Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s score on the Open Budget Index shows that the government provides the public with scant information on the central government’s budget and financial activities during the course of the budget year. This makes it very difficult for citizens to hold government accountable for its management of the public’s money.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Transparency (Open Budget Index) 0/100
The Government of Saudi Arabia provides the public with no budget information.
Public Participation 0/100
The Government of Saudi Arabia provides the public with no opportunities to engage in the budget process.
Budget Oversight
By legislature 0/100
Budget oversight by the legislature in Saudi Arabia is nonexistent.
By auditor 34/100
Budget oversight by the supreme audit institution in Saudi Arabia is weak.
Recommendations
Improving Transparency
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to improve budget transparency:
- Publish an Executive’s Budget Proposal, Enacted Budget, Year-End Report, and Audit Report.
- Produce and publish a Pre-Budget Statement, Citizens Budget, In-Year Reports, and Mid-Year Review.
Improving Participation
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to improve budget participation:
- Establish credible and effective mechanisms (i.e., public hearings, surveys, focus groups) for capturing a range of public perspectives on budget matters.
- Hold legislative hearings on the budgets of specific ministries, departments, and agencies as well as on audit reports at which testimony from the public is heard.
- Establish formal mechanisms for the public to assist the supreme audit institution to formulate its audit program and participate in audit investigations.
Improving Oversight
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to strengthen budget oversight:
- Establish a specialized budget research office for the legislature.
- Ensure the executive receives prior approval by the legislature before implementing a supplemental budget.
- Require legislative or judicial approval to remove the head of the supreme audit institution.
Saudi Arabia
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Transparency
1
out of 100
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Public Participation
0
out of 100
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Budget Oversight
11
out of 100
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]IBP considers countries that score above 60 on the Open Budget Index as providing sufficient budget information to enable the public to engage in budget discussions in an informed manner. IBP considers countries scoring above 60 on participation and oversight as providing adequate opportunities for the public to participate in the budget process and providing adequate oversight practices, respectively.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”white” border_width=”10″][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section el_id=”transparency”][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”top”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Transparency (Open Budget Index)
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1
out of 100
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Saudi Arabia provides the public with scant budget information.
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Recommendations for Improving Transparency
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to improve budget transparency:
- Publish an Enacted Budget and an Audit Report online.
- Produce and publish an Executive’s Budget Proposal, a Year-End Report, a Pre-Budget Statement, and a Mid-Year Review.
- Continue to publish In-Year Reports online. During the research period for OBS 2017, In-Year Reports were not made publicly available, but this practice has since been adopted and, accordingly, the first quarterly In-Year Report was published in May 2017.
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Public Participation
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0
out of 100
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]Saudi Arabia provides the public with no opportunities to engage in the budget process.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”top”][vc_column width=”1/2″ el_class=”country-summary”][vc_progress_bar values=”%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Global%20Average%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2212%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%23d2d2d2%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Egypt%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2211%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Jordan%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2211%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Qatar%22%2C%22value%22%3A%222%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Tunisia%22%2C%22value%22%3A%222%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Algeria%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Iraq%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Lebanon%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Morocco%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Saudi%20Arabia%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Sudan%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Yemen%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%230087d1%22%7D%5D” bgcolor=”custom” title=”How Does Public Participation Compare to Other Countries in the Region?” units=”/100″ el_class=”country-summary” custombgcolor=”#ffffff” customtxtcolor=”#333333″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Recommendations for Improving Participation
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to improve public participation in its budget process:
- Pilot mechanisms for members of the public and government officials to exchange views on national budget matters during both the formulation of the national budget and the monitoring of its implementation. These mechanisms could build on innovations, such as participatory budgeting and social audits. For examples of such mechanisms, see fiscaltransparency.net/mechanisms.
- Hold legislative hearings on the formulation of the annual budget, during which members of the public or civil society organizations can testify.
- Establish formal mechanisms for the public to assist the supreme audit institution in formulating its audit program and to participate in relevant audit investigations.
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Budget Oversight (by Legislature & Audit)
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11
out of 100
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”5/6″][vc_column_text]The legislature and supreme audit institution in Saudi Arabia provide weak oversight of the budget.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_progress_bar values=”%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Formulation%2FApproval%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%23d2d2d2%22%7D%2C%7B%22label%22%3A%22Execution%2FAudit%22%2C%22value%22%3A%220%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%23d2d2d2%22%7D%5D” bgcolor=”custom” title=”To What Extent Does the Legislature Provide Budget Oversight?” units=”/100″ el_class=”country-summary” custombgcolor=”#ffffff” customtxtcolor=”#333333″][vc_column_text]The legislature provides no oversight during the budget cycle. This score reflects that the legislature provides no oversight during the planning stage of the budget cycle and no oversight during the implementation stage of the budget cycle.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”top”][vc_column][vc_progress_bar values=”%5B%7B%22label%22%3A%22Weak%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2233%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22custom%22%2C%22customcolor%22%3A%22%23d2d2d2%22%7D%5D” bgcolor=”custom” title=”To What Extent Does the Supreme Audit Institution Provide Budget Oversight?” units=”/100″ el_class=”country-summary” custombgcolor=”#ffffff” customtxtcolor=”#333333″][vc_column_text]
The supreme audit institution provides weak budget oversight.
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Recommendations for Improving Oversight
Saudi Arabia should prioritize the following actions to make budget oversight more effective:
- Ensure the legislature holds a debate on budget policy prior to the tabling of the Executive’s Budget Proposal and approves recommendations for the upcoming budget.
- Ensure a legislative committee examines and publishes reports on in-year budget implementation online.
- Require legislative or judicial approval to appoint and remove the head of the supreme audit institution.
- Consider setting up an independent fiscal institution to further strengthen budget oversight.
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Learn More
The information on this page presents a partial country summary. For more detailed information, please download:
- Saudi Arabia Open Budget Survey 2017 Country Summary – English
- Saudi Arabia Open Budget Survey 2017 Country Summary – Arabic
- Saudi Arabia Open Budget Survey 2017 Questionnaire
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