Life Expectancy in Saudi Arabia Rises to 79.7 Years in 2025

Life expectancy in Saudi Arabia has risen to 79.7 years in 2025, compared with 74 in 2016, Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel said during a ministerial meeting at the 2026 Budget Forum in Riyadh.

He described the increase as one of the most significant globally over the period, attributing the improvement to sustained government investment under Vision 2030.

Traffic-related mortality has fallen by 60% since 2016, deaths from infectious diseases have declined by 50%, mortality from noncommunicable diseases is down 40%, and deaths from unintentional injuries have decreased by 30%. Healthcare coverage now reaches 97.4% of the population.

Service capacity also expanded throughout 2025. Government hospitals added more than 1,700 beds, while private facilities added roughly 2,900. The Saudi Red Crescent reduced average emergency response times from 25 minutes in 2016 to 10 minutes in 2025. Surgical capacity doubled from 6,000 to 12,000 operations per week, allowing 90% of procedures to meet national timing standards — up from 60% in 2016.

Al-Jalajel said the sector will continue in 2026 to strengthen sustainability, improve access and build capability, supporting Saudi Arabia’s goal of positioning itself as a regional and global healthcare destination.