The question
How old are people in Saudi Arabia now? Are we still a young society? And how many children does a woman have on average today compared with before?
The figure
The median age is the age that splits people in two: half are younger and half are older.
According to GASTAT estimates, from 2010 to 2022 (Muharram 1431 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1444 AH) the median age of Saudis rose from 19 to 22 years, an increase of 3 years.
For the whole population, Saudis and non-Saudis, it rose from 22 to 29 years. The biggest increase is among non-Saudis: their median age was 34 years in 2022, against 24 in 2010, an increase of 10 years.
By sex in 2022: the median age of Saudi males was 22 years and of females 23. For non-Saudis, males 35 and females 31.
How many births per woman?
The total fertility rate measures how many children a woman has on average over her reproductive years, if that year’s rates stayed the same.
From 2011 to 2022 (Muharram 1432 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1444 AH) the rate for Saudi women fell from 3.79 to 2.80, a change of −26.2%. For all women in Saudi Arabia it fell from 2.81 to 2.14.
For non-Saudi women it was 0.90 in 2022, against 1.31 in 2011.
Births per woman fell over 11 years
Total fertility rate: average births per woman over her reproductive years. Saudi Arabia, 2011 (Muharram 1432 – Safar 1433 AH) and 2022 (Jumada al-Ula 1443 – Jumada al-Akhirah 1444 AH)
| 2011 | 2022 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All women | 2.81 | 2.14 | −24.1% |
| Saudi women | 3.79 | 2.80 | −26.2% |
| Non-Saudi women | 1.31 | 0.90 | −30.9% |
And life expectancy?
Life expectancy at birth for Saudis was 77.9 years in 2022: 75.3 for males and 80.9 for females, so women live 5.6 years longer on average.
It was 77.5 in 2011, fell to 76.0 in 2021, then rose in 2022. The data do not say why it fell.
What this means for your decision
The figures describe what happened up to 2022, and do not predict what will happen.
- For anyone opening a nursery or a school, or serving children and young people: half of Saudis are younger than 22, so there are many young people to serve. But a woman today has fewer children on average than in 2011.
- For anyone serving older people, such as home care: the median age is rising slowly, and life expectancy for Saudis is 77.9 years.
- For researchers: the median age of the whole population is strongly affected by non-Saudis, so do not read it as the age of Saudis.
Analytical reading, not financial advice.
Full official figures: Education, health and communications: the official figures · Population by region and city · Where is the population growing fastest? (reading)(Arabic) · All insights(Arabic)
Translated from the Arabic reading; the Arabic text is the original. The original reading(Arabic)