REUTERS/Olivier Pon/Files

Swedish retail giant Ikea is under fire for manipulating the Saudi Arabian version of its furniture catalogue to edit out pictures of women.

Swedish newspaper Metro first broke the story, which showed otherwise identical images digitally altered to omit all women.

After public outrage, Ikea released a statement saying: "We should have reacted and realized that excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalogue is in conflict with the IKEA Group values."

Saudi Arabia does not allow women to vote, run for office, or drive. Saudi women must have a male guardian's permission to have elective surgery, open a bank account, get a job, marry, divorce, or travel.