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Claim analyzed
General“Saudi Arabia's total population was estimated at about 35.3 million in mid-2024.”
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The conclusion
Open in workbench →Saudi Arabia's official statistics agency estimated the country's mid-2024 population at 35,300,280, which rounds to about 35.3 million. That figure is echoed by major databases and reporting that rely on the same official estimate. Lower figures seen elsewhere usually reflect different projection methods, not a contradiction of the stated mid-2024 estimate.
Caveats
- Some websites report lower 2024 totals because they use UN-style projection series rather than Saudi Arabia's official mid-2024 estimate.
- The claim is about an estimate at mid-2024, not a year-end count or a different population methodology.
- Secondary articles are supportive, but the key evidence is the primary GASTAT publication and databases that reproduce that figure.
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Sources
Sources used in the analysis
The Kingdom’s total population is estimated at 35.3 million people in mid-2024. The publication says the total population increase is estimated at 1.6 million compared with 2023, and the annual growth rate was 4.7%.
The 2024 Revision of World Population Prospects is the twenty-eighth edition of official United Nations population estimates and projections prepared by the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat. It provides the latest demographic data for 237 countries from 1950 to 2024 and projections up to 2100.
The World Population Prospects 2024 data portal accompanies the UN DESA 2024 Revision of World Population Prospects, a UN data publication that includes global datasets of demographic indicators and tracks population trends. The portal is the official access point for the revised estimates and projections.
The total population of the Kingdom is estimated at 35.3 million people in mid-2024, with an annual growth rate of 4.7% compared to 2023, and an average annual growth rate from the base period in May 2022 4.6%, while the annual growth rate of the Saudi population is 2.0%, and an average annual growth rate from the base period in May 2022 for the Saudi population is 2.1%, according to population estimates from the General Authority for Statistics.
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 revision includes population estimates through 2024 and projections thereafter. For Saudi Arabia, the dataset provides the mid-year population estimate used by secondary datasets based on the UN figures.
Population, total in Saudi Arabia was reported at 35,300,280 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.
Saudi Arabia's total population reached 35,300,280 in 2024, according to newly released data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Data for Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Population, total. Most recent value (2024) Saudi Arabia 35,300,280. The source is the World Bank World Development Indicators, which provide midyear estimates of total population based on all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
Under the series "Population: Mid Year Estimates: General Authority for Statistics" for Saudi Arabia, the data table reports: "Population: Mid Year Estimates data was reported at **35,300,280.000 Person in 2024**. This records an increase from the previous number of 33,702,731.000 Person for 2023." It adds that this series is "reported by General Authority for Statistics."
Saudi Arabia's population increased to 35.3 million by the end of 2024, marking a 4.7% growth compared to 2023. Saudi nationals reached 19.6 million in 2024, accounting for 55.6% of the total population, while non-Saudis amounted to around 15.7 million.
A Gulf Labour Markets and Migration table "Population by nationality (Saudi/non-Saudi) (2010–2024)" gives for **2024**: "19,635,258" Saudis, "15,665,022" non-Saudis, and a **total 35,300,280**. The source line states: "Source: GAStat" and explains that for **2023–2024**, GAStat uses a component-cohort methodology, with births, deaths and migration data, and bases changes on the 2022 Saudi Census.
In Saudi Arabia, total population was 35,300,280 persons in 2024, versus 33,702,731 in 2023. This represents an increase of 4.74 percent. The series uses World Bank data on total population, based on the de facto definition and reported as annual midyear values.
#SaudiArabia's population reached 35.3 million until the middle of the year 2024, according to the latest estimates of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
Saudi Arabia: Population (2024). Population in Saudi Arabia was 35,300,280 in 2024. The Data Commons entry cites World Bank ‘datatopics.worldbank.org’ as the source and describes the figure as the country’s total population for 2024.
An analysis of Saudi Arabia’s economy and demographics notes: "The latest official population estimate used here is **35.3 million people in mid-2024**, including more than 19.6 million Saudi citizens and about 15.7 million non-Saudi residents [S2]." It further explains: "As of this update, the latest official GASTAT population estimate available for this page is mid-2024… For official Saudi demographic baselines, this page uses GASTAT’s 2024 population publication [S2]." A table entry states: "2024 – GASTAT reported population at **35.3 million in mid-2024** [S2]."
The estimated population of Saudi Arabia in 2025 amounted to 34,566,328 people, which is 1.78% more than in 2024, when it was 33,962,757 people. The data is sourced from the UN report World Population Prospects 2024, with the values for 2024 and 2025 being projections.
World Bank · 2024. Population 35.3M, 45th in the world. Growth 4.6%. The country profile for Saudi Arabia lists its population in 2024 as 35.3 million, consistent with World Bank estimates of total population.
Saudi Arabia's population is shown at 34,566,338 for 2025, and the page states that the data source is UN World Population Prospects 2024. It also notes that the 2024 figure is a projection derived from that UN dataset.
Saudi Arabia is the seventh largest state in the Arab world, with a reported population of 35,300,280 as of 2024. The page reflects the 2024 population estimate and lists 35,300,280 for 2024.
Saudi Arabia 2026 population is estimated at 35,165,787 people at mid-year, based on Worldometer's elaboration of the latest United Nations data. The page also lists 2024 as 33,962,757, which is a different estimate from GASTAT and FRED.
