Demographics of Saudi Arabia, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population pyramid.

Saudi Arabia's July 2006 population is estimated to be over 27 million; including about 5.5 million resident foreigners. Until the 1960s, most of the population was nomadic or seminomadic; due to rapid economic and urban growth, more than 95% of the population now is settled. Some cities and oases have densities of more than 1,000 people per square kilometer (2,600/mile²). Saudi Arabia's population is characterized by rapid growth and a large cohort of youths. Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Demographics of Saudi Arabia ... Image File history File links File links The following pages link to this file: Demographics of Saudi Arabia ... Possible meanings: Faro Airport (Portugal) Federation of Astrobiology Organizations Financial Aid Office Food and Agriculture Organization This page expands a three-character combination which might be any or all of: an abbreviation, an acronym, an initialism, a word in English, or a word in another language. ... A population pyramid is two back-to-back bar graphs, one showing the number of males and one showing females in a particular population in five-year age groups (also called cohorts). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Cohort may mean: Cohort (military unit), a Roman legion. ...

Saudi Arabia is known as the birthplace of Islam, which in the century following Muhammad's death in 632, spread west up to Spain and east up to India. Islam obliges all Muslims to make the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, at least once during their lifetime if they are able to do so. The cultural environment in Saudi Arabia is highly conservative; the country adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic religious law (Shari'a). Cultural presentations must conform to narrowly defined standards of ethics. Men and women are not permitted to attend public events together and are segregated in the work place. Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ... Traditionally, pilgrims travel to Mecca in groups with their friends or family, or people from their local mosque as an expression of unity. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... Sharia (Arabic: transliteration: ) is the body of Islamic law. ...

Most Saudis are ethnically Arab. Some are of mixed ethnic origin and are descended from Turks, Iranians, Indonesians, Indians, Africans, and others, most of whom immigrated as pilgrims and reside in the Hijaz region along the Red Sea coast. Many Arabs from nearby countries are employed in the kingdom. There also are significant numbers of Asian expatriates mostly from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Philippines. There are fewer than 100,000 Westerners in Saudi Arabia, most of who live in private compounds in few cities such as Dhahran and Ras Tanura. The government prohibits non-Muslims from living in Mecca and Medinah. Languages Arabic other languages (Arab minorities) Religions Predominantly Muslim Some adherents of Druze, Judaism, Samaritan, Christianity Related ethnic groups Mizrachi Jews, Sephardi Jews[], Ashkenazi Jews, Canaanites, other Semitic-speaking groups An Arab (Arabic: ‎; transliteration: ) is a member of a Semitic-speaking people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories... A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Hejaz (also Hijaz, Hedjaz) is a region in the northwest of present-day Saudi Arabia; its main city is Jeddah, but it is probably better-known for the holy city of Mecca. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... This article is about Dhahran, the city. ... Map of Ras Tanura Region Ras Tanura (more accurately Ras Tannūrah, Arabic: رأس تنورة meaning top/head of the barbeque spit) is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... This article is about the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. ...

Population

27,019,731
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,149,960/female 4,952,138)
15-64 years: 59.4% (male 8,992,348/female 6,698,633)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,694/female 289,826) (2005 est.)

Median age

total: 21.28 years male: 22.84 years female: 19.28 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate

2.31% (2005 est.)

Birth rate

29.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate

2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate

3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female
total population: 1.21 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 13.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.46 years
male: 73.46 years
female: 77.55 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)

Urbanisation

About 88% of the population of Saudi Arabia is urban.

Nationality

noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian

Ethnic groups

Arab 90%, other 10%

Religions

Islam is the state religion. The percentage of Muslim citizens is virtually 100%. Sunnis represent approximately 85% while Shiites represent approximately 15% of the population[1]. Most Shiites live in the oil rich Eastern Province and are concentrated in some cities and villages such as Qatif, Hasa and Najran. See also: Shiites in Saudi Arabia Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... Eastern Province (Arabic: المنطقة الشرقية al-Mantaqa ash-Sharqiyah) is the largest province of Saudi Arabia, located in the east of the country on the coasts of the Persian Gulf, and has borders with Kuwait, Qatar, the United... Qatif (Arabic: القطيف al-QaTiif) is a historic coastal city and oasis located on the western shore of the Arabian/Persian Gulf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, some 13km north of the port city of Dammam and southwest of major oil port Ras Tanura. ... Hasa is a Korean military rank which is used in both the armed forces of North and South Korea. ... Najran is a province of Saudi Arabia, located in the south of the country along the border with Yemen. ...

Languages: Arabic. English is commonly used.

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.8%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.) World literacy rates by country The traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write, or the ability to use language–to read, write, listen, and speak. ...

External links

• http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/14012.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2002
• http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2004/35507.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2004
• https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sa.html CIA World factbook 2005: Saudi Arabia