Population growth in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Population growth was 4.6% in 2024. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2024)
4.6%
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
3rd
of 212 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1982
All-time low
-2.6%
in 2018
Years of data
55
1970–2024

Population growth in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2024

-20246197019972024

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population growth in Saudi Arabia is 4.6%, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 89.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population growth in Saudi Arabia peaked at 6.1% in 1982 and was at its lowest, -2.6%, in 2018.

Saudi Arabia ranks 3rd of 212 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 5.1% 4.2% 5.8% 10
1980s 5.7% 5.1% 6.1% 10
1990s 4.2% 3.6% 4.9% 10
2000s 4.5% 3.9% 5.2% 10
2010s 2.2% -2.6% 5.4% 10
2020s 3.2% -2.5% 4.8% 5

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 1 Qatar 7.3% compare
  2. 2 Chad 4.9% compare
  3. 4 Oman 4.5% compare
  4. 5 Syria 4.5% compare
  5. 6 South Sudan 3.9% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places β†’

More population data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is population growth in Saudi Arabia?
Population growth in Saudi Arabia was 4.6% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population growth recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1982.
What is the lowest population growth recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was -2.6% in 2018.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for population growth?
Saudi Arabia ranks 3rd out of 212 countries with data for 2024.
Is population growth rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 89.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV Β· JSON β€” 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).

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Population growth in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 16 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/population-growth-annual-percent-2/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Population growth (annual %)
Unit
annual %
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
215 places, 11,802 data points, 1970–2024
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release