As of 2026, Saudi Arabia has a total population of 35,165,787, ranking as the 47th most populous nation in the world.
Macrotrends’ historical population series for Saudi Arabia lists: "Total population for Saudi Arabia in **2024** was **37,473,929**, a 12.66% increase from 2023" and "Total current population for Saudi Arabia in 2025 is 37,989,969, a 1.38% increase from 2024." These figures are model-based and significantly higher than the **35.3 million** official mid-2024 estimate published by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics.
Saudi Arabia's total population reached 35,300,280 in 2024, according to newly released data from the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), marking World Population Day.
Total Population (2025): 34,600,000. This page provides a UNFPA country population estimate that is lower than the GASTAT figure for mid-2024.
The World Bank’s World Development Indicators series for Saudi Arabia’s total population shows values rising from 34,193,122.0 to 35,018,133.0, then 35,827,362.0 and 35,997,107.0 in subsequent years. These figures reflect annual total population estimates and are used for international comparisons, although the exact year mapping in this embedded profile is not clearly labeled.
This study compiles and presents the World Bank’s annual total population estimates for Saudi Arabia. It confirms that the World Bank’s figure for 2024 is 35,300,280, describing it as a midyear estimate based on the de facto population concept, which includes all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.
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Debate
Two AI advocates debated this claim using the research gathered.
Argument for
Saudi Arabia's own official statistical authority, GASTAT (Source 1 and Source 4), explicitly states that 'the total population of the Kingdom is estimated at 35.3 million people in mid-2024,' and this figure is independently corroborated by the World Bank (Source 8), UN-affiliated data portals (Source 3, Source 5), and multiple secondary aggregators including Trading Economics (Source 6) and CEIC (Source 9), all reporting the precise figure of 35,300,280. The convergence of Saudi Arabia's highest-authority national statistics body with major international institutions leaves no reasonable doubt that the claim is accurate.
The Proponent's argument relies on a false consensus by claiming UN-affiliated data portals corroborate the 35.3 million figure, whereas official UN World Population Prospects 2024 data actually projects the 2024 population at a much lower 33,962,757 as documented by Statbase and Worldometer (Source 16, Source 20). Furthermore, the Proponent ignores significant methodological discrepancies among global trackers, such as Macrotrends reporting a vastly higher estimate of 37,473,929 for the same period (Source 22).
Argument against
The claim that Saudi Arabia's population was 35.3 million in mid-2024 is highly contested, as authoritative global demographic datasets report significantly different figures. For instance, official United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 data cited by Statbase and Worldometer places the 2024 population at a much lower 33,962,757 (Source 16, Source 20), while Macrotrends' model-based historical series reports it as high as 37,473,929 (Source 22).
The Opponent's argument relies on secondary aggregators (Source 16, Source 20) that apply UN projection methodologies rather than Saudi Arabia's own census-based component-cohort approach, while ignoring that the UN's own data portal (Source 3) and the World Bank (Source 8) both report the GASTAT figure of 35,300,280 — demonstrating that the UN's official published data for Saudi Arabia aligns with, not contradicts, the 35.3 million estimate. Furthermore, the Opponent commits a false equivalence fallacy by treating Macrotrends' model-based outlier figure (Source 22) as equally credible to GASTAT's direct official publication (Source 1, Source 4), when the research brief itself notes that Macrotrends' figures are 'model-based and significantly higher than the 35.3 million official mid-2024 estimate,' undermining any evidentiary weight the Opponent assigns to that source.
Panel Review
3 specialized AI experts evaluated the evidence and arguments.
Reviewer 1 — The Logic Examiner
The logical chain runs directly from GASTAT's official mid-2024 estimate (Sources 1 and 4) stating 35.3 million (or precisely 35,300,280) to the claim, with independent corroboration from World Bank (Source 8), Trading Economics (Source 6), CEIC (Source 9), and multiple aggregators that cite the same primary figure. The opponent's reliance on UN projection models (Sources 16, 20) and outlier model-based series (Source 22) fails to refute the claim because those are distinct methodological outputs rather than contradictory estimates of the same GASTAT statistic.
Reviewer 2 — The Source Auditor
The most reliable sources, including Saudi Arabia's official General Authority for Statistics (Source 1, Source 4) and the World Bank (Source 8), explicitly confirm that the country's mid-2024 population was estimated at 35.3 million (specifically 35,300,280). This official census-based figure is widely accepted by major international institutions, whereas conflicting lower or higher figures from sources like Worldometer or Macrotrends rely on outdated projections or model-based estimates.
Reviewer 3 — The Precision Analyst
The claim states Saudi Arabia's total population was 'estimated at about 35.3 million in mid-2024.' Sources 1 and 4 (GASTAT, the official Saudi statistical authority) explicitly confirm '35.3 million people in mid-2024,' with the precise figure being 35,300,280. This is corroborated by the World Bank (Source 6, 8), CEIC (Source 9), GLMM (Source 11), Wikipedia (Source 19), and multiple other sources. The opponent's reliance on Worldometer/Statbase figures (~33.96 million) reflects UN projection methodology differences, but notably the UN's own data portals (Sources 2, 3, 5) and the World Bank both report the GASTAT figure of 35,300,280. The claim uses appropriately hedged language ('estimated at about') and correctly specifies 'mid-2024,' matching the official GASTAT publication timing exactly. The claim is fully supported by the highest-authority sources available.