Methodology & reconciliation
Headline figures are traced to 9 primary sources, supported by a larger ingested reference library (58 sources in total). Because those sources measure the same concepts with different definitions, years, and survey instruments, this page documents exactly how the figures are selected, reconciled, and dated — so any number on the site can be traced to its origin.
Two families of sources
Every figure belongs to one of two families. We never silently average across them.
International estimates
World Bank, WHO GHO, IDF Diabetes Atlas. Modelled or age-standardised for cross-country comparability. Used for the homepage headline KPIs and the Global Benchmarks page.
Official Vision 2030 series
MOH / Vision Realization Office baseline→target series, internally consistent from its 2016 baseline. Used by the “Race to 2030” tracker to measure progress against the official targets.
Reconciliation rules
- One source per figure. Each displayed number comes from a single named publication — values are never blended.
- Headline = international. Where a metric exists in both families, the internationally comparable estimate is shown as the headline; the Vision series is footnoted, never discarded.
- Progress = official. Vision 2030 progress bars track the official baseline series, so the baseline, current, and target all share one definition.
- Disclose, don’t reconcile away. When two legitimate figures exist, both are shown with their definitions; the gap is labelled methodological, not corrected.
- Date at the metric. Each figure carries its own reference year, independent of the aggregation date (2026-07-04).
Metrics that carry two figures
These are the discrepancies a reviewer is most likely to flag. In each case both numbers are correct on their own definition — the difference is source, year, or method.
Health expenditure (current, public + private)
The MOF "Health & Social Development" envelope (SAR 268B) is a COMBINED government budget line that also funds non-health social programmes. It was previously shown as the "total health expenditure" headline; it is a different universe and is now reported separately, not as current health expenditure (review §C2).
Hospitals & bed capacity
The MOH Yearbook 2023 counts 499 hospitals; the GASTAT 2024 publication counts 516. The regional time series on the Infrastructure page still ends at the 2023 yearbook (the 2024 regional breakdown is not yet fully published), so the headline (516, 2024) and the mapped series (499, 2023) carry different vintages by design.
Physicians per 1,000 population
The "Race to 2030" tracker reports 2.74/1,000 — the official Vision baseline series (2.28 in 2016 → 3.0 target). It tracks a narrower practising-physician count against the official population denominator, so it sits below the World Bank registered-physician estimate. Both are correct on their own definitions.
Life expectancy at birth
The "Race to 2030" tracker reports 76.8 years — the official Vision baseline series (74.4 in 2016 → 80 by 2030). It is anchored to the national vital-statistics baseline, which runs below the World Bank modelled estimate. We track progress against the official series and report the World Bank figure for international comparison.
Health-sector Saudization
The "Race to 2030" tracker reports 35% against a 40% target — the Vision-defined saudization metric (baseline 19% in 2016), which scopes a narrower set of roles than the all-roles MOH measure (54%). The 40% target is set against the Vision definition, so the tracker and this card are measuring different universes.
Diabetes prevalence
The "Race to 2030" tracker reports 17.4% — the official Vision baseline series (18.4% in 2016 → 15% by 2030), drawn from the national household health survey on a different age structure and case definition than the age-standardised IDF Atlas figure. The gap is methodological, not a data error.
Adult obesity prevalence
The GASTAT self-reported survey reports ~23.1% — self-reported height/weight systematically understates measured obesity, so it sits well below the WHO measured-BMI figure. Different instrument, not a data error.
Denominator definitions
Total population
All persons resident in the Kingdom (mid-year).
Health expenditure (current, public + private)
SAR billions (headline); nominal GDP (% figure); resident population (per-capita).
Hospitals & bed capacity
Canonical mid-year resident population (for beds per 1,000).
Physicians per 1,000 population
All registered physicians ÷ resident population × 1,000.
Life expectancy at birth
Both genders, at birth.
Health-sector Saudization
All health-sector employees.
Diabetes prevalence
Adults aged 20–79.
Adult obesity prevalence
Adults (measured BMI).
