66 Overall Score (up 6.3 since Aug 1st.)

Saudi Arabia

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68.9 Public Health
Directives
19.7 Financial
Response
100 Fact-Based
Communication

68.9 Public Health
Directives
19.7 Financial
Response
100 Fact-Based
Communication

Saudi Arabia has a relatively strong policy response to COVID-19, with a reliance on facts and science, and tight restrictions on public gatherings, although its weak financial response brings its score down.

Pre-COVID Conditions

Saudi Arabia was strong in most categories, but has a very low number of hospital beds.

Debt/GDP ratio 19%
GDP/capita $56,912
Gini coefficient (out of 100) NO DATA
Infant mortality rate (out of 1,000 live births) 6
Healthcare access score (out of 100) 79.4
Hospital beds/1,000 People 19

Government Response

Select a data point for more information
(Data points represent policy level as of Sep 1.)

68.9

Public Health Directives

Saudi Arabia has had relatively strong public health policy, excelling in almost every area except testing and emergency healthcare spending.

Stay at home order 1
Public gathering restrictions 3
School closings 0
Public event cancellations 2
Testing policy 3
Emergency healthcare investments/capita $4.02
Travel restrictions 4
Tests/1,000 people 145.4
Contact tracing 2

19.7

Financial Response

Saudi Arabia scored relatively weak due to non-existent stimulus and weak debt policy.

Financial stimulus as share of GDP -2.6%
Income support 1
Debt forebearance 0

100

Fact-Based Communication

Saudi Arabia’s government has not been found to engage in misinformation or limit press freedom in response to COVID-19.

Reliance on science/fact based information 0
Press freedom 0

COVID-19 Status as of Sep 1

Saudi Arabia scores relatively strongly in this category influenced by a low positivity score and death rate, suggesting that its strong public health policies are helping to control the severity of cases.

Total deaths 3,897
Death rate per 100K 111.9
Total cases 315,772
Cases per 100K 9,070
Percent of positive tests 2
Change in positivity rates -1.3

Daily cases Level 1 Lockdown Level 2 Lockdown Level 3 Lockdown

	Date	Status	New Cases/1M
1	May 28	Domestic movement is allowed, retail and malls reopen	65.64
2	May 31	Employees are allowed to return to work with minimal staff; domestic flights, rail, and public transit reopen; mosques and restaurants reopen	54.26
3	Jun 21	Curfew is fully lifted; domestic travel returns to normal levels	126.90
4	Aug 24	Land borders reopen to Saudi citizens and their non-Saudi family	36.67
5	Aug 30	Public sector employees return to work	30.94

Differentiating Factors

Government supported private sector: Saudi Arabia has mobilized more than 3.5 billion riyals ($933 million) to support 480,000 private sector workers, including by covering up to 60 percent of salaries. Before the pandemic hit, the unemployment rate was already high, at 12 percent. Read More
2020 Hajj had major restrictions: While typically attracting around 2.5 million people, Saudi authorities put a 10,000 cap on the 2020 Hajj. Attendance was limited to Saudi citizens (including expatriate citizens). A coronavirus test and short quarantine were also required in advance of the pilgrimage. Read More
Better digital infrastructure enabling more telework: Many Saudi white collar workers have been able to easily transition to remote working, a success the World Bank credits to the Vision 2030 plan, which focused on improving digital infrastructure. More than 90 percent of the population has access to 4G broadband, and online government services have been upgraded to support higher traffic volumes. Read More

Compared with Other Majority Muslim Countries

80.6
Indonesia 174,796
Cases 639
Per 1M 7,417
Deaths

Indonesia scores relatively weakly, a big drop in the past few months, keyed by substantial weakening of travel restrictions, testing policy, and debt relief.
28.5
Turkey 270,133
Cases 3,203
Per 1M 6,370
Deaths

Turkey has very weak policy, driven by little emergency spending, stimulus, or debt relief, and loosening restrictions. It also has limited press freedom and has conducted minimal testing.
78
Senegal 13,611
Cases 813
Per 1M 284
Deaths

Senegal’s COVID-19 policy response has been very strong across the board, buoyed by strong public health directives and a reliance on science and facts.

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Statistics and government response factors available on each country profile include:

Pre-COVID Conditions:

Debt to GDP ratio
Infant mortality rates
Hospital beds per 1,000 people
Gini coefficients measuring inequality
Health access and quality

COVID-19 Public Health Directives:

Stay-at home orders
School-closing policy
Public-gathering restrictions
Cancellation of public events
Testing policy and rates per 1,000 people
Emergency healthcare spending per capita
Travel restrictions
Contact tracing

COVID-19 Financial Response:

Stimulus package as a share of GDP
Income support
Debt-forbearance

Public Communications:

Instances of misinformation by leadership
Limitations on press freedom, censorship

Current/Historic In-Country COVID-19 Status:

Death rates per 1 million
Case rates per 1 million