Saudi Arabia
a monarch.
population: Official estimate (1 Jul 2024) Β· indicators as of 5 Sep 2026 Β· 23 metros tracked
πΊοΈ Geography23 metros
Saudi Arabia metro footprint, shaded by composite tier.
Select a metro for its rank and a link to its page. Boundaries derived from Overture Maps administrative divisions; metros without source coverage are omitted.
ποΈ 23 tracked metros
π At a glance
- Official language
- Arabic
- Currency
- Saudi riyal (ο·Ό)
- Government
- Islamic theocracy
- Legislature
- Government of Saudi Arabia
- Constitution
- 1992, 5 amendment events since
- Time zone
- UTC+03:00
- Driving side
- Right
- Calling code
- +966
- Internet TLD
- .sa, AlSaudiah
- ISO 3166
- SA
- Established
- 1727
- Highest point
- Jabal Sawda (3,133 m (10,279 ft))
- National anthem
- Chant of the Saudi Nation
Facts via Wikidata.
π£οΈ Languages of Saudi Arabia
Standard Arabic first; one language carries the country; 1 official.
| Language | Share | Status | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Arabic | 100% | Official | CLDR, country |
| Najdi Arabic | 3% | None | CLDR, country |
Shares count first and second language, so they overlap and can add past 100%.
- Effective languages
- 1.0
- Official-language gap
- 0%
- Standard Arabic is spoken by 100%
π° In the news6 stories
The Athletic Β· 27 Oct 2026
LIV golfers led by Dustin Johnson seek severance from Saudi fundLIV golfers owed about $100 million are appealing to Saudi Arabia's PIF for severance after a two-cents-on-the-dollar offer.
Reuters Β· 23 Oct 2026
Oil rises as US orders diplomats to leave Saudi ArabiaOil hit a five-month high as the State Department ordered non-emergency staff out of Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks.
Semafor Β· 20 Oct 2026
Exclusive: Saudi postpones FII in person after Wall Street lobbyingSaudi Arabia postponed in-person attendance at its flagship FII conference after Wall Street executives privately raised safety concerns over Houthi attacks.
Gulf News Β· 19 Oct 2026
Saudi Arabia executes Bangladeshi man, woman for indecent acts inside Mecca mosqueSaudi Arabia executed two Bangladeshi nationals over 'immoral acts' in a Mecca mosque without notifying Bangladesh.
The Stadium Business Β· 17 Oct 2026
Saudi Arabia to cut back World Cup stadium plansSaudi Arabia may cut its 2034 World Cup venues from 15 to 10.
Semafor Β· 16 Oct 2026
Saudi military falters in Houthi warSaudi Arabia is losing ground to the Houthis after spending on high-end weapons that struggle against cheap drones.
πΉ Economy and developmentHigh income
Ranks are among sovereign countries with data; β marks a top-5% finish. Sources: World Bank Open Data and Our World in Data (UNDP, UN WPP, V-Dem, Global Carbon Budget, Ember, Energy Institute; CC BY 4.0). Each card credits its originating body. Renewable share is of electricity generation, not of primary energy. Each figure is the most recent year available.
Alliances & Organisations7 full memberships
Security
Political & Economic
Regional
Full memberDashed border = Candidate / ApplicantItalic = Dialogue / Observer
ποΈ Leadership History27 leaders Β· click to expand
marks a monarch.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Unification (Third Saudi State)
Second Saudi State (Emirate of Nejd)
First Saudi State (Emirate of Diriyah)
π Power over timeThe Power Atlas β
The power line is the headline share of world power, running from the stateβs first ranked year (benchmark estimates with wide error bars before 1816). Latent power is material mass a state could mobilise (population, manpower, heavy industry). Recognised power is what the system actually treats it as (military spending, productive economy, reach, and status such as a Security Council seat or nuclear arsenal). When latent runs above recognised, a power is rising or under-rated; when recognised runs higher, it is punching above its weight or coasting on prestige. Material sub-indices run 1816 through 2016.
βοΈ Wars and conflicts5 interstate wars Β· click to expand
| Conflict | Years | Against | Combat deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persian Gulf Warβ | 1990β1991 | Iraq | 29,231β59,231 |
| Six-Day Warβ | 1967 | Israel | 12,336β19,264 |
| North Yemen Civil Warβ | 1962β1970 | Yemen Arab Republic,Egypt | 53,500+ |
| 1948 ArabβIsraeli Warβ | 1948β1949 | Israel | 13,073β26,373 |
| SaudiβYemeni War (1934) | 1934 | Yemen Yemen | 2,100+ |
Bold = principal belligerent. Source: Wikipedia, βList of interstate wars since 1945.β Figures marked βCOW battle deathsβ are Correlates of War battle-death counts, which run lower than total deaths.
π₯ Population over time
Our World in Data population (CC BY): UN WPP 2024 from 1950, Gapminder v7 1800-1949, HYDE 3.3 earlier; today's borders. Figures above are as of 2023, the last year that is estimated rather than forecast. The dashed tail to 2026 is a UN WPP medium-variant projection. It is drawn because the line should reach the present, and drawn differently because it has not happened yet: no rank, peak or share on this page uses it. Before 1950 the series is reconstruction rather than contemporaneous statistics, which is worth knowing when a countryβs peak sits back there. The current population shown elsewhere on this page comes from the workbook and is unchanged by this. Note that people and share of world can move in opposite directions. A country can grow steadily and still become a smaller part of humanity, which is what happened to almost every rich country after 1960.
π₯ To 2100
The UNβs probabilistic projection for Saudi Arabia: the median with its 80% and 95% bands, the UNβs own high, low and zero-migration scenarios beside it. Not this siteβs model; the site reads it and says what it implies.
What drives it
Births, deaths and net migration on the UN medium path, with fertility, life expectancy and median age, every decade from 1950.
Source: United Nations, DESA, Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 IGO. Estimates to 2023; projections 2024 to 2100, medium variant and probabilistic intervals. The UN revises every two years; this is the WPP 2024 revision.
π° Billionaires11 Β· $55.6B combined Β· click to expand
Source: Forbes real-time billionaires (via the rtb-api project). Net worth as of the latest monthly snapshot.
π National Teams
Saudi Arabia on the international stage. Select a card for the full record.
National Teams Champions
Every major championship won by Saudi Arabia's national teams, newest first. 3 in total.
| Year | Date | Champion | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 1996-12-21 | Saudi Arabia | AFC Asian Cup |
| 1988 | 1988-12-18 | Saudi Arabia | AFC Asian Cup |
| 1984 | 1984-12-16 | Saudi Arabia | AFC Asian Cup |