Governorates of Saudi Arabia (محافظات المملكة العربية السعودية) are the second-leveladministrative divisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They fall under the 13 first-levelprovinces and function as local governance units led by appointed governors. As of 2012, there are 136 governorates across the Kingdom.
Governorates are categorized into three levels based on population, availability of public services, geographic and environmental factors, security considerations, and transportation infrastructure. These categories are:
Capital (Amānah) – the administrative capital of a province
Category A
Category B
This classification is established in Article 3 of the Provinces System issued byKing Fahd in 1992 and amended in 1993.[1][2]
The Provinces System was established in 1992 under a royal order byKing Fahd, initially creating 118 governorates. This system aimed to decentralize governance and improve administrative efficiency by giving local authorities more oversight and responsibility.
In 2012, under the rule ofKing Abdullah, the number of governorates was increased to 136 to reflect the country's demographic and geographic developments.[3]
Each governorate is led by a governor (muḥāfiẓ) appointed by royal decree and assisted by a deputy governor. Governorates are further divided into administrative units calledcenters (مراكز), also known as sub-governorates. These centers handle local service delivery and coordinate with provincial authorities.[2]
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