Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 83.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia is 83.6%, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of up 1.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia peaked at 83.7% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 50.5%, in 1950.
That places Saudi Arabia 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 50.5% | — |
| 1955 | 52.3% | +3.6% |
| 1960 | 54.3% | +3.8% |
| 1965 | 56.5% | +4.0% |
| 1970 | 59.0% | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 62.5% | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 65.3% | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 69.8% | +6.8% |
| 1990 | 73.5% | +5.4% |
| 1995 | 76.9% | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 79.1% | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 81.3% | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 82.5% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 83.7% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 83.6% | -0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 51.4% | 50.5% | 52.3% | 2 |
| 1960s | 55.4% | 54.3% | 56.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 60.7% | 59.0% | 62.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 67.5% | 65.3% | 69.8% | 2 |
| 1990s | 75.2% | 73.5% | 76.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 80.2% | 79.1% | 81.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 83.1% | 82.5% | 83.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 83.6% | 83.6% | 83.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
- 58 Guam 84.5% compare
- 59 Afghanistan 84.4% compare
- 60 Netherlands 84.3% compare
- 62 China 83.6% compare
- 63 Sao Tome and Principe 83.4% compare
- 64 India 83.4% compare
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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Saudi Arabia was 83.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 83.7% in 2015.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.5% in 1950.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 61st out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.