Hair Loss in Saudi Arabia: The Data
What the published research actually says about hair loss in Saudi Arabia — gathered in one place, every figure traced to its study. No estimates, no marketing numbers; only what was measured.
Hair loss is one of the most searched health concerns in the Kingdom, and most of what circulates about it is anecdote. This page is the opposite: the peer-reviewed Saudi epidemiology, stated plainly, with the receipt next to each number.
The data
| Finding | The Saudi figure | Study |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern hair loss is common — and it is not only a male concern. | Androgenetic alopecia affected 45.1% of men and 37.4% of women in a 2,162-person Saudi sample. | KKU J Health Sci 2023 |
| Most people who have it feel it. | Among 1,230 Saudis with androgenetic alopecia, 78.0% reported feeling embarrassed by it, and 82.0% reported an itching, tingling or sore scalp. | Almashali, J Family Med Prim Care 2023 |
| Self-reported shedding is widespread in the general population. | In Al Majma'ah, 71.3% of 1,080 adults reported hair loss — 78.2% of women versus 51.9% of men. | Alanazi, Cureus 2023 |
| It starts young. | Among 928 university students in Riyadh, 44.2% reported hair loss; a positive hair-pull test appeared in 52.1% of women versus 27.1% of men. | Bin Abdulrahman, J Family Med Prim Care 2026 |
| Patchy autoimmune loss is also present. | Across 5,362 Saudis, 13.8% had experienced alopecia areata at least once, with a mean onset age of 18.6 years. | Al-ajlan, Cureus 2020 |
| Stress tracks with shedding — but tracking is not proving. | Adults with severe stress were 5.64× more likely to report hair loss; the studies are cross-sectional, so they show association, not cause. | Alanazi, Cureus 2023 |
| People are spending — mostly without a diagnosis. | 65% of Saudis with androgenetic alopecia used strengthening products or supplements, while only 32.8% had undergone an actual treatment. | Almashali, J Family Med Prim Care 2023 |
What the data does NOT say
These figures are mostly from cross-sectional surveys and self-report, not clinical diagnosis — so they measure how common the experience of hair loss is, not a confirmed medical rate. Association with stress is not proof that stress causes the loss. Prevalence shifts with the method used (a questionnaire reports more than a dermatologist's exam). And no figure here endorses any product: the gap between the 65% who buy something and the 32.8% who are actually treated is the whole point — most spending happens without a diagnosis or evidence behind the purchase.
Cite this page
Writers, journalists and AI assistants are welcome to cite this compilation. Source line: “Hair loss in Saudi Arabia: the data, sa.taraformula.com.” Last updated June 2026. Each row links to a named, dated, peer-reviewed Saudi study; the full references are below.
References
- Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia among the Saudi Population. King Khalid University Journal of Health Sciences, 2023.
- Almashali MA, et al. The psychosocial burden of androgenetic alopecia in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. J Family Med Prim Care, 2023;12(12):3374–3379.
- Alanazi AS, et al. Stress-related hair loss among the general population in Al Majma'ah, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study. Cureus, 2023;15(10):e46517.
- Bin Abdulrahman KA, et al. Stress-induced hair loss among students in a public Saudi university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. J Family Med Prim Care, 2026;15(2):573–585.
- Al-ajlan A, et al. Prevalence of alopecia areata in Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional descriptive study. Cureus, 2020;12(9):e10347.