Population:
28,571,770 (July 2017 est.)
note: immigrants make up 37% of the total population, according to UN data (2017)
country comparison to the world: 47
[see also: Population country ranks ]

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

Ethnic groups:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Languages:
Arabic (official)

Religions:
Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-15% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2012 est.)
note: despite having a large expatriate community of various faiths (more than 30% of the population), most forms of public religious expression inconsistent with the government-sanctioned interpretation of Sunni Islam are restricted; non-Muslims are not allowed to have Saudi citizenship and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted (2013)
religious affiliation:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 40.9
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 36.6
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 4.3
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 23.2 (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 27.5 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 28.2 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 26.7 years (2017 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 143

Population growth rate:
1.45% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
18.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
3.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 219
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Population distribution:
historically a population that was mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the Saudi population has become more settled since petroleum was discovered in the 1930s; most of the economic activities - and with it the country's population - is concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east, through Riyadh in the interior, to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea

Urbanization:
urban population: 83.5% of total population (2017)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 1.81% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
RIYADH (capital) 6.195 million; Jeddah 4.076 million; Mecca 1.771 million; Medina 1.28 million; Ad Dammam 1.064 million (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 1.31 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 1.21 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 1.19 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - total population country ranks ]

Maternal mortality ratio:
12 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
[see also: Maternal mortality ratio country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.2 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 108

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.5 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total population country ranks ]
male: 73.4 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 77.7 years (2017 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 105
[See also: Healthy Life Expectancy ]
[See also: Health Performance ]

Total fertility rate:
2.09 children born/woman (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 106
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
24.6% (2016)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
4.7% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 151
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
2.57 physicians/1,000 population (2014)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
2.1 beds/1,000 population (2012)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 97% of population rural: 97% of population total: 97% of population
unimproved: urban: 3% of population rural: 3% of population total: 3% of population (2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 100% of population total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 0% of population total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
<.1% (2016 est.)
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
8,200 (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
<500 (2016 est.)
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
35.4% (2016)
country comparison to the world: 14
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
5.1% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 68

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.7%
[see also: Literacy - total population country ranks ]
male: 97%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 91.1% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
[see also: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - total country ranks ]
male: 17 years
[see also: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - male country ranks ]
female: 15 years (2014)
[see also: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) - female country ranks ]

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 28.5%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 19.7%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 56% (2015 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 39