Health Areas › Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders
Area 2 in the list of seventeen published by the Saudi National Institute of Health in June 2025. Order follows SNIH's published list: that number is SNIH's own position for the area; it is not a ranking by this site and it says nothing about how much research this area should receive.
This area is matched to research by its subject headings, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (C18); Endocrine System Diseases (C19), and to disease burden by the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. The match is partial, so the burden shown is the burden of selected WHO proxy causes and no ratio is given.
A paper or study can count in more than one area. Areas as published by the Saudi National Institute of Health (SNIH), June 2025, applied to 2021–2025 retrospectively, for description only. A Saudi affiliation is not the same as research on the Saudi population.
Partial. Burden of selected WHO proxy causes. The two shares are shown side by side with no ratio.
Order follows SNIH's published list: area 2 of seventeen.
Coverage Of The Underlying Corpus · 2021–2025
On the same selection, before the area filter. Papers without MeSH terms stay in this coverage line; they are never in any area or in the grey row. It describes the corpus, not how completely this area’s research is captured.
Papers without MeSH terms cannot be assigned to any area, so this profile is never a complete count of the area’s research, and it does not measure how completely that research is captured. Coverage: records captured by the named sources that meet the published eligibility rules; coverage is not exhaustive.
Eligible publications with MeSH terms
60.6%
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025
Eligible publications matched to any area
41.3%
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025
The Burden This Area Carries
Burden Share & Research Share
Burden: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · research: 2021–2025
Share of national disease burden: burden of selected WHO proxy causes
Source: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023, through the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. All-age disability-adjusted life years for one named year.
12.6%
WHO · 2023
Research share among MeSH-indexed eligible publications
Eligible publications in this area, 2021–2025, divided by all eligible publications with MeSH terms in the same selection, before the area filter. Shares across the seventeen areas do not sum to 100%.
10.3%
of the eligible publications with MeSH terms · 2021–2025
Research-share-to-burden-share ratio
Shown because this area is a close match. A ratio of 1 means equal shares under these definitions; it does not establish adequate research effort or funding, and it carries no judgement about what the right figure would be.
Not shown. Not yet computed, below the threshold for a reliable figure, or the only source is too old to print. The reason is always given.
—
Not shown the ratio is given only for a close match.
Recorded Research
Three Counts, Never One Total
Papers and registrations are counted separately, never added together.
A paper, a clinical trial and an observational registration are different kinds of record, so this area carries three separate counts. They are never added together.
Papers and registrations are different kinds of record. They are counted separately and never added together, anywhere on this site. Counts describe recorded activity; they do not assess quality, benefit or performance.
Registrations are ClinicalTrials.gov records; a listed site doesn't prove recruitment in Saudi Arabia.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
Trials and observational studies are those listing a Saudi site. A listed site does not prove that participants were recruited in Saudi Arabia. Withdrawn studies and expanded-access records are not counted.
Publications
PubMed and OpenAlex · research-related papers with a Saudi affiliation carrying Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases (C18); Endocrine System Diseases (C19) · 2021–2025
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
Clinical trials
ClinicalTrials.gov · interventional, listing a Saudi site · 2021–2025
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Observational studies
ClinicalTrials.gov · observational registrations listing a Saudi site · 2021–2025
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Research-related papers in this area, by year of earliest publication. The axis starts at zero and ends at 2,000.
Research-related papers in this area, 2021–2025, in the five study groups. The axis starts at zero and ends at 2,000.
Trials in this area, 2021–2025. A trial registered across two phases counts in both. The axis starts at zero and ends at 50.
Trials in this area, 2021–2025, by status as the registry records it on the day ClinicalTrials.gov processed the data. The axis starts at zero and ends at 50. Statuses open largest first.
Observational studies in this area, 2021–2025, by status as the registry records it. The axis starts at zero and ends at 20. Statuses open largest first.
Industry
Industry In This Area
The area's three counts narrowed to industry: research papers coded industry-involved, industry-led clinical trials and industry-led observational studies, each with its share of the area's own count. They are three kinds of record and are never added together.
