GASTAT Reveals Comprehensive 2024 Healthcare Statistics For Saudi Arabia

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released the 2024 Healthcare Statistics Bulletin for Saudi Arabia. It reveals that all Saudi citizens had their basic healthcare expenses covered this year, with coverage for all residents in the Kingdom at 95.9%. The bulletin offers insights into healthcare access and usage across different demographics.

According to the report, adults in Saudi Arabia visited healthcare providers an average of 1.9 times over the past year. Saudis averaged 2.6 visits compared to 1.2 visits by non-Saudis. Women consulted doctors more frequently than men, with women averaging 2.5 visits and men averaging 1.6 visits.

The bulletin highlights that 94.8% of adults aged 15 years and older in Saudi Arabia had basic healthcare coverage, either public or private. For children under 15 years, the coverage rate was slightly higher at 96.1%. This indicates a strong emphasis on ensuring healthcare access for both adults and children.

In terms of dental care, 13.1% of the population consulted a dentist in 2024, with a significant portion rating their last visit as excellent (55.6%). Additionally, women were more likely to consult doctors than men, with consultation rates of 17.2% for women compared to 10.7% for men.

The bulletin also sheds light on digital health engagement among adults in Saudi Arabia. It shows that 24.3% accessed their medical records online, while 20.5% used the internet to seek health-related information such as injuries, illnesses, nutrition, and health improvement tips.

Furthermore, telehealth services were utilised by 4.5% of adults to consult with healthcare providers remotely. This reflects a growing trend towards digital solutions in healthcare management and consultation within the Kingdom.

Children's Healthcare Visits

For children and adolescents, the average number of visits to healthcare providers was two per year. Saudi children and adolescents averaged two visits annually, whereas non-Saudi children averaged slightly fewer at 1.6 visits per year.

This comprehensive bulletin is based on data from the National Health Survey and the Women and Child Health Survey conducted in 2024, along with population estimates provided by GASTAT for the same year.

The findings offer valuable insights into healthcare trends in Saudi Arabia, highlighting areas where digital health engagement is increasing alongside traditional healthcare access.

With inputs from SPA