Population growth rate in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Population growth rate was 2.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
2.4%
Change on year
down 44.5%
World rank
33rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
6.1%
in 1982
All-time low
-1.5%
in 2018
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Population growth rate in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2023

-20246195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2023, population growth rate in Saudi Arabia stood at 2.4%.

That represents a change of down 44.5% on the previous year and down 30.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population growth rate in Saudi Arabia peaked at 6.1% in 1982 and was at its lowest, -1.5%, in 2018.

That places Saudi Arabia 33rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 3.6% 3.5% 3.6% 10
1960s 3.8% 3.7% 4.1% 10
1970s 5.2% 4.3% 5.8% 10
1980s 5.7% 5.0% 6.1% 10
1990s 4.2% 3.6% 4.8% 10
2000s 4.5% 3.9% 5.3% 10
2010s 2.2% -1.5% 3.8% 10
2020s 2.2% 1.0% 4.3% 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 30 Guinea 2.4% compare
  2. 31 Congo 2.4% compare
  3. 32 Equatorial Guinea 2.4% compare
  4. 34 Solomon Islands 2.4% compare
  5. 35 Namibia 2.4% compare
  6. 36 Gibraltar 2.3% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is population growth rate in Saudi Arabia?
Population growth rate in Saudi Arabia was 2.4% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population growth rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 6.1% in 1982.
What is the lowest population growth rate recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was -1.5% in 2018.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for population growth rate?
Saudi Arabia ranks 33rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is population growth rate rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 30.9%. 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 Population growth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Population growth rate
Unit
%
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The annual rate at which the population is growing, expressed as a percentage.