Saudi Arabia
population: Official estimate (1 Jul 2024) Β· indicators as of 2026-09-05 Β· 23 metros tracked
πΊοΈ Geography23 metros
Saudi Arabia metro footprint, shaded by composite tier.
Hover for rank, click to open the metro page. Boundaries derived from Overture Maps administrative divisions; metros without source coverage are omitted.
ποΈ 23 tracked metros
Show all 23 rows
| Metro | State | Tier | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #67 | Riyadhβ Capitalβ² Largest | Riyadh | 7.2M | 37.2 | Major Metro |
| #123 | Jeddah | Mecca | 3.8M | 24.0 | Major Metro |
| #187 | Dammam | Eastern | 2.7M | 15.4 | Regional Hub |
| #292 | Mecca | Mecca | 2.4M | 9.1 | Established Metro |
| #738 | Al Hofuf | Eastern | 1.1M | 2.7 | Emerging Metro |
| #874 | Al Majma'ah | Riyadh | 152K | 2.1 | Emerging Metro |
| #876 | Ar Rass | Al-Qassim | 121K | 2.0 | Emerging Metro |
| #981 | Tabuk | Tabuk | 624K | 1.7 | Emerging Metro |
| #1095 | Abha | Asir | 422K | 1.4 | Emerging Metro |
| #1200 | Buraidah | Al-Qassim | 678K | 1.2 | Emerging Metro |
| #1502 | Jubail | Eastern | 505K | 0.8 | Local Metro |
| #1559 | Medina | Medina | 1.5M | 0.7 | Local Metro |
| #2000 | Ha'il | Ha'il | 499K | 0.4 | Local Metro |
| #2032 | Najran | Najran | 422K | 0.4 | Local Metro |
| #2079 | Yanbu | Medina | 360K | 0.4 | Local Metro |
| #2313 | Taif | Mecca | 913K | 0.3 | Local Metro |
| #2917 | Khamis Mushait | Asir | 709K | 0.2 | Local Metro |
| #2996 | Hafar Al-Batin | Eastern | 467K | 0.2 | Local Metro |
| #3047 | Al-Kharj | Riyadh | 373K | 0.1 | Local Metro |
| #3185 | Sakakah | Al-Jawf | 237K | 0.1 | Local Metro |
| #3204 | Sabya | Jazan | 223K | 0.1 | Local Metro |
| #3237 | Al-Qunfudhah | Mecca | 205K | 0.1 | Local Metro |
| #3669 | Al Bahah | Al-Bahah | 91K | 0.0 | Local Metro |
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° In the news6 stories
Semafor Β· 17 Sept 2026
Few took the Houthis seriously. A coalition is now needed to stop them.A former White House envoy warns US inaction risks empowering Houthis who now threaten a key oil route.
The Guardian Β· 17 Sept 2026
US officials decide against backing Saudi Arabia after meeting Houthi leadersUS officials decided not to back Saudi Arabia after meeting Houthi leaders as fighting in Yemen escalates.
South China Morning Post Β· 17 Sept 2026
Has a Chinese DF missile been used for the first time in the Middle East?Debris in Yemen appears to come from a Chinese Dongfeng ballistic missile, with no previous sale of the system confirmed in the region.
The Athletic Β· 12 Sept 2026
The decline of LIV Golf: from April's funding loss to September's bankruptcyLIV Golf's bankruptcy filings list IMG as the top unsecured vendor creditor and a first $14M draw on a Saudi PIF loan.
CNBC Β· 11 Sept 2026
"LIV Golf files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection"LIV Golf filed Chapter 11 in New Jersey less than five years after launch, with $49.6 million in interim financing from the PIF.
The Athletic Β· 11 Sept 2026
"Why LIV Golf filed for bankruptcy: $5 billion lost and what happens next"LIV Golf's bankruptcy came more than $5 billion of PIF money later, as the Saudis also scrapped a ski resort and largely cancelled The Line.
