Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Saudi Arabia: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (72.16/100, ranked #9 of 195).
Saudi Arabia — in Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen. Political status: absolute monarchy. The country's capital is Riyadh; it covers 2,149,690 sq km. Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom). Terrain: mostly sandy desert. Climate: harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes. Population: 36.5 million (2024 estimate). Population growth: +1.72% per year. Median age: 32.8 years. Life expectancy: 77.2 years (2024 est.). Languages: Arabic (official) Religions: Muslim (official; citizens are 85-90% Sunni and 10-12% Shia), other (includes Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh) (2020 est.) Urban…
| Capital | Riyadh |
|---|---|
| Population | 36,544,431 (2024 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $2.213 trillion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $62,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 1.8% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.7% |
| Unemployment | 3.9% |
| Public debt | 13.1% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $360.897 billion (2024 est.) |
| Imports | $317.012 billion (2024 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 77.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 32.8 |
| Urbanization | 85% of total population (2023) |
| Government | absolute monarchy |
| Independence | 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom) |
| Languages | Arabic (official) |
POWER 72.16/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A steady quarter: no single development moved the needle for the kingdom. The long oil-and-investment game set the trajectory, as it always does.
Jul–Sep 2026 confirmed continuity over change — Riyadh's momentum is structural, measured in years rather than quarters.
Oil, Natural gas, Iron ore, Gold, Copper.
None. King SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 23 January 2015)
Saudi Arabia maintains 104 embassies and 19 consulates abroad, hosts 128 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to EU Brussels, Arab League Cairo, UN Geneva, UN New York, UNESCO Paris, OPEC Vienna. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 104 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 19 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 128 |
| Multilateral missions | EU Brussels, Arab League Cairo, UN Geneva, UN New York, UNESCO Paris, OPEC Vienna |
Source: Outbound: Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index 2024 (via Wikipedia 'List of countries by number of diplomatic missions'). Hosted: counted from Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia' numbered embassy list in Riyadh (1-128, crawled 2026-10-01). Multilateral: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Saudi Arabia'.
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 2640 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 90 + 69 heliports (registration prefix HZ) |
| Major seaports | Dammam, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Ju Aymah Oil Terminal, Ras Tannurah, Ras Al Khafji, Ras Al Mishab |
| Railways | 5410 km |
| Pipelines | 209 km condensate, 2,940 km gas, 1,183 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,117 km oil, 1,151 km refined products (2013) |
| Top container ports (TEU) | Jeddah (4,882,342 TEU, 2021); King Abdulla (2,813,920 TEU, 2021); Ad Dammam (1,770,000 TEU, 2021) |
Abha International Airport (AHB) — Abha; Al-Ahsa International Airport (HOF) — Hofuf; Al-Jawf International Airport (AJF) — Al-Jawf; Al-Ula International Airport (ULH) — Al-Ula; Hail International Airport (HAS) — Hail; King Abdulaziz Air Base (DHA) — Dhahran; King Abdulaziz International Airport (JED) — Jeddah; King Fahd International Airport (DMM) — Ad Dammam; King Khalid International Airport (RUH) — Riyadh; Neom Bay Airport (NUM) — Sharma.
Showing 10 of 15 major airports.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | absolute monarchy |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER 72.16/100 Ranked #9 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Saudi Arabia.
Historical timeline of Saudi Arabia