Industry in papers comes from each paper's own industry code; industry in registrations comes from the lead sponsor. They are different measures of different records and are never combined.
Industry in registrations means a lead sponsor that is a company making or selling health products (drugs, vaccines, biotechnology, devices, diagnostics, health software or medical nutrition), as the industry guide defines it in its section two, or a contract research organisation with such a company listed as collaborator. Hospital groups and other providers that ClinicalTrials.gov labels “industry” are not counted. Withdrawn studies are not counted.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
Counts describe recorded activity; they do not measure investment, quality or performance.
Industry involvement in papers is a lower bound.
Industry involvement is identified from the paper's own record and registration; it does not establish financial investment and is a lower bound.
Industry-involved publications
3% of the 4,210 research papers in the area
PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
Industry-led clinical trials
40% of the 67 clinical trials in the area
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Industry-led observational studies
47% of the 19 observational studies in the area
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
Companies
Companies Leading Studies In This Area
Every company credited with at least one industry-led clinical trial or observational study in this area, 2021–2025, with both counts: two counts, never one total. Each study is credited to one company, exactly as the industry-led counts decide it: its lead sponsor or, for a contract research organisation's study, its company collaborator listed in the registration. So the companies' studies add up to the area's industry-led counts. A study in several areas counts in each. Names are shown as registered, with no grouping into parent companies.
There is no rank column. The list opens with the most clinical trials, ties A–Z. Every count above zero opens its records.
Only studies listing a Saudi site are counted. Industry in registrations means a lead sponsor that is a company making or selling health products (drugs, vaccines, biotechnology, devices, diagnostics, health software or medical nutrition), as the industry guide defines it in its section two, or a contract research organisation with such a company listed as collaborator. Hospital groups and other providers that ClinicalTrials.gov labels “industry” are not counted. Withdrawn studies are not counted.
Journals that follow ICMJE policy require clinical trials to be registered before enrolment begins, in ClinicalTrials.gov or another accepted registry; observational studies have no such requirement, so registered observational studies are a small, selective part of observational research. These figures count studies recorded in ClinicalTrials.gov; they do not measure total research volume, study completion or financial investment.
The counts describe registered activity; they do not measure investment, quality or performance.
Showing 2021–2025 provisional
Registrations are ClinicalTrials.gov records; a listed site doesn't prove recruitment in Saudi Arabia.
A listed site does not prove that participants were recruited in Saudi Arabia. Withdrawn studies and expanded-access records are not counted.
| Company | Clinical trials | Observational studies |
|---|---|---|
| Novo Nordisk A/S | ||
| Boehringer Ingelheim | 0 | |
| Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals | 0 | |
| Inozyme Pharma | 0 | |
| ModernaTX, Inc. | 0 | |
| Sanofi | 0 | |
| Travere Therapeutics, Inc. | 0 | |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated | 0 | |
| Biogen | 0 | |
| Crinetics Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 0 | |
| Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. | 0 | |
| DexCom, Inc. | 0 | |
| Eli Lilly and Company | 0 | |
| HemoShear Therapeutics | 0 | |
| Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc | 0 | |
| Vifor Pharma, Inc. | 0 | |
| Bayer | 0 | |
| Orphalan | 0 |
Institutions
Institutions In This Area
Every institution on the approved list with at least one research-related publication, clinical trial or observational study in this area, 2021–2025. Three counts, never one total: a paper, a clinical trial and an observational registration are different kinds of record.
They are counted exactly as on Institutions & Clusters: publications in full; a parent institution's row also counts its units' papers and studies, so rows overlap and are never added together; clinical trials and observational studies count registrations listing the institution as a site, and a listed site does not prove that participants were recruited there. Institutions are named as OpenAlex records them.
There is no rank column. The list opens with the most publications, ties A–Z; the switch orders it by clinical trials, observational studies or A–Z. Every count above zero opens its records. No citation measure is given here.
