1932ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman AL SAUD (Ibn Saud) founded the modern Saudi state in 1932 after a 30-year campaign to unify most of the Arabian Peninsula.
1932Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom).
1990After Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia took in the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees, while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil and liberate Kuwait the following year.
1992One of his male descendants rules the country today, as required by the country's 1992 Basic Law.
2003Major terrorist attacks in 2003 spurred a strong ongoing campaign against domestic terrorism and extremism.
2005From 2005 to 2015, King ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud incrementally modernized the Kingdom through a series of social and economic initiatives that included expanding employment and social opportunities for women, attracting foreign investment, increasing the private sector's role in the economy, and discouraging the hiring of foreign workers.
2005The government continues to pursue economic reform and diversification -- particularly since Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO in 2005 -- and promotes foreign investment in the Kingdom.
2005The government held its first-ever elections in 2005 and 2011, when Saudis voted for municipal councilors.
2011Saudi Arabia saw some protests during the 2011 Arab Spring but not the level of bloodshed seen in protests elsewhere in the region; Riyadh took a cautious but firm approach, arresting and quickly releasing some protesters and using its state-sponsored clerics to counter political and Islamist activism.
2015In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a coalition of 10 countries in a military campaign to restore Yemen's legitimate government, which had been ousted by Houthi forces.
2015In 2015, women were allowed to vote and stand as candidates for the first time in municipal elections, with 19 women winning seats.
2015King ABDALLAH's reforms accelerated under King SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz, who ascended to the throne in 2015 and lifted the Kingdom's ban on women driving, implemented education reforms, funded green initiatives, and allowed cinemas to operate for the first time in decades.
2015Low global oil prices in 2015 and 2016 significantly lowered Saudi Arabia’s governmental revenue, prompting cuts to subsidies on water, electricity, and gasoline; reduced government-employee compensation; and new land taxes.
2016In 2016, the Saudi Government announced broad socio-economic reforms known as Vision 2030.
2017In coordination with OPEC and some key non-OPEC countries, Saudi Arabia agreed to cut oil output in 2017 to regulate supply and help boost global prices.
2017King SALMAN initially named his nephew, MUHAMMAD BIN NAYIF bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, as the Crown Prince, but a palace coup in 2017 resulted in King SALMAN's son, Deputy Crown Prince MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, taking over as Crown Prince.
2017The same year, MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN announced that Saudi Arabia would lead a multi-nation Islamic Coalition to fight terrorism, and in 2017, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the Global Center for Combatting Extremist Ideology (also known as "Etidal").
2019US troops returned to the Kingdom in 2019 after attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure.
2020In 2020, this agreement collapsed, and Saudi Arabia launched a price war by flooding the market with low-priced oil before returning to the negotiating table to agree to a major output cut that helped buoy prices.
2020Languages: 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 population: 85% of total population (2023).
2020The country remains a leading producer of oil and natural gas and holds about 17% of the world's proven oil reserves as of 2020.
2022King SALMAN appointed MUHAMMAD BIN SALMAN as prime minister in 2022.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 99.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 349.692 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics, metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction Agriculture: milk, dates, chicken, wheat, tomatoes, watermelons, potatoes, olives, eggs, onions (2023) Electricity access: 100% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 7.682 million RIYADH (capital), 4.863 million Jeddah, 2.150 million Mecca, 1.573 million Medina, 1.329 million Ad Dammam, 872,000 million Hufuf-Mubarraz (2023) high-income, oil-based Middle Eastern economy; OPEC founding member; Vision 2030 strategy prioritizing economic diversification, increased private sector involvement, and projects funded by sovereign wealth fund and foreign investment; young labor force; falling but significant poverty rate despite lack of official statistics Inflation: 1.7% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 7.1% of GDP (2024 est.).
2024Population: 36.5 million (2024 estimate).
