The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Philippines fits inside Saudi Arabia 7.2 times.
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 14 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s.
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 46 m above the Philippines’.
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 3.2 times as many people as Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 23 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 5.4 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Saudi Arabia are 4.7 cm taller than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Saudi Arabia is 4 years older than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.4 more children on average than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
5.7% of people in the Philippines are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia 0.0.
Philippines: 0.1 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, Saudi Arabia 1.
Philippines: 2 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 2.6 times the size of the Philippines’.
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 5.9 times as much per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Saudi Arabia, versus 2.2% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 2.2% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, the Philippines 1.3%.
Philippines: 1.3% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the Philippines’.
Philippines: 33% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 9.4 times as much on health per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: $194 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 9 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 4.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 4.3 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 9.7% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 19.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 0.61 points higher than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Saudi Arabia has 73% more meat per person than the Philippines.
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 677 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines.
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 29 more hours a year than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 2,096 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 1.6 years longer than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 36 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019).
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 67% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 67% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines.
Philippines: 56% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115.
Philippines: 115 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Saudi Arabia’s railway network is 5.8 times as long as the Philippines’.
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 3.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines.
Philippines: 0.36 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of the Philippines, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 24.5% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines.
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of the Philippines’ electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in the Philippines.
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.6 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 91% deadlier than in the Philippines.
Philippines: 9.7 per 100k (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 0.5 °C warmer than the Philippines.
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 49 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Philippines: 3,001 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Philippines bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. The Philippines fits inside Saudi Arabia 7.2 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or Saudi Arabia?
The Philippines has 3.2 times as many people as Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 9 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in the Philippines or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 5.4 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
