Demographics of Saudi Arabia

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Saudi Arabia, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations, and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Saudi Arabia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Saudi Arabia's population as of the April 2010 census was 27,136,977: 18,707,576 Saudi nationals and 8,429,401 non-nationals.^[1] About 51% of the population is under the age of 25 (as of Feb 2012).^[2] Until the 1960s, most of the population was nomadic or seminomadic; due to rapid economic and urban growth, more than 95% of the population is now settled. 80% of Saudis live in three major urban centers—Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam. ^[3] Some cities and oases have densities of more than 1,000 people per square kilometer (2,600/mile²). Saudi Arabia's population is characterized by rapid growth and a large cohort of youths.

Saudi Arabia hosts one of the pillars of Islam, which obliges all Muslims to make the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once during their lifetime if they are able to do so. The cultural environment in Saudi Arabia is highly conservative; the country adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic religious law (Sharia). Cultural presentations must conform to narrowly defined standards of ethics. Men and women are not permitted to attend public events together and are segregated in the work place.

Most Saudis are ethnically Arabs, the majority of whom immigrated as pilgrims and reside in the Hejaz region along the Red Sea coast such as Jeddah, Mecca and Medina. According to a random survey, most would-be Saudis come from the Subcontinent and Arab countries.^[4] Many Arabs from nearby countries are employed in the kingdom. There also are significant numbers of Asian expatriates, mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines. In the 1970s and 1980s, there was also a significant community of South Korean migrant labourers, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, but most have since returned home; the South Korean government's statistics showed only 1,200 of their nationals living in the kingdom as of 2005.^[5][6] There are more than 100,000 Westerners in Saudi Arabia, most of whom live in private compounds in the major cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dhahran. The government prohibits non-Muslims from entering the cities of Mecca and Medinah.

Vital statistics

UN estimates^[7]

Births and deaths ^[8]

Population pyramid^[9]

Population statistics

Saudi Arabia population density in 2010 (people per km²)

The following Saudi Arabia Census 2007 ^[11]

Young population

Estimates of the young population of Saudi Arabia vary. Carlye Murphy gives the figure of 51% of the population being younger than the age of 25 (as of February 2012).^[2] The Economist magazine estimates 60% of the Saudi population younger than the age of 21 (dated March 3, 2012).^[12]

Age structure

0–14 years: 32.4%

15–64 years: 64.8%

65 years and over: 2.8%

Total Population 23,980,834 (2007 Census Population)

Median age

total: 25.4 years

male: 26.4 years

female: 23.9 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

1.536% (2011 est)

Total fertility rate

2.26 children born/woman. (2012 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.33 male(s)/female
55–64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.08 male(s)/female
total population: 1.21 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Average life span

Total: 75.29 years.

Men: 73.51 years.

Women: 77.16 years (2011 est.) ^[13]

Urbanization

85% of total population (2011)

Nationality

noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups

The ethnic composition of Saudi citizens is 90% Arab and 10% Afro-Asian.^[14]

Foreigners

Saudi Arabia's Central Department of Statistics & Information estimated the foreign population at the end of 2014 at 33% (10.1 million).^[15] The CIA Factbook estimated that as of 2013 foreign nationals living in Saudi Arabia made up about 21% of the population.^[16] Other sources report differing estimates.^[17]

People from other immigration jurisdictions

There are around 100,000 Westerners in Saudi Arabia, most of whom live in compounds or gated communities.

As Saudi population grows and oil export revenues stagnate, p

Religion

The government does not conduct census on religion, but estimates put the percentage of the majority Sunnis at 85–90% while Shiites, who comprise the largest Muslim minority, at 10–15% of the population.^[18] Shiites (Twelvers) are primarily concentrated in the Eastern Province, where they constitute over two-third of the population. Other smaller communities (Ismailis and Zaidis) reside in the south, with Ismailis constituting around half of the population of the province of Nejran, and a small percentage of the Holy Islamic cities of Mecca and Medina. There is also a Christian population of uncertain size. According to Gallup atheists account for 5% of the population with a total non-religious population of 19%.^[19][20][21]

Languages

The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic. Saudi Sign Language is the principal language of the deaf community. The large expatriate communities also speak their own languages, the most numerous of which are Indonesian (850,000), Filipino/Tagalog (700,000), Rohingya (400,000), Urdu (380,000), and Egyptian Arabic (300,000).^[22][23]

References

External links

• International Religious Freedom Report 2010

Demographics of Saudi Arabia
Religions	Islam Sunni Shia Ahmadiyya Christianity Roman Catholicism Jews
Ethnic groups	Arabs Bedoon Bedouin Rashaida
Foreign nationals	Armenians Australians Filipinos Indians Iraqis Indonesians Koreans Lebanese Nepalis Pakistanis Syrians Turks

Saudi Arabia articles
History	Pre-Islamic Arabia Early Islamic State Rashidun Caliphate Umayyad Caliphate Abbasid Caliphate Ottoman Arabia Emirate of Diriyah Emirate of Nejd Unification
Geography	Cities and towns Climate Earthquakes Governorates Mountains Regions
Politics	Allegiance Council Cabinet Consultative Assembly Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Foreign relations King Mabahith (secret police) National Security Council Nuclear program Prime Minister Law Basic Law Capital punishment Freedom of religion Human rights LGBT Rape Women Mutaween (religious police) Passport Military Air Defense Air Force Army General Intelligence Presidency Military ranks National Guard Navy
Economy	Agriculture Companies Energy Oil reserves History of the oil industry Foreign workers Irrigation OPEC Riyal (currency) Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (central bank) Tadawul (stock exchange) Telecommunications Tourism Transport
Society	Censorship Crime Demographics Education List of universities Health care Human trafficking Obesity Prostitution Religion Terrorism Response to ISIL Water supply and sanitation Culture Art Cinema Cuisine Islam Language Media television Music Public holidays Sport Symbols Anthem Emblem Flag Motto
Outline Index Book Category Portal

Immigration to Saudi Arabia
From Asia	Filipinos Indians Indonesians Iraqis Koreans Lebanese Nepalis Pakistanis Syrians Turks
From elsewhere	Australians
See also	Kafala system Human trafficking Demographics