, with a recorded value of 4.9 percent, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in its annual series of modeled estimates on worker productivity.

Education in the Kingdom made significant progress in the knowledge acquisition pillar, advancing eighteen positions in the average years of schooling index. The Kingdom moved to fifty-sixth place, compared to seventy-fourth in the previous edition, reflecting the continuous development efforts and the Kingdom's enhanced ability to compete globally in education. This progress is accompanied by dedicated efforts to improve learning outcomes.