RIYADH: Life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rose to 79.7 years in 2025, up from 74 in 2016, Health Minister Fahd Al-Jalajel said, as the Kingdom rolls out its latest plans for the health sector.
The increase in life expectancy was one of the most significant anywhere in the world for the period and one of the clearest outcomes of the government’s investment under Vision 2030, Al-Jalajel said at a ministers meeting during the 2026 Budget Forum in Riyadh.
Next year’s budget represented a significant step forward that would allow the health system to fulfill its commitments from 2025 and enhance nationwide access and outcomes, he said.
Al-Jalajel shared data showing how traffic-related mortality has dropped by 60 percent since 2016, while deaths linked to infectious diseases have been reduced by half.
Mortality from noncommunicable diseases, once the leading cause of death worldwide, has decreased by 40 percent, while deaths from unintentional injuries have fallen by 30 percent in the period.