80 of the area's 4,210 research papers have no Saudi institution identified and count in no institution · PubMed with OpenAlex · 2021–2025 provisional
of
| Institution | Publications | Clinical trials | Observational studies |
|---|---|---|---|
| King Saud University | 0 | ||
| King Abdulaziz University | 0 | ||
| King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre | |||
| King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University | 0 | ||
| King Khalid University | 0 | 0 | |
| Umm al-Qura University | 0 | ||
| Qassim University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah International Medical Research Center | |||
| National Guard Health Affairs | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University | 0 | ||
| Jazan University | 0 | ||
| Taif University | 0 | 0 | |
| Alfaisal University | 0 | ||
| Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University | 0 | ||
| King Abdulaziz Medical City | 0 | ||
| King Fahd Medical City | |||
| University of Tabuk | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Health | 0 | 0 | |
| Taibah University | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Ha'il | 0 | ||
| King Saud Medical City | 0 | ||
| King Faisal University | 0 | 0 | |
| Jouf University | 0 | ||
| Shaqra University | 0 | 0 | |
| Riyadh Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| Imam Mohammad ibn Saud Islamic University | 0 | 0 | |
| Najran University | 0 | 0 | |
| Almaarefa University | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Border University | 0 | 0 | |
| Majmaah University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdul Aziz University Hospital | 0 | ||
| University of Bisha | 0 | 0 | |
| Batterjee Medical College | 0 | 0 | |
| Jeddah First Health Cluster | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz Hospital (Jeddah First Health Cluster) | 0 | 0 | |
| Al Baha University | 0 | 0 | |
| Security Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Sulaiman Al Rajhi Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Electronic University | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Hospital of the University | 0 | ||
| Fakeeh College for Medical Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Specialist Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdullah Medical City | 0 | ||
| Saudi Food and Drug Authority | 0 | 0 | |
| Ibn Sina National College for Medical Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Hafr Al-Batin | 0 | 0 | |
| Riyadh Elm University | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia) | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Aramco Medical Services Organization | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital | |||
| King Khalid University Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology | 0 | 0 | |
| Asir Central Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region | 0 | ||
| King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Hospital Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Military Medical Complex | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Sultan University | 0 | 0 | |
| Soliman Fakeeh Hospital | 0 | ||
| International Medical Center in Jeddah | 0 | 0 | |
| Islamic University of Madinah | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Central Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals | 0 | 0 | |
| Buraydah Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Maternity and Children's Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Defense | 0 | 0 | |
| Mohammed Almana College for Medical Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Naif Arab University for Security Sciences | 0 | 0 | |
| Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu | 0 | 0 | |
| East Jeddah Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Qatif Central Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Health Council | 0 | 0 | |
| Dar Al Uloom University | 0 | 0 | |
| Effat University | 0 | 0 | |
| Fahd bin Sultan University | 0 | 0 | |
| Hera General Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahad Hospital Hufūf | 0 | 0 | |
| King Khaled Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Saud Al-babtain Cardiac Centre | 0 | 0 | |
| Al-Thagher General Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Armed Forces Hospital in Wadi Al-Dawasir | 0 | 0 | |
| Dammam Central Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Salman Center for Disability Research | 0 | 0 | |
| North West Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| King Abdulaziz Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| King Fahd Security College | 0 | 0 | |
| Ministry of Education | 0 | 0 | |
| North Private College of Nursing | 0 | 0 | |
| Northern Area Armed Forces Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Research and Innovation Institute (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Commission for Health Specialties | 0 | 0 | |
| Al-Ghad International Health Sciences Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Aljazeera Hospital (location not recorded) | 0 | 0 | |
| Arab East Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Bugshan Hospital | 0 | 0 | |
| Dar Al-Hekma University | 0 | 0 | |
| Dhahran Health Center | 0 | 0 | |
| Inaya Medical Colleges | 0 | 0 | |
| Jeddah Regional Laboratory | 0 | 0 | |
| Magrabi Hospitals and Centers | 0 | 0 | |
| National Center for Mental Health Promotion | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control | 0 | 0 | |
| Saudi Water Authority | 0 | 0 | |
| University of Business and Technology | 0 | 0 |
Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials By Intervention Type
The area's clinical trials, 2021–2025, by ClinicalTrials.gov's intervention type, with the industry-led part. A trial with several intervention types counts in each, so the bars are never added together and can sum to more than the area's 67 trials. “Other” is the registry's own type; it comes last, as “Not recorded” would. The list opens largest first, ties A–Z. Each count above zero opens its records. Observational studies are not shown by type.
