Average Special Needs Assistant Salary in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Special Needs Assistant salary for 2026 in Riyadh and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Saudi riyal. To keep things simple, we are using the SAR currency code instead of the currency symbol ر.س.

How Much Does a Special Needs Assistant Make in Riyadh?

A Special Needs Assistant working in Riyadh will typically earn around 151,800 SAR per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 69,580 SAR to the highest average salary of 239,000 SAR.

These are average salaries for a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Special Needs Assistant to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Special Needs Assistant salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Special Needs Assistant Salaries in Riyadh

So we've looked at the average salaries a Special Needs Assistant will earn in Riyadh. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Special Needs Assistant can earn between 69,580 SAR and 239,000 SAR on average in Riyadh. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh is 161,300 SAR. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 161,300 SAR, and 50% of the population earn more than 161,300 SAR.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Special Needs Assistant salary in Riyadh, 25% of the population are earning less than 104,500 SAR while 75% of the population earn more than 104,500 SAR.

75% of the population earn less than 215,100 SAR, and 25% of the population earn more than 215,100 SAR.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

Special Needs Assistant Salary by Experience Level in Riyadh

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Special Needs Assistant salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

• 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 77,120 SAR.
• 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Special Needs Assistant salary would increase to 104,900 SAR.
• 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Special Needs Assistant, the average salary would be 154,700 SAR.
• 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 189,300 SAR.
• 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Special Needs Assistant with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 204,000 SAR.
• 20+ Years Experience. For a Special Needs Assistant with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 222,300 SAR.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

Special Needs Assistant Salary by Education Level in Riyadh

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

• Certificate or Diploma. A Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 89,340 SAR.
• Bachelor's Degree. A Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 174,000 SAR.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Special Needs Assistant Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Riyadh, a male special needs assistant will earn an average of 125,700 SAR, while a female special needs assistant will earn around 151,800 SAR.

This means that a male special needs assistant earns approximately 17% less than a female special needs assistant for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Riyadh

Special Needs Assistant Average Pay Raise in Riyadh

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh is around 10% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Saudi Arabia is around 8% every 17 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 7%

What this means is that a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 7% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Riyadh for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Saudi Arabia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Special Needs Assistant Bonus and Incentive Rates in Riyadh

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Special Needs Assistant is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Saudi Arabia earn approximately 8% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Special Needs Assistant

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Special Needs Assistant in Riyadh.

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Saudi Arabia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.