BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH SDG 5

Saudi Arabia represents one of the most relevant countries in discussions on SDG 5 – Gender Equality because it combines significant policy reforms with continuing structural challenges related to women's rights. Over the past decade, particularly through Vision 2030, the government has introduced reforms aimed at increasing women's participation in economic, social, and public life. These include expanding employment opportunities, promoting female entrepreneurship, increasing women's representation in leadership positions, and removing several restrictions that previously limited women's mobility and participation in the labour market.

current challenges and recent developments

As a result, female labour force participation has increased substantially, women's access to higher education remains high, and women have entered sectors that were previously inaccessible. At the same time, Saudi Arabia continues to maintain a legal and social framework that differs considerably from many other countries. International organizations have highlighted ongoing issues concerning legal equality, guardianship-related practices, family and personal status legislation, protection against gender-based violence, and the representation of women in political decision-making.

list of references

Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (n.d.). We Care. https://www.moj.gov.sa/English/Ministry/WeCare/Pages/default.aspx

Almosaed, N. (2010). Violence against women: A cross-cultural perspective. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 16(1). World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-16-2010/volume-16-issue-1/article19.html

Alghamdi, A., et al. (2022). Domestic violence against women in Saudi Arabia: A systematic review. Cureus. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9424963/

UN Women. (2025). Beijing +30 national review summary: Saudi Arabia. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/b30_summary_saudi_arabia_final.pdf

United Nations Development Programme. (n.d.). Saudi Arabia: Human Development Report data. https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data/countries/SAU

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). SDG indicators: Saudi Arabia country profile. United Nations. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/sau

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. (n.d.). Saudi Arabia – Universal Periodic Review. United Nations Human Rights Office. https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/sa-index

UN Women. (n.d.). Arab States. UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States. https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en

UN Women. (n.d.). Saudi Arabia country data. UN Women Data Hub. https://data.unwomen.org/arab-states/country/saudi-arabia

useful links

• Country report/Voluntary National Reviews

  • https://www.moj.gov.sa/English/Ministry/WeCare/Pages/default.aspx

  • https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-16-2010/volume-16-issue-1/article19.html

  • https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9424963/ 

  • https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/b30_summary_saudi_arabia_final.pdf 

• Bibliography and UN pages about this country:

  • UNPD: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data/countries/SAU 

  • UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/dataportal/countryprofiles/sau 

  • UN human rights: https://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/upr/sa-index 

  • OECD UN: https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/saudi-arabia-oecd-co-operation.html 

  • UN Women: https://arabstates.unwomen.org/en 

  • UN WOMEN count: https://data.unwomen.org/arab-states/country/saudi-arabia