Saudi Arabia Population
Saudi Arabia had an estimated population of 36,973,555 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 43rd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.45% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +4.63% a year.
Saudi Arabia at a glance
How Saudi Arabia's population is changing
Saudi Arabia's population is growing fast: +4.63% a year, which works out to about +1,712,320 people per year, or +4,688 a day. Births (16.5 per 1,000) and deaths (2.3 per 1,000) alone would give +1.42% a year; net migration adds about 119,738 people a year (+0.32%). Roughly one in every 222 people on Earth lives in Saudi Arabia.
Population of Saudi Arabia since 1960
In 1960, Saudi Arabia had 2,435,403 people. By 2025 that was 36,973,555 — 15.2× larger. The fastest growth came between 1977 and 1987, when the population rose by 80%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,435,403 | — |
| 1970 | 3,562,470 | +46.3% |
| 1980 | 6,047,997 | +69.8% |
| 1990 | 10,640,691 | +75.9% |
| 2000 | 16,177,722 | +52.0% |
| 2010 | 23,978,487 | +48.2% |
| 2020 | 31,552,510 | +31.6% |
| 2025 | 36,973,555 | +17.2% |
Saudi Arabia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Saudi Arabia at about 2,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 34,566,327 in 2025 (17× 1800) and projects 71,006,695 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 105% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,235,890 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,123,533 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,703,280 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 16,177,733 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 34,566,327 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 47,693,912 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 59,736,264 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 71,006,695 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Saudi Arabia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 36,973,555. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riyadh | 6,916,417 | UN urban centre | 18.71% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Jeddah | 4,284,080 | UN urban centre | 11.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Dammam | 2,335,647 | UN urban centre | 6.32% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Makkah | 1,578,722 | GeoNames settlement | 4.27% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Madinah | 1,300,000 | GeoNames settlement | 3.52% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Sulţānah | 946,697 | GeoNames settlement | 2.56% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Ta’if | 688,693 | GeoNames settlement | 1.86% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Tabuk | 553,389 | UN urban centre | 1.50% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Al Kharj | 425,300 | GeoNames settlement | 1.15% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Khamis Mushait | 387,553 | GeoNames settlement | 1.05% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Saudi Arabia compares
Saudi Arabia has almost the same population as Uzbekistan (37,053,428).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Saudi Arabia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #41 |  Morocco | 38,430,770 | +4% | compare → |
| #42 |  Uzbekistan | 37,053,428 | +0% | compare → |
| #44 |  Poland | 36,435,861 | −1% | compare → |
| #45 |  Malaysia | 35,977,838 | −3% | compare → |
Compare Saudi Arabia with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Saudi Arabia
Land neighbours (7)
Iraq 47,020,774 · 1.3× the population · compare
Yemen 41,773,878 · 1.1× the population · compare
Jordan 11,520,684 · 3.2× smaller · compare
United Arab Emirates 11,513,149 · 3.2× smaller · compare
Oman 5,494,691 · 6.7× smaller · compare
Kuwait 4,865,298 · 7.6× smaller · compare
Qatar 2,972,215 · 12.4× smaller · compare
Saudi Arabia's 7 neighbours together hold 125,160,689 people — 3.4× Saudi Arabia's population. The most populous is Iraq (47,020,774).
In its region
Saudi Arabia is the 9th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 4.5% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Saudi Arabia
Cities
Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Makkah, Madinah, Sulţānah, Ta’if, Tabuk — all Saudi Arabia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Saudi Arabia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.