The healthcare sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has witnessed rapid growth in developing and localizing the national health workforce since the launch of the Health Sector Transformation Program, one of the Kingdom’s
Vision 2030 programs. This progress reflects a qualitative advancement toward building a more efficient and sustainable healthcare system.
In this context, the National Center for Health Workforce Planning at the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) revealed a significant increase in the number of Saudi healthcare practitioners through 2026. The total number of healthcare practitioners registered with the Commission has surpassed 800,000, including more than 460,000 Saudi practitioners across various specialties.
The Center noted that the proportion of Saudi physicians increased from 31% in 2018 to 40% in 2026, while the number of classified Saudi physicians grew by 295% compared with 2015, reflecting the continuous advancement of national talent, particularly in specialized medical fields.
The dental profession also recorded remarkable growth, with the number of Saudi dental practitioners exceeding 32,000, representing a 357% increase since 2015. The dentist-to-population ratio reached 107.6 dentists per 100,000 people, surpassing the G20 average of 77.4, positioning Saudi Arabia among the world’s leading countries in the availability of qualified dental professionals and strengthening its capacity to expand advanced specialty training. This progress coincides with a gradual 44% decline in the number of undergraduate dental graduates between 2018 and 2025, contributing to a better balance between workforce supply and demand.
In nursing and midwifery, the total number of practitioners exceeded 290,000, including more than 110,000 Saudis. The proportion of Saudi practitioners increased from 30% in 2018 to 38% in 2026, reflecting continued improvements in workforce development and the sustainability of the national talent pipeline.
The proportion of Saudi pharmacists also rose from 32% in 2018 to 52% in 2026, with more than 25,000 Saudi pharmacists working across healthcare and pharmaceutical industry sectors, demonstrating the success of workforce localization policies in specialized professions.
Medical sciences recorded the highest growth in Saudi healthcare practitioners, with Saudis accounting for 87% of the total 247,000 practitioners. The number of Saudi practitioners in these professions increased by 179% since 2015, driven by the expansion of specialties supporting diagnostic and therapeutic services.
Keeping pace with this growth, the number of training positions in the Saudi Board residency programs reached 10,916 in 2025, marking a 202% increase compared with 2018. The programs currently enroll 25,876 trainees across 195 training programs, highlighting the expansion of specialized healthcare training and reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional hub for healthcare talent.
These efforts have also advanced workforce localization targets, particularly in the private sector. Localization rates increased to 35% in 2024, 45% in 2025, and reached 55% in 2026. This progress contributed to a decline in the number of job seekers, according to the
Unified National Employment Platform (Jadarat), affiliated with the
Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), for February 2026. The platform recorded 1,009 job seekers in general dentistry out of 15,279 registered Saudi general dentists nationwide. Dental specialties also recorded the highest growth in training seats, increasing by 517% since 2018, further supporting the implementation of workforce localization policies.
The
Health Academy at SCFHS continues to play a key role in preparing the national healthcare workforce, having trained more than 40,000 trainees through employment-linked programs in over 37 cities, in partnership with more than 350 employers. These include 14,400 trainees in the Patient Care Technician Program and 6,918 trainees in the Dental Assistant Program.
According to the Center, these indicators reflect the healthcare sector’s accelerated development and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s position in building an integrated, efficient, and sustainable health workforce.
The National Center for Health Workforce Planning is responsible for monitoring and analyzing healthcare workforce data and contributing to the development of policies and strategies that ensure a balanced supply and demand of healthcare professionals, thereby supporting the long-term sustainability of the healthcare sector.