The axis starts at zero and ends at 50.
All trials Industry-led trials
ClinicalTrials.gov · 2021–2025 provisional
National Health Facts · Saudi Arabia
Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders: National Health Facts
National health facts checked against their sources: 4 November 2026 to 5 November 2026.
Each card names its source in short; its ⓘ gives the full source. The full view below holds every fact with its full source.
Estimate. Estimated or modelled by its source, not counted directly.
Measured. Measured in a survey or screening, for example by a blood test or examination.
Self-reported. Reported by people themselves in a survey.
Diabetes, obesity, blood lipids, nutritional deficiencies and other endocrine and metabolic conditions. National figures for all residents unless stated.
At A Glance
9.5%
of all lost healthy life in Saudi Arabia is due to diabetes, the largest single cause; about 6,600 deaths in 2023
Estimate WHO · 2023
Estimate WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · 2023
23.1%
of adults aged 20–79 have diabetes (2024 estimate); 43.6% of them are undiagnosed
21.2% of men and 20.0% of women aged 18+ have diabetes (NCD-RisC, 2022)
Estimate IDF · 2024
Estimate IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, age-standardised, modelled (IDF)
40.1%
of adults live with obesity
23.1% self-reported, ages 15+ (2024), and 20% measured, ages 18+ (2019), in national surveys
Estimate WHO · 2024
Estimate WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia · 2024 · adults 18+, age-standardised, WHO's modelled estimate (NCD-RisC, 1980–2024) · 34.7 to 45.8, uncertainty interval
43%
of people aged 15+ have raised total cholesterol (5.0 mmol/L or more), measured by blood test
Measured Ministry of Health · 2019
Measured Ministry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021) · 2019 · people 15+, measured by blood test, crude
Show Health Facts & SourcesHide Health Facts & Sources
Burden
Lost healthy life by condition within this area, 2023 (WHO estimates, WHO causes matched to the area by the project's cause table v0.4). The area's share of national burden appears in the profile's burden comparison lower down. Diabetic kidney disease, gout and some cancers (thyroid, pancreas, ovary, testis) are also counted in other areas; areas overlap, so area shares don't add up to a total. DALYs are the years of healthy life lost to illness, disability or early death.
Share of the area's DALYs
| Series | Share | DALYs | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | 75% | 615,576404,230 to 826,921 | 6,5934,080 to 9,854 |
| Iron-deficiency anaemia | 10% | 79,81427,892 to 131,735 | 104 |
| Chronic kidney disease due to diabetes | 5% | 39,92311,224 to 68,622 | 1,334607 to 2,454 |
| Pancreatic cancer | 3% | 21,67712,439 to 30,915 | 780530 to 1,122 |
| Ovarian cancer | 1% | 8,8713,180 to 14,562 | 276173 to 450 |
| Protein-energy malnutrition | 1% | 7,8222,123 to 13,522 | 117 to 17 |
| Gout | 1% | 5,0661,277 to 8,854 | 1 |
| Thyroid cancer | 1% | 4,1042,150 to 6,058 | 13985 to 212 |
| Other conditions in this area | 4% | 34,077 | 111 |
Intervals: uncertainty interval · Source: WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023
Key Indicators
No national survey since 2019 has measured diabetes, obesity or cholesterol; the Ministry of Health's 2025 report still lists 2019 as its latest national figures. Diabetes is shown from international models: IDF's 2024 estimates for ages 20–79 and NCD-RisC's 2022 estimates by sex for ages 18+. Obesity is shown from WHO's model, GASTAT's 2024 survey (self-reported) and the 2019 survey, the latest that measured weight and height. Cholesterol comes from the 2019 survey's blood tests; no current international estimate was found.
