Saudi Arabia continues to consolidate its advanced position in international health indicators, as data from the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Index reveal remarkable progress, reflecting the Kingdom’s leadership in enhancing healthcare efficiency. This achievement further strengthens Saudi Arabia’s standing among the most advanced countries within the G20 and globally, driven by the comprehensive health transformation underway as part of Saudi Vision 2030, which has reshaped the national development system, particularly in the healthcare sector.
Data released by the World Health Organization and the World Bank Group indicate that the Kingdom has maintained a consistent upward trajectory and notable acceleration in basic health service coverage over the past two decades. In the latest update, Saudi Arabia reached a score of 83 points, achieving a significant increase of 9 points within just two years, placing it among countries classified as having high-level health coverage. This progress confirms the success of the modern Saudi healthcare model and the effectiveness of the national health transformation, while reflecting the impact of comprehensive development policies introduced under Vision 2030 across all sectors.
The UHC Index is one of the internationally recognized indicators under the Sustainable Development Goals and provides additional significance to Saudi Arabia’s progress, as it is closely linked to key development outcomes such as quality of life, human empowerment, reduced disease burden, and improved social well-being. Improvements in this index also positively influence other indicators, including life expectancy, preventive system efficiency, and overall societal productivity.
This advancement is the result of an integrated approach focused on strengthening prevention and primary healthcare, expanding early screening programs, and enhancing healthcare facility readiness, alongside accelerated digital transformation through national health platforms. These efforts have contributed to improved access to services, increased care efficiency, and a better overall patient experience.
These reforms have had a direct impact on public health and quality-of-life indicators, with average life expectancy in the Kingdom rising from approximately 74 years in 2016 to nearly 79.7 years in 2025, approaching the Vision 2030 target of 80 years. This represents clear evidence of improved population health and the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic programs.
In this context, the Minister of Health, H.E. Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel, affirmed that these achievements are among the tangible outcomes of Saudi Vision 2030 and the continued support of the Kingdom’s leadership. He noted that the progress seen in international health indicators reflects the real impact of the health transformation driven by the Vision, which is built on strengthening prevention, empowering primary healthcare, advancing health digitalization, and developing healthcare services across all regions of the Kingdom.
He added that the progress achieved to date, including the rise in life expectancy, is the result of integrated efforts centered on human health and quality of life, stressing that the Kingdom will continue moving forward to achieve higher levels of efficiency and sustainability, and to further solidify its position among the world’s leading countries in the healthcare sector.
This progress reinforces the national transformation journey toward a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable healthcare system, with people at its core and quality of life as its ultimate goal. It also reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to its leading role in health indicators among G20 countries and underscores the profound impact of the Kingdom’s comprehensive vision on improving performance across all development sectors.