Saudis under 30 make up 63% of kingdom's population, study reveals

Youth is the future of the nation, claim Saudi citizens

The kingdom’s youth's median age is 29 and the proportion of Saudis under 30 amounts to 63 per cent of the population. AFP

Saudi Arabia has revealed that 51 per cent of its population is under the age of 51.

The Saudi Statistics Authority announced that the population has reached more than 32.1 million, of whom 18.8 million are citizens, while non-Saudis account for 13.4 million.

The number of Saudi families reached 4.2 million, with an average family size consisting of 4-5 members.

50.2 per cent of the citizen population were males with females accounting for 49.8 per cent.

“Youth is the future of the nation, and with our young Crown Prince who has empowered us and given us the Vision 2030, the youth can finally achieve its dreams,” said Afrah Suhail, a 32-year-old PhD student in Riyadh.

The results, released on Wednesday, showed that the kingdom’s youth's median age stood at 29, with the proportion of Saudis aged under 30 amounting to 63 per cent of the total population.

Saudi Arabia has also recorded the highest annual growth rate among the world’s 20 biggest economies in 2022, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

“The Saudi 2022 census is an important national project, and its outputs will be a key pillar for planning and decision-making, developing economic and social policy, creating development plans for various sectors and services, and supporting the investment environment in the kingdom,” said Faisal Al Ibrahim, the Minister of Economy and Planning and the Chairman of the General Authority for Statistics.

“Today you see Saudi women everywhere, including space.

“The first Arab woman in space is a Saudi, this is something we never imagined” said Abeer Jamil, a Saudi nurse in Jeddah.

“It is giving hope to kids and youth that anything is possible, it's a very positive and motivating era for women and youth,” added the 29-year-old.

The kingdom's labour force participation rose to 52.5 per cent last year from 51.5 per cent in 2021, with higher participation among both genders and the youth.

“During the past three years, female labour force participation has seen tremendous improvement … reflecting the overall improvement in labour policies,” according to a report by Jadwa Investment.

“Wherever you go today, you find talented, hardworking and ambitious youth, male and female, leading their nation's growth and contributing to its success,” says Haifa Khalil, a 29-year-old Saudi graphic designer.

“It's thanks to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who gave us the opportunity to work, drive and make our families, community and nation proud.”

Saudi authorities gathered the data by placing more than one million phone calls, and 900,200 field visits.