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Average Professor - Chemical Engineering Salary in Saudi Arabia for 2026

A professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earns about 290,800 SAR a year. That's 45% above the national average of 200,000 SAR.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Saudi Arabia sit around 138,200 SAR a year, while the very top stretches to 454,300 SAR. Everything on this page is in Saudi riyal (SAR, symbol ر.س), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Saudi Arabia, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a professor of chemical engineering make in Saudi Arabia?

Average salary
290,800 SAR
24,233 SAR per month
Lowest reported
138,200 SAR
11,516 SAR per month
Highest reported
454,300 SAR
37,858 SAR per month

A typical professor of chemical engineering working in Saudi Arabia brings home around 24,233 SAR a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 138,200 SAR, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 454,300 SAR for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior professor of chemical engineering working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How professor of chemical engineering pay ranges in Saudi Arabia

A good way to think about salary in Saudi Arabia is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earn less than 301,800 SAR a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 197,600 SAR (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 392,300 SAR (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of professors of chemical engineering sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 138,200 SAR. The highest stretch to 454,300 SAR, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

138,200
Low
301,800
Median
454,300
High
197,600
25th
392,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in SAR

Professor of chemical engineering pay by experience in Saudi Arabia

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical professor of chemical engineering salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    161,300 SAR
  • 2-5 Years
    +43% from previous
    231,000 SAR
  • 5-10 Years
    +31% from previous
    301,600 SAR
  • 10-15 Years
    +23% from previous
    371,100 SAR
  • 15-20 Years
    +6% from previous
    394,300 SAR
  • 20+ Years
    +9% from previous
    431,300 SAR

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 43%. That is the point at which a professor of chemical engineering typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Professor of chemical engineering pay by education in Saudi Arabia

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving professor of chemical engineering pay in Saudi Arabia. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average professor of chemical engineering salary in Saudi Arabia broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Master's Degree
    207,700 SAR
  • PhD
    +75% from previous
    363,000 SAR

Professor of chemical engineering gender pay gap in Saudi Arabia

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Male professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earn an average of 305,600 SAR a year, while female professors of chemical engineering earn around 281,500 SAR. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Professor - Chemical Engineering gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in Saudi Arabia.

Men 305,600 SAR
Women 281,500 SAR

Pay raises for a professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of about 11% every 19 months, which works out to roughly 7% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in Saudi Arabia, the national average raise is around 8% every 17 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in Saudi Arabia:

  • Banking
    2%
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
    1%
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Professor of chemical engineering bonus rates in Saudi Arabia

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

57%

57% of professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a professor of chemical engineering a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary. The remaining 43% of professors of chemical engineering reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in Saudi Arabia

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Professor of chemical engineering: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in Saudi Arabia is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

7%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Saudi Arabia on average.

Public sector 207,800 SAR
Private sector 192,600 SAR

Professor of chemical engineering salary by city in Saudi Arabia

Professor of chemical engineering pay is not even across Saudi Arabia. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Riyadh
  • Jeddah
  • Medina
  • Mecca
  • Dammam
  • Abha
  • Taif
  • Tabuk
  • Khubar
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
RiyadhCity315,700 SAR290,800 SAR169,000-475,700 SAR
JeddahCity311,700 SAR339,100 SAR142,300-496,100 SAR
MedinaCity308,900 SAR317,700 SAR148,300-480,300 SAR
MeccaCity308,300 SAR327,800 SAR146,200-489,600 SAR
DammamCity301,700 SAR308,300 SAR150,000-472,100 SAR
AbhaCity301,700 SAR283,700 SAR159,500-462,300 SAR
TaifCity290,800 SAR290,800 SAR142,300-448,500 SAR
TabukCity286,400 SAR275,500 SAR151,800-440,200 SAR
KhubarCity283,700 SAR309,800 SAR130,400-455,400 SAR


Professor - Chemical Engineering in Saudi Arabia: FAQs

  • How much does a professor of chemical engineering make per month in Saudi Arabia?

    A professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earns about 24,233 SAR a month before tax, based on an annual average of 290,800 SAR.

  • What's the salary range for a professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia?

    Entry-level professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia start near 138,200 SAR. Top-end pay reaches around 454,300 SAR. The middle 50% of earners sit between 197,600 and 392,300 SAR.

  • Is the median professor of chemical engineering salary in Saudi Arabia higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 301,800 SAR, higher than the average of 290,800 SAR. Half of professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia?

    Men working as a professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia earn around 9% more than women on average (305,600 vs 281,500 SAR a year).

  • Do professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia get bonuses?

    About 57% of professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6% of base salary.

  • Do professors of chemical engineering earn more in the public or private sector in Saudi Arabia?

    In Saudi Arabia, the public sector pays a professor of chemical engineering about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do professors of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia get a pay raise?

    A professor of chemical engineering in Saudi Arabia sees a raise of around 11% every 19 months, equivalent to roughly 7% a year.