🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Politics & Democracy
By V-Dem's measure, no — Saudi Arabia scores 4.7 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range.
Current leaders
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Head of State
Democracy trend
Voting alignment
Saudi Arabia's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Saudi Arabia a democracy?
By V-Dem's measure, no — Saudi Arabia scores 4.7 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range. It ranks #167 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Saudi Arabia improving or declining?
Saudi Arabia's V-Dem liberal democracy score has improved by 0.1 points over the past decade, standing at 4.7 in 2025 (1-year change: 0.0).
Who leads Saudi Arabia?
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud is Saudi Arabia's head of state.