Birth rate in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Birth rate was 16.41 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
16.41 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 7.9%
World rank
98th
of 236 countries
All-time high
51.75 births per 1,000 people
in 1955
All-time low
15.22 births per 1,000 people
in 2022
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, birth rate in Saudi Arabia stood at 16.41 births per 1,000 people.
The figure is up 7.9% on the previous year and down 16.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Saudi Arabia peaked at 51.75 births per 1,000 people in 1955 and was at its lowest, 15.22 births per 1,000 people, in 2022.
That places Saudi Arabia 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.89 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 51.11 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 51.31 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1953 | 51.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 51.65 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 51.75 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1956 | 51.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1957 | 51.73 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 51.7 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1959 | 51.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1960 | 51.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1961 | 51.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 51.14 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1963 | 50.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 50.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 50.42 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 50.11 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1967 | 49.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 49.34 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1969 | 48.93 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1970 | 48.67 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 48.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 48.25 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 48.02 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1974 | 47.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 47.7 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 47.59 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 47.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1978 | 47.52 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1979 | 47.45 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1980 | 47.05 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 46.61 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 46.14 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 45.59 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1984 | 45.04 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1985 | 44.23 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1986 | 43.12 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1987 | 41.9 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1988 | 40.72 births per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1989 | 39.32 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 37.97 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1991 | 36.71 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 35.51 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1993 | 34.47 births per 1,000 people | -2.9% |
| 1994 | 33.42 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1995 | 32.31 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1996 | 31.22 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 30.28 births per 1,000 people | -3.0% |
| 1998 | 29.51 births per 1,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 28.54 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2000 | 27.49 births per 1,000 people | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 25.53 births per 1,000 people | -7.1% |
| 2002 | 23.77 births per 1,000 people | -6.9% |
| 2003 | 22.3 births per 1,000 people | -6.2% |
| 2004 | 21.27 births per 1,000 people | -4.6% |
| 2005 | 21.06 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 21.35 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 21.73 births per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 21.31 births per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 20.8 births per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 20.13 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2011 | 20.32 births per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 20.39 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 19.71 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2014 | 19.82 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 19.41 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 19.55 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 19.82 births per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 19.74 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 18.07 births per 1,000 people | -8.4% |
| 2020 | 16.63 births per 1,000 people | -8.0% |
| 2021 | 15.9 births per 1,000 people | -4.4% |
| 2022 | 15.22 births per 1,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 16.41 births per 1,000 people | +7.9% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 16.41 births per 1,000 people is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.6 births per 1,000 people, 1.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 16.41 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 17.02 births per 1,000 people, 96% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.51 births per 1,000 people | 50.89 births per 1,000 people | 51.75 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 50.45 births per 1,000 people | 48.93 births per 1,000 people | 51.54 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.89 births per 1,000 people | 47.45 births per 1,000 people | 48.67 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 43.97 births per 1,000 people | 39.32 births per 1,000 people | 47.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.99 births per 1,000 people | 28.54 births per 1,000 people | 37.97 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.66 births per 1,000 people | 20.8 births per 1,000 people | 27.49 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.7 births per 1,000 people | 18.07 births per 1,000 people | 20.39 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.04 births per 1,000 people | 15.22 births per 1,000 people | 16.63 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More population data for Saudi Arabia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.5774 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.1019 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 48,374 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 1.2 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 0.5868 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.6% (2100)
- Population density 33.03 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 4.10 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Saudi Arabia?
- Birth rate in Saudi Arabia was 16.41 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 51.75 births per 1,000 people in 1955.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.22 births per 1,000 people in 2022.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for birth rate?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 98th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.