Background: Depression is on the rise globally and is associated with a high rate of mortality, morbidity, and suicide.
Objective: To evaluate depression and associated risk factors among patients visiting primary healthcare centers in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional study conducted in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia during the period from June 2016 to July 2017, 560 participants were recruited from primary health care centers by a stratified sampling technique. Participants were invited to sign a written informed consent, then interviewed using the PHQ-9 questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of nine questions with four choices each and asking about interest or pleasure in doing things, feeling down or hopeless, the pattern of sleep, tiredness, appetite, the degree of movement or speaking, concentration, or thought of better dead off or hurting self. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis and the ethical committee of the Medical College, the University of Tabuk approved the research. 
Results: Participants (61.2% females), 63.9% were in the range of 18 and 24 years; the majority had higher education, nearly two thirds 66.3% were single. Mild depression was evident in 21.6%, moderate depression in 21.3%, while 4.1% had severe depression. Women had more depression than men with a significant statistical difference (P-value<0.05, no differences in severity of depression was found regarding age, and marital status (P-value>0.05). 
Conclusion: Depression is prevalent among patients attending primary healthcare centers in Tabuk and was commoner among females. No relationship was observed between depression severity, marital status, and age.