Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia 

At a glance

• Saudi Arabia’s Basic Law of Governance guarantees the rights of disabled people under article 27. It also guarantees all human rights in accordance with Islamic law under article 26. 

• Saudi Arabia has both signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). 

Key stats

• 1.8 per cent of the population of Saudi Arabia has a disability, according to the 2022 census (General Authority of Statistics).  

• 13.8 per cent of individuals with disabilities over the age of 15 were paid employees in 2022. 0.6 per cent were employers who employed others, 0.4 per cent were self-employed with no employees, and 0.3 per cent were in unpaid employment. (General Authority of Statistics). 

• 79.9 per cent of households had at least one member with a disability in 2022 (General Authority of Statistics). 

The law

• Disability legislation – The Saudi government has published an overview of the rights of persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. This outlines the laws that govern disability inclusion in Saudi Arabia, which include: 
  • Basic Regulations of Rehabilitation Programmes for Persons with Disabilities 
  • National Policy to Promote the Equality of Opportunities and Treatment in Employment and Occupation 
  • Saudi Building Code 
  • Labor Law and its Implementing Regulations. 

• Definition of disability – Cabinet Decision 110/1445, which implements the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, defines a person with a disability as “any person who has a long-term disorder or deficiency in physical, mental or psychological functions that may prevent them from full participating in society.”  

Language

• Official language – The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. 

• Persons/people with disabilities – In 2019, King Salman urged government bodies to say “persons with disabilities” and to avoid using any other terms. This is to avoid confusion among English speakers arising from uses of different regional terms. 

• People of determination – This is a common term for disabled people in Saudi Arabia and some other Arabic-speaking countries. It is not used by government, but may still be used and seen as acceptable. 

Employment

• Adjustments / accommodations – Employers are legally required to make adjustments for disabled employees. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has issued guidance on Implementing Regulations of Labor Law and its Annexes. Annex 2 (pages 66-72) lists potential adjustments, arranged by the type of disability the individual has. 

• Positive discrimination – Employers can favour disabled applicants and candidates, for the purposes of meeting the 4 per cent quota (see below). 

• Quotas – The General Law of Governance created a 4 per cent quota scheme: 
  • Employers with more than 25 employees must ensure that at least 4 per cent of roles are occupied by a disabled person. 
  • Saudi Arabia also requires businesses to hire a quota of Saudi nationals. Disabled Saudi citizens count as four non-disabled Saudi nationals for the purposes of this quota. 

• Data – Employers must report the jobs, posts and wages occupied by disabled people to the Labour Office, to meet the requirements of the 4 per cent quota. 

• Incentives – The Saudi government operates programmes to support disabled people into employment and encourage employers to hire and retain them. Read more on the Saudi government’s website. 

Customers

• There are few explicit protections for disabled customers in Saudi Arabia. However, there is a general commitment to the human rights and some sector-specific guidelines, such as in civil aviation. 

Built environment

• The Prince Salman Center for Disability Research has issued guidance on creating accessible built environments (only available in Arabic). 

Digital accessibility

• There is no requirement for private businesses to meet a specific standard of digital accessibility. The government has issued a Guideline for Web Accessibility of Websites. 

Country-specific disability organisations

• Mowaamah – A certification system run by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development for private businesses to receive a certification that they are an inclusive working environment for disabled people. 
• Telework – A programme operated by the Saudi government to create more flexible working situations for women and people with disabilities. 
• King Salman Center for Disability Research – Undertakes scientific research into disability and feeds into public policy development.