Saudi Arabia has climbed international rankings for workforce artificial-intelligence skills, placing 25th globally and 3rd across the Middle East and North Africa in the 2026 AI-Human Skills Synergy Index. The result reflects a sharp rise in AI learning and talent across the Kingdom.
AI-course enrollments in Saudi Arabia grew 39% year over year. The strongest gains came in specialized fields: generative-AI course enrollments rose 76%, agentic-workflow courses jumped 182%, and AI-security courses surged 224%.
The Kingdom also ranked third globally for growth in AI-talent concentration and for the share of university students using generative AI, and fourth worldwide for AI-talent attraction. Between 2019 and 2025, Saudi Arabia recorded more than 100% growth in its share of AI talent, while AI-talent concentration rose from 0.28% of LinkedIn members in 2021 to 0.49% in 2025.
A workforce embracing AI
More than 80% of employees in Saudi Arabia reportedly use AI regularly, well above the global average of 58%. The Kingdom's technology workforce has reached roughly 426,000 people, an increase of 186.6% since 2018.
National programs continue to drive the momentum. HRDF and SDAIA are expanding AI and data skills through the Doroob platform, professional certifications, workshops, and interactive training sessions.
For residents and professionals in cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah, the trend signals growing demand for AI expertise across the job market and expanding opportunities to reskill, whether through free national platforms or specialized certifications.
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