- 23.1% of adults aged 20–79 have diabetes, 2024 (age-standardised)IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, modelled (IDF)
- 5,344.6 thousand adults aged 20–79 with diabetes, 2024IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, modelled (IDF)
- 43.6% of them undiagnosed, 2,330.2 thousand peopleIDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, modelled (IDF)
- 46,468.9 children and adolescents aged 0–19 with type 1 diabetes; 222,942 people of all agesIDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · children and adolescents 0–19, modelled (IDF)
- 8,038.3 deaths attributable to diabetes at ages 20–79, 2024 (14.5% of deaths at those ages)IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, modelled (IDF)
- US$7,335.5 million diabetes-related health spending, 2024IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024) · 2024 · adults 20–79, modelled (IDF)
- 6,593 deaths with diabetes as the underlying cause, at all ages, in WHO's estimate for 2023; IDF instead estimates deaths attributable to diabetes from the extra risk of dying among people with diabetes, so the two are not comparableWHO Global Health Estimates, 2023 · 2023
Age-standardised; treatment is among people with diabetes aged 30+; dots are estimates, lines their 95% intervals
Men Women
adults 18+, age-standardised, modelled; people with diabetes aged 30+, age-standardised, modelled · Intervals: 95% uncertainty interval · Source: NCD-RisC diabetes data (Lancet 2024), Saudi Arabia file
- 40.1% of adults 18+ live with obesity, 2024 (WHO's modelled estimate, NCD-RisC, 1980–2024)WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia · 2024 · adults 18+, age-standardised, modelled · 34.7 to 45.8, uncertainty interval
- 23.1% of people 15+ report obesity, GASTAT 2024 (self-reported)GASTAT, Health Determinants Statistics Publication 2024 · 2024 · people 15+, self-reported, crude
- 45.1% of people 15+ report overweight, GASTAT 2024 (self-reported)GASTAT, Health Determinants Statistics Publication 2024 · 2024 · people 15+, self-reported, crude
- 20% of adults 18+ live with obesity, measured, 2019 (latest national measurement)Ministry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021) · 2019 · adults 18+, measured, crude
- 18.3% of children and adolescents aged 5–19 live with obesity, 2024 (WHO estimate, crude; boys 22.2%, girls 14.1%)WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia · 2024 · ages 5–19, crude, modelled · 12.2 to 25.0, uncertainty interval
Percent, age-standardised; BMI 30 or more (WHO's modelled estimate, NCD-RisC, 1980–2024)
Men Women
Show The Figures
| Series | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 32.9% | 33.4% | 34.0% | 34.4% | 34.8% | 35.1% | 35.4% | 35.8% | 36.1% | 36.5% |
| Women | 44.3% | 44.7% | 45.1% | 45.4% | 45.6% | 45.9% | 46.1% | 46.3% | 46.5% | 46.7% |
men 18+, age-standardised, modelled; women 18+, age-standardised, modelled · Source: WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia
- 43% of people aged 15+ have raised total cholesterol (5.0 mmol/L or more), measured by blood test, 2019 (latest national measurement); the report does not state whether samples were fasting or how they were tested, and gives no usable figures for LDL, HDL or triglycerides; figures by sex and age are left out because the report's table and its chart disagreeMinistry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021) · 2019 · people 15+, measured by blood test, crude
Where Sources Differ
WHO's obesity figure is higher than the national surveys'. Age range, age-standardisation, self-reported weight and a large young migrant workforce may all pull the national figures down; the precise reasons have not been established.
