Saudi Arabia population up by a third since 2010: census

AFP | Riyadh                                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Saudi Arabia's population has grown by more than one third since 2010, and a majority of the kingdom's nationals are aged under 30, according to a census published Wednesday.

The 2022 Saudi census marks the "most comprehensive and precise population survey conducted in the Kingdom's history," the General Authority of Statistics said.

It set the total population of the oil-rich country at 32.2 million.

Of these, 58.4 per cent are Saudi nationals and most others are from South Asia or elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The total resident population is up 34.2 per cent since 2010 -- an increase of 8.2 million people, of whom 4.8 million are Saudi nationals.

Among Saudis, 63 per cent of the population is below the age of 30.

Non-Saudi nationals account for 13.4 million, the majority of whom are Bangladeshis, followed by Indians, Pakistanis, Yemenis and Egyptians.

The national census, the fifth in the kingdom's history, was initially scheduled to be held in 2020 but was postponed because of the Covid pandemic.

Saudi Arabia conducted its first official census in 1974.

According to the latest figures, the number of non-Saudis living in the kingdom started falling in 2017 with the implementation of a national strategy to boost employment among locals.

Many foreign blue-collar workers have also sent their families back home following a decision to impose fees on dependants of expatriates living in the kingdom.