Number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Number of airline passengers per year was 47.98 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 47.98 million for number of airline passengers per year in 2023. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.
That represents a change of up 65.4% on the previous year and up 69.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia peaked at 47.98 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 513,600, in 1971.
That places Saudi Arabia 22nd out of 183 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 airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 558,000 | — |
| 1971 | 513,600 | -8.0% |
| 1972 | 762,000 | +48.4% |
| 1973 | 968,300 | +27.1% |
| 1974 | 1.28 million | +32.4% |
| 1975 | 1.84 million | +43.1% |
| 1976 | 3.27 million | +78.0% |
| 1977 | 4.71 million | +44.0% |
| 1978 | 6.27 million | +33.2% |
| 1979 | 7.69 million | +22.7% |
| 1980 | 9.24 million | +20.2% |
| 1981 | 9.15 million | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 10.15 million | +11.0% |
| 1983 | 10.67 million | +5.1% |
| 1984 | 11.37 million | +6.5% |
| 1985 | 10.80 million | -5.0% |
| 1986 | 9.93 million | -8.0% |
| 1987 | 10.26 million | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 9.88 million | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 9.99 million | +1.1% |
| 1990 | 10.31 million | +3.2% |
| 1991 | 9.41 million | -8.8% |
| 1992 | 11.15 million | +18.6% |
| 1993 | 11.86 million | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 12.14 million | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 11.52 million | -5.1% |
| 1996 | 11.71 million | +1.6% |
| 1997 | 11.74 million | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 11.82 million | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 12.33 million | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 12.57 million | +1.9% |
| 2001 | 12.84 million | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 13.56 million | +5.7% |
| 2003 | 13.82 million | +1.9% |
| 2004 | 14.94 million | +8.1% |
| 2005 | 15.93 million | +6.6% |
| 2006 | 16.83 million | +5.6% |
| 2007 | 17.14 million | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 16.71 million | -2.5% |
| 2009 | 17.51 million | +4.8% |
| 2010 | 20.32 million | +16.1% |
| 2011 | 23.14 million | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 26.54 million | +14.7% |
| 2013 | 28.25 million | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 32.27 million | +14.2% |
| 2015 | 33.43 million | +3.6% |
| 2016 | 35.09 million | +5.0% |
| 2017 | 37.50 million | +6.9% |
| 2018 | 39.77 million | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 46.18 million | +16.1% |
| 2020 | 20.97 million | -54.6% |
| 2021 | 29.40 million | +40.2% |
| 2022 | 29.01 million | -1.4% |
| 2023 | 47.98 million | +65.4% |
Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries
- Saudi Arabia's 47.98 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 9.14 million, 5.2× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Saudi Arabia's 47.98 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.44 million, 7.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | +78.0% | 1.84 million | 3.27 million |
| 2020 | -54.6% | 46.18 million | 20.97 million |
| 2023 | +65.4% | 29.01 million | 47.98 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.79 million | 513,600 | 7.69 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.14 million | 9.15 million | 11.37 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.40 million | 9.41 million | 12.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.19 million | 12.57 million | 17.51 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 32.25 million | 20.32 million | 46.18 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.84 million | 20.97 million | 47.98 million | 4 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More reference data data for Saudi Arabia
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1771 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.6194 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2207 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.07 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.64 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.9641 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia?
- Number of airline passengers per year in Saudi Arabia was 47.98 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 47.98 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 513,600 in 1971.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for number of airline passengers per year?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 22nd out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 69.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.