Over the past two decades, Saudi Arabia has undergone significant changes to its socio-economic and political landscape. From the early 2000s until today, the country shifted from being largely dependent on oil, with a more conservative social structure, to a society experimenting with diversification, cultural reform, and modernisation. Women now participate more widely in public life, there has been a renaissance in cinema and concert attendance, and investment into large-scale projects such as NEOM has spiked. Internationally, the country has rebranded itself as a strategic hub straddling the Middle East, East Africa and proximate to South West Asia. As a result, it now retains influence across economic, digital, and geopolitical spheres. It is important to acknowledge the ongoing challenges which gravitate around a general slow move towards rights-based reforms compared to rapid economic reforms. The result is a state in transition. As is common during any major reform process, criminals take advantage of the vacuum.

In Saudi Arabia, there is a complex web of domestic crime and security threats that challenge social life. The main crimes facing Saudi Arabia today include:

1. Drug smuggling—particularly marijuana, cocaine and captagon
2. Crimes related to terrorism—terror finance, terror incitement and terror recruitment
3. Financial crimes—such as cyber theft
4. Petty crimes—such as pickpocketing

It is important to note that the murder rate is negligible at 0.85 of 100,000 and instances of sexual abuse remain uncertain due to lack of reportage.

Of these, Saudi Arabia is most concerned with the intersection of organised criminals (re: in the drug trade) and terrorist groups since they seems to work in tandem and exploit the same clandestine networks. When, in 2021, Saudi authorities uncovered a massive captagon shipment from Lebanon, its suspicions were further heightened as it recognised that drug smuggling may not only be about raising finance for illicit purposes but may, in itself, be the purpose—to eat away at national solidarity and unity.

As a result of the spike in drug and terrorism offences there has also been an increase in the use of capital punishment. By June 2025, Saudi authorities had executed approximately 50 individuals with half in connection to drug-related charges—showing the gravity Saudi Arabia gives to such crimes; similar to Singapore. This followed the conclusion of a moratorium on drug-related executions introduced in 2021. Foreign nationals make up roughly 75% of those executed for drug-related crimes.

Other issues that define the crime and punishment scene in Saudi Arabia include morality codes as prescribed under Saudi national laws which correspond to the Sharia (Islamic law). Behaviours that are regarded as immoral, include: prostitution, begging and violations of public decency laws. Although the power of the religious police (Mutawa) has been curtailed, it would seem that moral enforcement persists through other institutional channels, reflecting an ongoing tension between reform and tradition.

Marrying economic reforms to social rights is a long and difficult process. Saudi Arabia is well on its way to modernising while striking a balance between social stability and fighting against the main sources of crime and criminality. Saudi Arabia has great potential to transition to a more compassionate and robust social order—one that harnesses the power of civil society, educational institutions and grassroots networks. Non-governmental organisations, including legal aid groups, migrant support networks, women’s advocacy groups and academic forums, can play a pivotal role in promoting legal literacy, raising awareness of fair trials and providing discreet support channels for vulnerable groups. Community-based education programmes embedded within schools, universities, and neighbourhood centres can train the next generation to recognise threats in various areas, from illicit drug distribution to manipulative moral policing. Empowering young people with critical thinking skills, legal knowledge and digital and civic engagement skills can foster societal resilience.

International collaboration with legal and human rights experts can support the professional development of civil society by offering tools to monitor compliance with international standards and advocate for procedural transparency. Such efforts could be complemented by government participation, such as piloting legal clinics, expanding judicial transparency and engaging in selective public dialogue, without overshadowing the agency of civil society. In this way, Saudi Arabia can align its modernisation with increased social justice, thereby restoring confidence, cultivating trust, safeguarding human dignity and strengthening its body politic.