Saudi Arabia People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

34,783,757 (July 2021 est.)

note: immigrants make up 38.3% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)

Nationality

noun: Saudi(s)

adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups

Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Languages

Arabic (official)

printed major-language sample:
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2012 est.)

note: despite having a large expatriate community of various faiths (more than 30% of the population), most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with the government-sanctioned interpretation of Sunni Islam are restricted; non-Muslims are not allowed to have Saudi citizenship and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted (2013)

MENA religious affiliation

Age structure

0-14 years: 24.84% (male 4,327,830/female 4,159,242)

15-24 years: 15.38% (male 2,741,371/female 2,515,188)

25-54 years: 50.2% (male 10,350,028/female 6,804,479)

55-64 years: 5.95% (male 1,254,921/female 778,467)

65 years and over: 3.63% (male 657,395/female 584,577) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 39.3

youth dependency ratio: 34.4

elderly dependency ratio: 4.9

potential support ratio: 20.5 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 30.8 years

male: 33 years

female: 27.9 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

1.62% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

14.56 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

3.39 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

5.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea

Urbanization

urban population: 84.5% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 1.69% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

7.388 million RIYADH (capital), 4.697 million Jeddah, 2.079 million Mecca, 1.518 million Medina, 1.279 million Ad Dammam, 1.279 million Hufuf-Mubarraz (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.09 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.52 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 1.61 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female

total population: 1.3 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

17 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 12.58 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 13.86 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 11.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.4 years

male: 74.81 years

female: 78.07 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.95 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

24.6% (2016)

Drinking water source

improved: total: 100% of population

unimproved: total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

6.4% (2018)

Physicians density

2.61 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

2.2 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access

improved: total: 100% of population

unimproved: total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

<.1 est.>

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

12,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

35.4% (2016)

Education expenditures

N/A

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.3%

male: 97.1%

female: 92.7% (2017)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 16 years (2019)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 28.8%

male: 19.9%

female: 62.6% (2018 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Saudi Arabia on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Saudi Arabia 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Saudi Arabia 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.