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Number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Number of children under 5 was 2.61 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
2.61 million people
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
52nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
2.85 million people
in 2017
All-time low
297,451 people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2023

01.0M2.0M3.0M195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia recorded 2.61 million people for number of children under 5 in 2023.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.85 million people in 2017 and was at its lowest, 297,451 people, in 1950.

That places Saudi Arabia 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Year people Change
1950 297,451 people —
1951 309,371 people +4.0%
1952 322,822 people +4.3%
1953 339,180 people +5.1%
1954 356,246 people +5.0%
1955 372,283 people +4.5%
1956 388,780 people +4.4%
1957 405,721 people +4.4%
1958 423,117 people +4.3%
1959 440,993 people +4.2%
1960 459,401 people +4.2%
1961 478,342 people +4.1%
1962 497,780 people +4.1%
1963 517,775 people +4.0%
1964 538,506 people +4.0%
1965 559,789 people +4.0%
1966 581,617 people +3.9%
1967 604,408 people +3.9%
1968 628,159 people +3.9%
1969 652,842 people +3.9%
1970 679,279 people +4.0%
1971 708,324 people +4.3%
1972 740,722 people +4.6%
1973 777,098 people +4.9%
1974 817,626 people +5.2%
1975 862,255 people +5.5%
1976 911,238 people +5.7%
1977 964,874 people +5.9%
1978 1.02 million people +6.1%
1979 1.09 million people +6.2%
1980 1.16 million people +6.3%
1981 1.23 million people +6.2%
1982 1.30 million people +6.1%
1983 1.38 million people +5.9%
1984 1.46 million people +5.7%
1985 1.54 million people +5.4%
1986 1.61 million people +5.0%
1987 1.69 million people +4.6%
1988 1.75 million people +4.0%
1989 1.81 million people +3.4%
1990 1.87 million people +2.8%
1991 1.91 million people +2.4%
1992 1.95 million people +2.1%
1993 1.98 million people +1.8%
1994 2.02 million people +1.6%
1995 2.05 million people +1.5%
1996 2.08 million people +1.3%
1997 2.10 million people +1.2%
1998 2.12 million people +1.1%
1999 2.14 million people +1.0%
2000 2.16 million people +0.6%
2001 2.16 million people +0.4%
2002 2.17 million people +0.4%
2003 2.19 million people +0.7%
2004 2.21 million people +1.1%
2005 2.25 million people +1.7%
2006 2.30 million people +2.1%
2007 2.35 million people +2.3%
2008 2.41 million people +2.4%
2009 2.47 million people +2.5%
2010 2.53 million people +2.5%
2011 2.59 million people +2.5%
2012 2.65 million people +2.3%
2013 2.71 million people +2.1%
2014 2.76 million people +1.8%
2015 2.80 million people +1.5%
2016 2.83 million people +1.3%
2017 2.85 million people +0.7%
2018 2.84 million people -0.3%
2019 2.81 million people -1.1%
2020 2.76 million people -1.9%
2021 2.67 million people -3.1%
2022 2.61 million people -2.2%
2023 2.61 million people -0.1%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's 2.61 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 127,928 people, 20.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's 2.61 million people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 901,969 people, 2.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 365,596 people 297,451 people 440,993 people 10
1960s 551,862 people 459,401 people 652,842 people 10
1970s 857,202 people 679,279 people 1.09 million people 10
1980s 1.49 million people 1.16 million people 1.81 million people 10
1990s 2.02 million people 1.87 million people 2.14 million people 10
2000s 2.27 million people 2.16 million people 2.47 million people 10
2010s 2.74 million people 2.53 million people 2.85 million people 10
2020s 2.66 million people 2.61 million people 2.76 million people 4

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 49 Nepal 2.79 million people compare
  2. 50 Argentina 2.75 million people compare
  3. 51 Peru 2.69 million people compare
  4. 53 Senegal 2.45 million people compare
  5. 54 Zimbabwe 2.31 million people compare
  6. 55 Syria 2.27 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia?
Number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia was 2.61 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 2.85 million people in 2017.
What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 297,451 people in 1950.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for number of children under 5?
Saudi Arabia ranks 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of children under 5 in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/children-under-age-5/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of children under 5
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.