Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's population reached 35.3 million until the middle of the year 2024, according to the latest estimates of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). Saudi citizens constitute 55.6 percent of the total population while non-Saudis represent 44.4 percent.

There has been an annual increase of 1.6 million in the number of people, with a growth rate of 4.7 percent during the period until mid-2024, compared to mid-2023. The annual growth rate stood at 4.6 percent compared to the base period in May 2022.

The authority report stated that the total population of Saudis exceeded 19.6 million by mid-2024, with an annual growth rate of two percent, compared to 19.3 million in mid-2023, while the population of non-Saudis reached nearly 15.7 million by the middle of last year, compared to 14.5 million people until mid-2023.

The GASTAT estimates indicate that non-Saudis accounted for 75.6 percent of the total population increase during the one-year estimation period, and the Saudi population accounted for 24.4 percent of this annual increase. The annual increase of male population accounted for 70.8 percent during the period from mid-2023 until the middle of last year.

On the basis of nationality and age group, the Saudi population in the age group from birth until 14 years of age constitute 33.5 percent of the total population, compared to 8.6 percent for non-Saudis. The percentage of non-Saudis of working age between 15 and 64 years is higher, reaching 89.9 percent compared to 62.7 percent for the Saudi population.

The fertility rate for the total population reached 2 births for every 1000 women, and its breakup is that the Saudi population has 2.7 births while the non-Saudi population has 0.8 births. The average life expectancy for the Saudi population estimated at 78 years of age, the GASTAT estimates pointed out.