Languages spoken in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
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The main language spoken in Saudi Arabia is:
Arabic - the sole official language, spoken by the entire native population.
Due to a large expatriate community (immigrants make up over 38% of the total population), many other languages are also spoken among foreign workers.
Arabic is the sole official language of Saudi Arabia.
| Geography |
Location: Middle East, bordering the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, north of Yemen
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 2,149,690 sq km
Land boundaries:
border countries: Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE, Yemen
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms; little volcanic activity in recent centuries despite many volcanic formations (Harrat Rahat, Harrat Khaybar, and others)
Geography - note: the largest country in the world without a river; extensive coastlines on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea allow considerable shipping, especially of crude oil, through the Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
| People |
Population: 35,300,280-36,544,431 (2024 est.); immigrants make up 38.3% of the total population
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.44%
15-64 years: 72.36%
65 years and over: 3.20%
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.91 years
male: 75.33 years
female: 78.56 years
Nationality:
noun/adjective: Saudi(s)
Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab, plus a large expatriate community
Religions: Muslim (official; citizens 85-90% Sunni, 10-12% Shia), other (Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh) (2020 est.); non-Muslims are not permitted Saudi citizenship, and non-Muslim places of worship are not permitted
Languages: Arabic (official)
Population distribution: historically mostly nomadic or semi-nomadic, the population has become more settled since oil was discovered in the 1930s; now concentrated in a wide area across the middle of the peninsula, from Ad Dammam in the east through Riyadh to Mecca-Medina in the west near the Red Sea
| Government |
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
conventional short form: Saudi Arabia
Data code: SA
Government type: absolute monarchy
National capital: Riyadh
| Economy |
Economy - overview: high-income, developing economy heavily reliant on the petroleum sector; oil and gas account for roughly 22.3% of GDP and about 55% of government revenue, with substantial fluctuation tied to oil prices; pursuing economic diversification under its Vision 2030 program
GDP (purchasing power parity): $2.25 trillion (2025 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.6% (2025f)
GDP - per capita: $65,880 PPP (2025 est.)
Inflation rate: 1.6% (2024)
Unemployment rate: 3.0% (2025 est.)
Labor force: 16.934 million (2023 est.)
Currency: Saudi riyal (SAR); pegged to the US dollar at 3.75 SAR = 1 USD
| Military |
Military branches: Saudi Arabian Armed Forces (SAAF), divided between two ministries - Ministry of Defense: Royal Saudi Land Forces, Naval Forces, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Missiles Force; Ministry of the National Guard: Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANG) (2025)
Military manpower: approximately 250,000 active Armed Forces, including 125,000 under the Ministry of Defense and 125,000 in the National Guard (2025)