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 leader associated with atrocities or defiance of law, systemic subversion of democratic institutions, or a criminal conviction. Convictions arising from political persecution, and annulled convictions, are excluded. denotes a monarch. These are editorial designations, applied per entry rather than derived automatically.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
π King Salman bin Abdulazizβ¦ Current
2015βPresentKing
π King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
2005β2015King
π King Fahd bin Abdulaziz
1982β2005King
π King Khalid bin Abdulaziz
1975β1982King
π King Faisal bin Abdulaziz
1964β1975King
π King Saud bin Abdulaziz
1953β1964King
π King Abdulaziz ibn Saud
1932β1953King
| Name | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| π King Salman bin Abdulazizβ¦ Current | King | 2015βPresent |
| π King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz | King | 2005β2015 |
| π King Fahd bin Abdulaziz | King | 1982β2005 |
| π King Khalid bin Abdulaziz | King | 1975β1982 |
| π King Faisal bin Abdulaziz | King | 1964β1975 |
| π King Saud bin Abdulaziz | King | 1953β1964 |
| π King Abdulaziz ibn Saud | King | 1932β1953 |
Unification (Third Saudi State)
π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β King of Hejaz and Nejd
1926β1932Monarch
π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β Sultan of Nejd
1921β1926Monarch
π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β Emir of Nejd
1902β1921Monarch
| Name | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β King of Hejaz and Nejd | Monarch | 1926β1932 |
| π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β Sultan of Nejd | Monarch | 1921β1926 |
| π Abdulaziz ibn Saud (Ibn Saud) β Emir of Nejd | Monarch | 1902β1921 |
Second Saudi State (Emirate of Nejd)
π Abdul Rahman bin Faisal (second reign)
1889β1891Monarch
π Abdullah bin Faisal (third reign)
1876β1889Monarch
π Abdul Rahman bin Faisal (first reign)
1875β1876Monarch
π Saud bin Faisal (second reign)
1873β1875Monarch
π Abdullah bin Faisal (second reign)
1871β1873Monarch
π Saud bin Faisal (first reign)
1871β1871Monarch
π Abdullah bin Faisal (first reign)
1865β1871Monarch
π Faisal bin Turki (second reign)
1843β1865Monarch
π Abdullah bin Thunayan
1841β1843Monarch
π Khalid bin Saud
1838β1841Monarch
π Faisal bin Turki (first reign)
1834β1838Monarch
π Mishari bin Abdul Rahman
1834β1834Monarch
Show all 13 leaders
π Turki bin Abdullah
1824β1834Monarch
| Name | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| π Abdul Rahman bin Faisal (second reign) | Monarch | 1889β1891 |
| π Abdullah bin Faisal (third reign) | Monarch | 1876β1889 |
| π Abdul Rahman bin Faisal (first reign) | Monarch | 1875β1876 |
| π Saud bin Faisal (second reign) | Monarch | 1873β1875 |
| π Abdullah bin Faisal (second reign) | Monarch | 1871β1873 |
| π Saud bin Faisal (first reign) | Monarch | 1871β1871 |
| π Abdullah bin Faisal (first reign) | Monarch | 1865β1871 |
| π Faisal bin Turki (second reign) | Monarch | 1843β1865 |
| π Abdullah bin Thunayan | Monarch | 1841β1843 |
| π Khalid bin Saud | Monarch | 1838β1841 |
| π Faisal bin Turki (first reign) | Monarch | 1834β1838 |
| π Mishari bin Abdul Rahman | Monarch | 1834β1834 |
| π Turki bin Abdullah | Monarch | 1824β1834 |
First Saudi State (Emirate of Diriyah)
π Abdullah bin Saud
1814β1818Monarch
π Saud bin Abdulaziz (Saud the Great)
1803β1814Monarch
π Abdulaziz bin Muhammad
1765β1803Monarch
π Imam Muhammad bin Saud
1727β1765Monarch
| Name | Role | Years |
|---|---|---|
| π Abdullah bin Saud | Monarch | 1814β1818 |
| π Saud bin Abdulaziz (Saud the Great) | Monarch | 1803β1814 |
| π Abdulaziz bin Muhammad | Monarch | 1765β1803 |
| π Imam Muhammad bin Saud | Monarch | 1727β1765 |
π Power over timeThe Power Atlas β
The powerline 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 Conflicts since 19455 interstate wars Β· click to expand
| Conflict | Years | Against | Combat deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Persian Gulf War | 1990β1991 | β | |
| Six-Day Warβ | 1967 | Israel | 12,336β19,264 |
| North Yemen Civil War | 1962β1970 | Yemen Arab Republic,Egypt | β |
| 1948 ArabβIsraeli Warβ | 1948β1949 | Israel | 13,073β26,373 |
| SaudiβYemeni War (1934) | 1934 | Yemen Yemen | β |
Bold = principal belligerent. Source: Wikipedia, βList of interstate wars since 1945.β
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.
Tap or drag across the chart to read any year: the estimate to 2023, then the UN median, its bands and the scenarios.
What drives it
Births, deaths and net migration on the UN medium path, with fertility, life expectancy and median age, every decade from 1950.
Show all 16 decades
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
| # | Name | Net worth | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud | $25.7B | Finance & Investments |
| 345 | Sulaiman Al Habib | $10.3B | Healthcare |
| 1590 | Emad Al Muhaidib(inherited) | $2.7B | Diversified |
| 1604 | Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi(inherited) | $2.6B | Finance & Investments |
| 1684 | Essam Al Muhaidib(inherited) | $2.5B | Diversified |
| 1684 | Sulaiman Al Muhaidib(inherited) | $2.5B | Diversified |
| 1959 | Ibrahim Al Muhaidib(inherited) | $2.1B | Real Estate |
| 1975 | Abdullah Al Othaim(inherited) | $2.1B | Fashion & Retail |
| 2206 | Abdullah Amer Al Nahdi | $1.9B | Healthcare |
| 2308 | Mohammad Abunayyan(inherited) | $1.8B | Diversified |
| 2911 | Ajlan bin Abdulaziz Al-Ajlan(inherited) | $1.3B | Diversified |
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. Click 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 |