Governance at a glance
- Government
- Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy
- UN member
- Yes
- Independent
- Yes
- CPI score (2026)
- 57/100
- Press freedom (2025)
- 27.9/100 #162
- Electoral democracy (2025)
- 0.016
- HDI
- 0.900
- Regional blocs
- AL
Government and leaders
- Government type
- Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| King of Saudi Arabia | Salman of Saudi Arabia |
| Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia | Mohammed bin Salman |
Safety and security
- Homicide rate (2019)
- 0.9/100k
- Traffic deaths (2019)
- 35.9/100k
- Military spending (2024)
- 7.3% of GDP
Corruption perceptions index
- CPI score (2026)
- 57 / 100
- Interpretation
- Moderate corruption
Democracy index
- Electoral (2025)
- 0.016
- Liberal
- 0.047
- Participatory
- 0.026
- Deliberative
- 0.072
- Egalitarian
- 0.113
Press freedom index
- Overall score (2025)
- 27.9 / 100
- Global rank
- #162 / 180
- Rank change
- +4 vs previous year
- RSF zone
- MENA
- Political #158
- 23.8
- Economic #86
- 42.3
- Legal #167
- 21.4
- Social #168
- 28.5
- Safety #169
- 23.7
Press freedom historical data
| Year | Score | Rank | Political | Economic | Legal | Social | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27.9 | 162 | 23.8 | 42.3 | 21.4 | 28.5 | 23.7 |
| 2024 | 27.1 | 166 | 21.0 | 40.4 | 20.4 | 30.1 | 23.8 |
| 2023 | 32.4 | 170 | 37.2 | 33.3 | 21.7 | 30.1 | 39.8 |
| 2022 | 33.7 | 166 | 37.3 | 33.7 | 22.4 | 36.5 | 38.8 |
| 2021 | 37.3 | 170 | - | - | - | - | 28.9 |
| 2020 | 37.9 | 170 | - | - | - | - | 33.7 |
| 2019 | 34.1 | 172 | - | - | - | - | 100.0 |
| 2018 | 36.9 | 169 | - | - | - | - | 36.9 |
| 2017 | 34.0 | 168 | - | - | - | - | 38.4 |
| 2016 | 40.3 | 165 | - | - | - | - | 67.8 |
| 2015 | 40.6 | 164 | - | - | - | - | 44.0 |
| 2014 | 41.7 | 164 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2013 | 43.1 | 163 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2012 | 83.3 | 158 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | 61.5 | 157 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | 76.5 | 163 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2008 | 61.8 | 161 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | 59.8 | 148 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | 76.0 | 161 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2005 | 66.0 | 154 | - | - | - | - | - |