Fact · Workforce
Dentists (total): Saudi Arabia, 2024
Dental Market Radar Editorial Team · Updated · Data as of
Saudi Arabia had 33,751 employed dentists in 2024, according to Ministry of Health Statistical Yearbook 2024. Basis: employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis).
Comparability B Confidence high
Series break: this series has a documented break (2024). A change across it reflects a change in source or definition, not growth. See Series break below.
Cite this
Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia. (2026). Dentists (total): Saudi Arabia, as of 2024-12-31 [Data set]. Compiled by Dental Market Radar. https://dentalmarketradar.com/data/sa/dentists-total/2024/
Permanent URL: https://dentalmarketradar.com/data/sa/dentists-total/2024/. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Record
- Value
- 33,751 persons
- Scope qualifier
- all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis
- Unit
- persons
- As of
- Accessed
- Revision
- 2
- Confidence
- high
- Method
- reported
- Basis
- employed
- Scope
- employed: all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis
- Subgroup
- total (Saudi 19,598)
- Comparability
- Comparability B B: close to the metric definition; the difference is noted
- Status
- Latest record for this market and metric; 1 earlier revision is kept below
Source quote
Total | Dentists | 2017G 15699 35.3 | 2018G 16752 38.2 | 2019G 18811 40.4 | 2020G 19622 49.6 | 2021G 22739 53.3 | 2022G 23897 53.5 | 2023G 25970 53.8 | 2024G 33751 58.066427661402621
Locator: MOH Statistical Yearbook 2024 (xlsx), sheet 2-17 'Health Manpower in KSA Health Sectors in the Last Five Years', sector 'Total', row 'Dentists' (No, Saudi%)
Local definition
Dentists in all health sectors. 2024: from Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) records; 2017-2023: MOH-collected sector returns
Source
Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia: Statistical Yearbook 2024 (bilingual Arabic/English, Excel workbook). Registry entry: sa-moh-yearbook-2024.
Notes
SERIES BREAK 2024: MOH yearbook 2024 Table 1-8 states 'The source of workforce data has been modified as of 2024 to be the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.' Up to 2023 the counts came from MOH-collected sector returns. The +30% jump in dentists (25,970 to 33,751) appears in every sector (MOH 7,056 to 9,331; other government 2,238 to 4,184; private 16,676 to 20,236), and private allied health more than doubled (38,114 to 87,306), consistent with a source change rather than real growth. Do not compute 2023-24 growth across the break. Saudi share 58.1% (19,598).
Metric definition
Dentists registered or licensed to practise (headcount); definition per record notes All markets for this metric.
Revisions
Earlier revisions of this figure stay on record for citation. They are never deleted.
Revision 1 (superseded)
- Value
- 33,751 persons
- Scope qualifier
- all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis
- Unit
- persons
- As of
- Accessed
- Revision
- 1
- Confidence
- high
- Method
- reported
- Basis
- employed
- Scope
- employed: all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis
- Subgroup
- total (Saudi 19,598)
- Comparability
- Comparability B B: close to the metric definition; the difference is noted
وبلغ إجمالي عدد أطباء الأسنان 33,751 طبيباً، وكان عدد أطباء الأسنان السعوديين 19,598 طبيباً
English: The total number of dentists reached 33,751, of whom 19,598 were Saudi dentists.
Locator: Healthcare Establishments and Workforce Statistics 2024 (AR), p.1 lead paragraph and Figure 4
Source: Healthcare Establishments and Workforce Statistics Publication 2024 (Arabic). Registry entry: sa-gastat-hcw-2024.
Local definition: Dentists working in all health sectors (MOH, other government, private), from MOH and SCFHS administrative records; Saudis and non-Saudis
Notes: Saudi dentists 19,598 (58%); non-Saudi 14,153 (derived). This is a workforce count, not a register of licences. Up 30% on 25,970 in 2023: GASTAT gives no reason, so a definitional change cannot be ruled out. Check against the MOH 2024 yearbook when it can be fetched.
Series break
Series break at 2024 (between 2023 and 2024): MOH yearbook 2024 Table 1-8: workforce data source changed from MOH records to the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties from 2024; levels before and after 2024 are not strictly comparable
History
| Year | Value | Basis | As of | Comparability | Source | Series break |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 33,751 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Statistical Yearbook 2024 (bilingual Arabic/English, Excel workbook) | Series break starts here | |
| 2023 | 25,970 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Healthcare Establishments and Workforce Statistics Publication 2023 (English) | ||
| 2022 | 23,897 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Statistical Yearbook 2023 (bilingual Arabic/English, 1445H) | ||
| 2021 | 22,739 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Statistical Yearbook 2023 (bilingual Arabic/English, 1445H) | ||
| 2020 | 19,622 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Statistical Yearbook 2023 (bilingual Arabic/English, 1445H) | ||
| 2019 | 18,811 persons | employed (all sectors, Saudis and non-Saudis) | Comparability B | Statistical Yearbook 2023 (bilingual Arabic/English, 1445H) |
Please also cite the original source above.
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