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Saudi Arabia Facts and Figures from Encarta Go to article
Basic Facts
Official name Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Capital Riyadh
Area 2,240,000 sq km
864,900 sq mi
Saudi Arabia: Flag and Anthem
Saudi Arabia: Flag and Anthem
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People
Population 28,686,633 (2009 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 1.85 percent (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 35,680,488 (2009 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 49,830,244 (2009 estimate)
Population density 13 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)
34 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 88 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 12 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Riyadh 5,126,000 (2003 estimate)
Jiddah 2,801,481 (2004 estimate)
Mecca (Makkah) 1,294,168 (2004 estimate)
Medina 918,889 (2004 estimate)
Ethnic groups
Arab (including Yemeni) 95 percent
Other 5 percent
Languages
Arabic (official), English (for business)
Religious affiliations
Muslim (official, mostly Sunni Muslim) 94 percent
Christian 3 percent
Hindu 1 percent
Other 2 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 76.3 years (2009 estimate)
Female 78.5 years (2009 estimate)
Male 74.2 years (2009 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 12 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 85 percent (2007 estimate)
Female 79.4 percent (2007 estimate)
Male 89.1 percent (2007 estimate)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $381.7 billion (2007)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $15,799.80 (2007)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 2.8 percent (2007)
Industry 65.4 percent (2007)
Services 31.8 percent (2007)
Monetary unit
1 Saudi riyal (SR), consisting of 100 halalah
Agriculture
Wheat, dates, tomatoes, watermelons, barley, sorghum, onions, grapes, citrus fruit; dairy products, poultry
Mining
Petroleum, natural gas, limestone, gypsum, marble, clay, salt, gold
Manufacturing
Refined petroleum, petrochemicals, plastics, processed food, clothing, fertilizer, cement
Major exports
Crude and refined petroleum, petrochemicals
Major imports
Transportation equipment, machinery, basic metals, textiles, chemicals, and chemical products, food products, animals and animal products
Major trade partners for exports
United States, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan
Major trade partners for imports
United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the statistical bureaus of individual countries, latest Europa World Yearbook, and various United Nations and International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.
© 2009 Microsoft