Weighted Saudization
- Saudis paid ≥ SAR 4,000
- 12
- Saudis paid < SAR 4,000
- 1.5
- Weighted Saudi count
- 13.5
- Expats
- 60
- Saudization % (weighted)
- 18.37%
- Nitaqat band
- Confirm on Qiwa
12 × 1
3 × 0.5
Your exact band depends on your activity's Qiwa equation
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Nitaqat Calculator 2026
What's my Saudization percentage, and how many Saudis do I need to hire?
Checked against HRSD / Qiwa rules · reviewed 1 Oct 2026 · next review 26 Apr 2027
Enter your Saudis by category and your expats. You get your weighted Saudi count and exact Saudization percentage under the 2026 Qiwa weights, plus how many Saudi hires lift you to the band you want. Your exact band depends on your activity's Qiwa equation — confirm it on Qiwa.
How the Nitaqat percentage is calculated
Each Saudi on your Qiwa records gets a weight: 1 for a full-time Saudi paid at least SAR 4,000, 0.5 below that, 4 for a Saudi with a documented disability and 0.5 for a Saudi student — the disability and student boosts are capped at 10% of your total headcount. Flexible workers count as 1 after 160 hours in the month. Add the weights to get your weighted Saudi count, then divide it by the weighted count plus your expats. That percentage is exact for the numbers you enter. Your band (Red, Low Green, Medium Green, High Green or Platinum) comes from comparing it with your activity's thresholds on Qiwa, which depend on an activity-specific equation and your company size — so your exact band depends on your activity's Qiwa equation, and you confirm it on Qiwa.
- Nitaqat
- Saudi Arabia's Saudization band system, run by HRSD through Qiwa. Also spelled Nitaqat Saudization or Saudisation.
- Weighted Saudi count
- Your Saudis after the salary, disability, student and flexible-work weights are applied.
- Qiwa
- HRSD's labour platform. Contracts documented there are the only ones that count, and it shows your official band.
- Band
- Your Nitaqat colour (Red to Platinum). It decides what visa and work-permit services you can use.
- Saudized profession
- A job group where a separate HRSD decision reserves a share of roles for Saudis.
Nitaqat examples (2026 weights)
Weighted Saudi percentage and the full-time Saudi hires needed to reach a target, worked out with the same calculator. Targets are illustrative — use the threshold Qiwa shows for your activity.
| Company | Saudis (≥4K + <4K) | Expats | Weighted | Saudi % | Target | Saudi hires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail shop | 4 + 2 | 30 | 5 | 14.29% | 15% | 1 |
| Contracting firm | 12 + 3 | 60 | 13.5 | 18.37% | 25% | 7 |
| Clinic with 1 disabled Saudi | 8 + 0 + 1 disabled | 40 | 12 | 23.08% | 25% | 2 |
| IT services company | 45 + 0 | 95 | 45 | 32.14% | 35% | 7 |
Hires assume full-time Saudis paid SAR 4,000 or more and an unchanged expat headcount. Disabled = Saudi with a documented disability (counts as 4, capped at 10% of headcount).
Before you rely on the numbers
- Your band depends on your activity's Qiwa equation and size — we don't guess it. Check it on Qiwa.
- Only Saudis whose contracts are documented on Qiwa count (from 15 April 2026). Undocumented contracts add nothing.
- Weights come from secondary summaries of the Qiwa rules and are reviewed every six months.
- Profession Saudization decisions (the Saudized jobs list) apply on top of your band.
Data Sources
Raising your Saudization percentage
The quickest wins are usually the cheapest: raise Saudis on just under SAR 4,000 to SAR 4,000 (each one goes from 0.5 to 1), document every Saudi contract on Qiwa, and check that no role you're filling with an expat is on the Saudized jobs list. To check one salary against the SAR 4,000 line and profession minimums, use the Saudi minimum salary check. New Saudi hires may qualify for HRDF wage support, and the iqama and expat levy cost calculator shows what each expat costs you in government fees. Then post the roles free with "Saudi nationals preferred" in the description.
Frequently asked questions
How is the Nitaqat percentage calculated?
Nitaqat divides your weighted Saudi count by your weighted Saudi count plus your expats. A full-time Saudi paid SAR 4,000 or more counts as 1; a Saudi paid less counts as 0.5. Saudis with a documented disability count as 4, and Saudi students on part-time contracts as 0.5, but each of those boosts is capped at 10% of your headcount. Flexible workers count as 1 once they reach 160 hours in the month. Since 15 April 2026 only Saudis whose contracts are documented on Qiwa count at all.
Why doesn't the calculator tell me my exact Nitaqat band?
Because the band thresholds are not one table. Each economic activity has its own equation, and the required percentage also depends on your company size. HRSD doesn't publish those equations in a form we can calculate, so rather than guess, we give you the exact weighted percentage and send you to Qiwa, which shows your band and the threshold for the next one. Enter that threshold as your target and the calculator tells you the Saudi hires you need.
What are the Nitaqat bands?
From lowest to highest: Red, Low Green, Medium Green, High Green and Platinum. Red establishments face severe limits on hiring expats, issuing and renewing visas and joining government tenders. The higher green bands and Platinum get progressively more flexibility for visas, renewals, profession changes and transfers.
Does a Saudi on less than SAR 4,000 count in Nitaqat?
Yes, but only as half a Saudi. Two Saudis on SAR 3,500 count the same as one Saudi on SAR 4,000. Raising a salary to SAR 4,000 is often the cheapest way to lift your percentage. Some Saudized professions also set their own minimum salary for a Saudi to count — engineers need at least SAR 8,000, for example.
How many Saudis do I need to hire to move up a band?
Find the threshold for the next band on Qiwa and enter it as your target. With your expat headcount unchanged, the hires you need are (target × expats ÷ (1 − target)) minus your current weighted count, rounded up. For example, 13.5 weighted Saudis and 60 expats reach 25% with 7 more full-time Saudis paid SAR 4,000 or more, or 13 Saudis paid less.
Is Nitaqat the same as the Saudized jobs list?
No. Nitaqat is the establishment-wide Saudi percentage that decides your band. Profession Saudization decisions sit on top of it and reserve a share of specific jobs — for example 100% of remote customer service roles, or 60% of marketing and sales roles once you have three or more. You can be in a green band and still breach a profession decision, so check both.
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