Saudi Arabia 

Facts
Population: 27,601,038
note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,369,285/female 5,162,585)
15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,316,694/female 7,089,370)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 348,827/female 314,277) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 2.06% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 29.1 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 2.55 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: -5.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.314 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
total population: 1.196 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 12.41 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.24 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.88 years
male: 73.85 years
female: 78.02 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 3.94 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA.
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA.
Nationality: noun: Saudi(s)
adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian.
Ethnic groups: Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%.
Religions: Muslim 100%.
Languages: Arabic.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.8%
male: 84.7%
female: 70.8% (2003 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $366.2 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 2.4% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $13,600 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 67%
services: 29.8% (2006 est.).
Labor force: 7.125 million
note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2006 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 12%
industry: 25%
services: 63% (1999 est.).
Population below poverty line: NA%.
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.9% (2006 est.).
Unemployment rate: 13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.).
Budget: revenues: $189.2 billion
expenditures: $107.6 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.).
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk.
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals; ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics; metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction.
Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (2006 est.).
Electricity - production: 155.2 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 144.4 billion kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004).
Exports: $204.5 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 90%.
Exports - partners: US 16.8%, Japan 16.5%, South Korea 9.3%, China 7.1%, Singapore 5.2%, Taiwan 4.3% (2005).
Imports: $64.16 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles.
Imports - partners: US 14.8%, Japan 9%, Germany 8.2%, China 7.4%, UK 4.7% (2005).
Debt - external: $47.39 billion (2006 est.).
Economic aid - donor: since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief; pledged a total of $1.59 billion to Lebanon in assistance and deposits to the Central Bank of Lebanon in 2006 and pledged an additional $1.1 billion in early 2007.
Currency (code): Saudi riyal (SAR).
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2006), 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003), 3.75 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
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Al-Bilad
(Pro-government), Jidda
(Pro-government), Riyadh
http://www.al-jazirah.com/
(Pro-government), Jidda
http://www.almadinapress.com/
Al-Muslimoon
(Religious weekly), Jidda
Al-Nadwa
(Pro-government), Mecca
(Pro-government), Riyadh
http://www.alriyadh-np.com/
(Pro-government), Abha
http://alwatan.com.sa/
Saudi Arabia in the News
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Displaying 1 to 4 of 30 items.
Saudi Arabia's huge oil reserves and the untold amount of Saudi cash invested in Western banks, property and even some strategic sectors make it an ideal place for the British to do business.
Shopping has become the primary vice for many Muslims, and pilgrimage trips by Muslims from all over the world allow plenty of time to partake in faith-based shopping: buying trinkets in the holy cities.
Micha van Waesberghe, vice president of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia recently wrote about the case of Samuel Daniel, a Christian of Indian nationality who lived and worked in Saudi Arabia for more than 20 years.
Translation of an editorial by Abd al-Rahman al-Rashid. His indictment of Muslim terrorists has stirred up a hornet's nest of debate.