Saudi Arabia is a leader in education and child care.

Saudi Arabia has emerged as a global leader in child welfare and education, according to a new Gallup World Poll, with the Kingdom ranking among the top countries worldwide where citizens believe children are treated with respect and dignity and have ample opportunities to learn and grow.

The poll, conducted in 2023 but revealed Thursday, shows that nearly all residents in Saudi Arabia affirm that children in their country are treated with respect and dignity – which nearly all world leaders have pledged to guarantee as signatories to the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child. This places the Kingdom at the forefront of child welfare perceptions globally, with other Gulf states such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates rounding out the top five.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Iain Drennan, executive director of WeProtect Global Alliance – a global body that evaluates the latest threats to young people and online trends – said, “It is very encouraging to see the Gulf Region perceiving that children in their countries are respected at a time when we are seeing a rise in child abuse and exploitation globally.”

He added: “Addressing children’s rights and needs is key to achieving lasting, sustainable development and breaking the cycle of inequality and deprivation for future generations. Children everywhere deserve to feel confident that they have a future on a planet that is safe. They have the right to be involved and have shown they can lead the way in shaping a better world. As a father of two daughters of 7 and 10, they are just starting to explore the online world: it is incredibly important to me that children everywhere can take advantage of the opportunities the internet can offer, without fear of abuse or harm.”

Drennan said Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are all members of the WeProtect Global Alliance.

“One of the ways we have been working with these Gulf States is to encourage governments to strengthen national strategies and legal frameworks to keep children safe online using our Model National Response Framework. This framework supports countries to look at key pillars which need to be in place to drive a holistic response to keep children safe online. This ranges from looking at legislation and regulation, to societal factors, the criminal justice system, involvement of children and survivors, the role of technology, and the importance of research and data.”

“All our members commit to using this framework and we’ve seen a focus on strengthening government capacities to better analyze the causes and extent of violence against children, strengthen national response systems, and monitor the effectiveness of national responses.”

According to the Gallup World Poll, countries in Latin America dominate the bottom of the list – as they have in many years – with just over one in three or fewer residents of Venezuela (35 percent), Bolivia (34 percent), Brazil (34 percent), Honduras (34 percent), Argentina (32 percent), and Peru (30 percent) saying children in their country are treated with respect and dignity. But also making the list again is Iraq (35 percent).

Saudi Arabia’s commitment to child welfare is further evidenced by the significant improvement in public perception over the past decade. The percentage of Saudis believing that children have opportunities to learn and grow has risen by 23 percentage points, while those who think children are treated with respect have increased by 26 points.

These positive trends align with Saudi Arabia’s substantial investments in education and youth development, key focus areas of the country’s Vision 2030 reform plan. Education has consistently received one of the highest allocations in government spending, with initiatives aimed at enhancing teacher quality, curriculum development, and overall educational attainment.

The poll also highlights Saudi Arabia’s strong performance in providing learning opportunities for children. With 92 percent of residents believing children have the chance to learn and grow, the Kingdom narrowly missed the top 10 globally in this category.