Absolute monarchy
Official:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Local name:
المملكة العربية السعودية / Al-´Arabiya as-Sa´
Region:
Western Asia
Surface area:
2,149,690 km²
Capital:
Riyadh
Geography
Saudi Arabia is a country on the Arabian Peninsula between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The land has a total area of 2,149,690 km² (829,999 mi²) and a total coastline of 2,640 km (1,640.4 mi). This land area is approximately 309% of the area of Texas. Saudi Arabia is thus one of the largest countries in Asia and the 13th biggest in the world. An exceptionally high proportion of residents (85%) belongs to the urban population. More than every fifth resident lives in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia lies at an average elevation of 665 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Dschabal Ferwaʿ) is at 3,002 meters. The country has 1,285 partially uninhabited islands in the open sea. There are direct national borders with the seven neighboring countries Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The distance between New York City and the Capital Riyadh is about 10,520 km (6,537 mi).
On further pages:
Current time in Saudi Arabia:
00:00
October 2023
The countrywide time in Saudi Arabia is Arabia Standard Time (AST), which is currently 7 hours ahead of New York.
As in many countries, there is no daylight savings time in Saudi Arabia.
Related to Greenwich Mean Time, there's the same difference of 3 hours all over the year.
Population
Population:36,409,000
Population per km²:16.94
Life expectancy males:Ø 75.6 years
Life expectancy females:
Ø 78.8 years
Birth rate:
17.5 ‰
Death rate:
2.9 ‰
Males/Females:
57.6% : 42.4%
Population pyramid
The currency in Saudi Arabia is the Saudi rial (SAR).
1 Rial is divided into 20 Qirshes = 100 Hallalas.
Status: 10/12/2023
1 US dollar = 3.72 Rials
1 Rial = 0.27 US dollar
Climate in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has a subtropical climate characterized by drought and high temperatures. Throughout the country, average daily temperatures vary between 23 and 41 degrees Celsius, with even higher temperatures of up to 46 °C being reached in the southern desert areas. In the colder months, the average temperature can drop to about 11 °C, depending on the region. Along the coasts of the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, the climate is influenced by the monsoon, which leads to slightly higher precipitation in summer.
Average daytime and nighttime temperatures
Languages
Official language:
Arabic
| Mother tongue | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Arabic | 88.0 % |
| Bengali | 4.1 % |
| Tagalog | 2.6 % |
| Punjabi | 2.2 % |
| Urdu | 2.0 % |
| other | 1.1 % |
Religions
State religion:
Sunni Islam
| Religion | Distribution |
|---|---|
| Sunni | 87.0% |
| Shia | 12.0% |
| other | 1.0% |
Economy
| GDP: | 1,108.15 bn $ |
| Exportations: | 286.50 bn $ |
| Importations: | 213.02 bn $ |
| › Tourism receipts: | 4.64 bn $ |
| › Debt rate: | 30.01 % |
| › Unemployment rate: | 5.6 % |
| › Inflation rate: | 2.47 % |
| › Corruption index: | 51 (moderate) |
| › Energy consumption: | 331.4 bn kWh |
According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Saudi Arabia is a developing country because of its lower economic performance. With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.875, Saudi Arabia counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition.
With an average annual income of 27,590 USD Saudi Arabia is one of the high-income countries. Even considering purchasing power parity, it is among the 30 richest countries in the world.
Land use
| 2% Urban areas: | 41,224 km² |
| 81% Agricultural areas: | 1,736,520 km² |
| 0% Forest: | 9,674 km² |
| 17% Others: | 362,273 km² |
Transport
| Railways: | 5,590 km |
| › Airports: |
Most important cities
Population refers to the city proper, not metropolitan areas.
| City | Historical Region | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Riyadh / Capital | Najd | 7,677,000 |
| Jeddah | Hejaz | 3,976,000 |
| Mecca | Hejaz | 2,042,000 |
| Medina | Hejaz | 1,183,000 |
| Dammam | Eastern Arabia | 903,000 |
| Al Hufuf | Eastern Arabia | 661,000 |
| Ta’if | Hejaz | 580,000 |
| Tabuk | Hejaz | 513,000 |
| Buraydah | Najd | 467,000 |
| Khamis Mushait | Southern Arabia | 388,000 |
| Al Jubayl | Eastern Arabia | 338,000 |
| Najran | Southern Arabia | 298,000 |
| Al Mubarraz | Eastern Arabia | 285,000 |
| Hayil | Najd | 267,000 |
| Abha | Southern Arabia | 236,000 |
| ‘Ar‘ar | Badiah | 167,000 |
| Unayzah | Najd | 153,000 |
| Sekaka | Badiah | 150,000 |
| ji*zan | ji*zan | 128,000 |
| Al Qurrayyat | Badiah | 116,000 |
| Al Bahah | Hejaz | 88,000 |
| Qalat Bishah | Southern Arabia | 82,000 |
Political indicators
(Based on the "Worldwide Governance Indicators" project of the World Bank)
| Political stability: | ◈ |
| Rule of law: | ◈ |
| Effectivity: | ◈ |
| Regulatory quality: | ◈ |
| Voice accountability: | ◈ |
| Death penalty: | Legally allowed |
Existing trade agreements
- GAFTA - Greater Arab Free Trade Area
- OAPEC - Organization for Arabian Petroleum Exporting Countries
- OPEC - Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
Alliances
Country comparison: India / Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia and India compared: demography, Economy, energy, languages and further dimensions.
United Arab Emirates: country data and statisticsThe United Arab Emirates in numbers: demographics, economy, energy, climate and more data and comparisons with other countries.
List of 152 developing countriesList of all 152 developing countries with below-average living standards