Cardiovascular mortality rate
Resident population (per 100,000).
Nurses & midwives per 1,000 population
World Bank international definition (not headcount ÷ population).
Private health insurance beneficiaries
Canonical resident population (for insured share).
Local pharmaceutical manufacturing share
Total pharmaceutical market value.
Source & vintage by metric
| Metric | Source | Year | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | GASTAT — Population Estimates 2024 (mid-year) | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Health expenditure (current, public + private) | National Health Accounts basis (WHO GHED / World Bank), 2024 estimate | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Hospitals & bed capacity | GASTAT — Healthcare Establishments & Workforce Statistics 2024 | 2024 | 2026-07-04 |
| Physicians per 1,000 population | World Bank — SH.MED.PHYS.ZS | 2023 | 2026-05-29 |
| Life expectancy at birth | World Bank — SP.DYN.LE00.IN | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Health-sector Saudization | MOH Statistical Yearbook (all-roles health-sector Saudization) | 2023 | 2026-05-29 |
| Diabetes prevalence | IDF Diabetes Atlas (age-standardised, adults 20–79) | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Adult obesity prevalence | WHO GHO — NCD_BMI_30A (measured BMI≥30) | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Cardiovascular mortality rate | WHO GHO — cardiovascular mortality | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
| Nurses & midwives per 1,000 population | World Bank — SH.MED.NUMW.P3 | 2023 | 2026-05-29 |
| Private health insurance beneficiaries | Council of Health Insurance — Annual Report 2024 | 2024 | 2026-06-01 |
| Local pharmaceutical manufacturing share | Platform supply-chain estimate (pending SFDA source-binding) | 2024 | 2026-05-29 |
Download the data
Every underlying series is exportable as CSV or JSON so you can audit and reuse the numbers directly.
Known limitations
Stating the gaps is more credible than hiding them. The current ones:
- 2022 census rebasing. The pre-2022 population estimates were an overcount; the May-2022 census revised the total to 32.18M. The population series is therefore not smooth across 2021→2022 — pre-census points are flagged, and every per-capita ratio uses one canonical denominator series.
- Two budget universes. Current health expenditure (NHA, public+private) and the MOF “Health & Social Development” budget envelope (SAR 268B, which also funds non-health social programmes) are different measures. The headline uses the former; the latter is reported separately and never relabelled “total health expenditure”.
- All-sector vs MOH-sector breaks. Workforce counts are standardised to all-sector to avoid spliced series; per-1,000 ratios use the World Bank/WHO international definition, which differs from headcount÷population (both disclosed).
- Supply-chain figures are estimates. The pharmaceutical import/export and category figures are illustrative market-structure estimates flagged “estimate”, pending binding to the SFDA drug registry and GASTAT trade statistics.
- The 2030 population assumption. Projections to 2030 use a conservative ~1.4%/yr medium-variant assumption from the 2024 base, not a linear extrapolation of the 2022–24 migration surge.
On estimates & projections
Figures labelled estimate, modelled, or projected (including 2030 forecasts and workforce-gap models) are derived calculations, not reported observations. Forecasts extrapolate the historical series using the method stated on each chart and should be read as scenarios, not official targets. This is an independent aggregation platform, not an official government publication, and carries no patient-level or personal data.
Disclaimer
This platform is an independent, non-commercial data visualization project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced by the Ministry of Health of Saudi Arabia, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), or any other government body or institution.
All data presented is sourced exclusively from publicly available official publications, including MOH Statistical Yearbooks, GASTAT health statistics reports, World Bank Open Data, and WHO Global Health Observatory. Statistical figures are reproduced as-is for informational and educational purposes. No personal, patient, or individually identifiable data is collected, stored, or displayed.
While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the data may not reflect the most recent figures. Users should refer to the original source publications for authoritative and up-to-date statistics. This platform does not constitute medical, financial, or policy advice.
Data sources: MOH · GASTAT · World Bank · WHO · Last aggregated: May 2026