| Measure | Figure | What it is | Why the figures differ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity, adults | 40.1% | ages 18+, 2024WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia · 2024 · adults 18+, age-standardised, modelled | Modelled and age-standardised, against a crude rate measured in the 2019 survey; both for ages 18+. |
| 20% | ages 18+, measured, World Health Survey 2019Ministry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021) · 2019 · adults 18+, measured, crude | Modelled and age-standardised, against a crude rate measured in the 2019 survey; both for ages 18+. | |
| Obesity, adults (self-reported) | 40.1% | ages 18+, 2024WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia · 2024 · adults 18+, age-standardised, modelled | Self-reported weight tends to understate obesity. |
| 23.1% | ages 15+, self-reported, GASTAT 2024GASTAT, Health Determinants Statistics Publication 2024 · 2024 · people 15+, self-reported, crude | Self-reported weight tends to understate obesity. | |
| Diabetes, adults | 21.2% | men, 18+, 2022 (women 20.0%)NCD-RisC diabetes data (Lancet 2024), Saudi Arabia file · 2022 · adults 18+, age-standardised, modelled | NCD-RisC models from national studies. The last national survey figure usable for comparison is from 2013; the 2019 survey's figures are explained under "What is not measured". |
| 13.4% | Saudi nationals 15+, 2013; diabetes identified by HbA1c testing or current treatmentSaudi Health Interview Survey 2013, results report (Ministry of Health with IHME): Table 47, p. 45; Table 52, p. 48; Table 55, p. 49 · 2013 · Saudi nationals 15+, HbA1c 6.5% or more or on treatment, survey-weighted | NCD-RisC models from national studies. The last national survey figure usable for comparison is from 2013; the 2019 survey's figures are explained under "What is not measured". |
What Is Not Measured
- 4% with raised random (non-fasting) blood glucose in the 2019 national surveyMinistry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021) · 2019 · survey participants, random (non-fasting) blood glucose, measured
- 16.7% (age-standardised) is what the Ministry of Health's 2025 report gives for the same survey, without stating how it was derived, so neither figure is used as a headlineMinistry of Health, Saudi Global Health Report: SDGs & WHO 100 Core Indicators, version 1.0 (updated 30 August 2025) · 2019 · adults, age-standardised, derivation not stated
- 8.5% of Saudi nationals 15+ had high cholesterol in an earlier national survey (2013; total cholesterol 6.2 mmol/L or more, or on treatment), and 20.0% borderline (5.18 to under 6.2 mmol/L); no current international estimate of raised cholesterol was found, and the 2013 cut-offs differ from the 2019 survey's, so the two are not comparedSaudi Health Interview Survey 2013, results report (Ministry of Health with IHME): Table 47, p. 45; Table 52, p. 48; Table 55, p. 49 · 2013 · Saudi nationals 15+, measured, survey-weighted
- No national figures for LDL or HDL cholesterol or triglycerides could be read from the published survey report.
Sources Of These Facts
- WHO Global Health Estimates, 2023
- IDF Diabetes Atlas 2025, Saudi Arabia country table (estimates for 2024)
- WHO data portal, Saudi Arabia
- Ministry of Health, World Health Survey 2019: Biological Risk Factors (published 2021)
- NCD-RisC diabetes data (Lancet 2024), Saudi Arabia file
- GASTAT, Health Determinants Statistics Publication 2024
- Saudi Health Interview Survey 2013, results report (Ministry of Health with IHME): Table 47, p. 45; Table 52, p. 48; Table 55, p. 49
- Ministry of Health, Saudi Global Health Report: SDGs & WHO 100 Core Indicators, version 1.0 (updated 30 August 2025)
About These Figures
How This Area Is Matched
A paper belongs to this area when any of its subject headings is one of the area's headings or sits beneath it. Registered studies use the same headings, applied to the conditions the registry records. Only records carrying subject headings can be assigned at all, and coverage is reported for every selection.
What This Page Does Not Say
Nothing here assesses quality, benefit or performance, and no figure on it should be read as a target. The research-share-to-burden-share ratio compares two shares; it does not establish that research in this area is too much, too little or correctly aimed. Counts describe what is recorded, which is not the same as what was done.
Where The Figures Come From
Publications from PubMed matched with OpenAlex; trials and observational studies from ClinicalTrials.gov. Area assignment follows the SNIH 17-area research dictionary v1.2; burden follows the WHO cause-to-area table v0.4. Both are published in full on the methods page.
Records Behind This Figure
* Not final: counts for these years usually rise at later updates, as many studies are registered after they start and recent papers are still being added. On this page: trials and publications 2025; observational studies 2024–2025.