geography
Saudi Arabia's Rub' al Khali, or "Empty Quarter," is the largest contiguous sand desert in the world, covering roughly 650,000 km².
Saudi Arabia
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Population, GDP, and key facts about Saudi Arabia — updated for 2026.
Capital · RIYADHContinent · ASIAISO · SAU
Saudi Arabia quick facts
- Population
- 35,300,280
- Area
- 2,149,690 km²
- Population density
- 16 people/km²
- GDP
- US$ 1.3 Trillion
- GDP per capita
- US$ 35.5K
- Capital
- Riyadh
- Currency
- Saudi riyal (ر.س, SAR)
- Minimum wage
- US$ 1.1K/month · ر.س 4,000/month (2024)
- Language
- Arabic
Saudi Arabia at human scale
Where does Saudi Arabia rank in the world?
Compare Saudi Arabia with other countries
🇸🇦 vs 🇾🇪Compare Saudi Arabia vs Yemen, Rep.1.1× difference in population🇸🇦 vs 🇹🇷Compare Saudi Arabia vs Turkiye2.4× difference in population🇸🇦 vs 🇲🇾Compare Saudi Arabia vs Malaysia
Compare Saudi Arabia with any country →Saudi Arabia's energy mix
Fossil fuels · 98%Renewables · 2%
- Natural gas63%
- Oil34%
- Solar2%
- Wind0%
Share of Saudi Arabia's own electricity generation by source, 2024. Source: Our World in Data (Ember Yearly Electricity Data and the Energy Institute Statistical Review of World Energy).
Everything we know about Saudi Arabia
Countries near Saudi Arabia
How many countries do you think Saudi Arabia could fit?
Pour other countries into Saudi Arabia's own outline, by real area, and see how many it takes to fill it up.
Fill the Country →Frequently asked questions about Saudi Arabia
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?
The capital of Saudi Arabia is Riyadh.
What is Saudi Arabia's population?
Saudi Arabia has a population of 35,300,280.
What is Saudi Arabia's GDP per capita?
Saudi Arabia's GDP per capita is US$ 35.5K.
What is the currency of Saudi Arabia?
The currency of Saudi Arabia is the Saudi riyal (SAR).
What is the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia's statutory minimum wage is about US$ 1.1K per month (as of 2024) — ر.س 4,000 per month in local currency.
Is Saudi Arabia bigger than Yemen, Rep.?
Saudi Arabia is about 4.1× the size of Yemen, Rep. by land area.
Think you can guess Saudi Arabia from its silhouette?
Saudi Arabia is one of the countries in our daily silhouette-guessing game.
Play Guess the Country →Data from the World Bank, updated November 2026.