Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has ranked first among G20 countries in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators database, with 97.7 per cent of people saying they feel safe walking alone at night in their residential areas.
The ranking is based on the 2025 Safety Index released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Monday, June 29. The index measures people’s perception of safety and contributes to tracking progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16, which promotes peaceful and inclusive societies.
Survey highlights high sense of safety
According to the report, 97.7 per cent of individuals aged 15 years and above said they feel safe walking alone after dark in their neighbourhoods. The findings are based on responses to the question: “After dark, how safe do you feel walking alone in your area or neighbourhood?”
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The survey also showed high levels of perceived safety across different population groups. Among Saudi nationals, 97.0 per cent said they feel safe walking alone at night, including 86.0 per cent who described themselves as feeling “very safe” and 11.0 per cent as “somewhat safe”. The figure stood at 94.9 per cent among women and 97.2 per cent among people aged 60 to 64.
Vision 2030 and statistical methodology
GASTAT said the results reflect the role of government agencies in maintaining safety across the Kingdom’s regions and governorates. It added that these efforts support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 by enhancing quality of life and strengthening security across economic, food, environmental, health, social, political, intellectual, technological and cyber domains.
The authority noted that the Safety Index is compiled using data from the Personal Quality of Life Survey. It said all statistical products are produced using a unified methodology that follows internationally recognised standards to ensure the reliability and consistency of the findings.
