Population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: Population in the largest city was 25.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
25.4%
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
95th
of 153 countries
All-time high
29.9%
in 1992
All-time low
18.5%
in 1963
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
Saudi Arabia recorded 25.4% for population in the largest city in 2025.
The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and up 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia peaked at 29.9% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 18.5%, in 1963.
That places Saudi Arabia 95th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 20.5% | — |
| 1961 | 19.4% | -5.0% |
| 1962 | 18.6% | -4.2% |
| 1963 | 18.5% | -0.4% |
| 1964 | 19.2% | +3.6% |
| 1965 | 19.8% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 20.5% | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 21.1% | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 21.8% | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 22.5% | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 23.3% | +3.3% |
| 1971 | 24.0% | +3.3% |
| 1972 | 24.8% | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 25.6% | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 26.5% | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 26.7% | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 26.6% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 26.5% | -0.4% |
| 1978 | 26.4% | -0.4% |
| 1979 | 26.3% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 26.3% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 26.2% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 26.1% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 26.1% | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 26.2% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 26.3% | +0.6% |
| 1986 | 26.6% | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 26.9% | +1.1% |
| 1988 | 27.3% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 27.8% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 28.4% | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 29.1% | +2.4% |
| 1992 | 29.9% | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 29.7% | -0.5% |
| 1994 | 29.3% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 28.9% | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 28.6% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 28.4% | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 28.2% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 28.0% | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 27.6% | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 27.0% | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 26.4% | -2.0% |
| 2003 | 26.0% | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 25.6% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 25.5% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 25.7% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 25.6% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 25.4% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 26.5% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 26.2% | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 26.0% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 25.4% | -2.1% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 25.1% | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 25.8% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 27.4% | +6.0% |
| 2019 | 28.1% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 27.3% | -2.7% |
| 2021 | 28.6% | +4.5% |
| 2022 | 27.8% | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 27.0% | -2.9% |
| 2024 | 26.2% | -3.0% |
| 2025 | 25.4% | -3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20.2% | 18.5% | 22.5% | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.7% | 23.3% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.6% | 26.1% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.8% | 28.0% | 29.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.1% | 25.4% | 27.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 26.1% | 25.0% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 27.1% | 25.4% | 28.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia
More urban development data for Saudi Arabia
- Population density 15.68 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 73.52 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.4921 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 18.19 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 1.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 8.19 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 7.95 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 11.6 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 324.37 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia?
- Population in the largest city in Saudi Arabia was 25.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The highest recorded value was 29.9% in 1992.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Saudi Arabia?
- The lowest recorded value was 18.5% in 1963.
- How does Saudi Arabia rank for population in the largest city?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 95th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Saudi Arabia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.