Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside Saudi Arabia 9 times.
Romania: 238,400 km² (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 12 times as long as Romania’s.
Romania: 225 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 456 m above Romania’s.
Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 94% more people than Romania.
Romania: 19 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 4.8 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 83 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 7.2 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 177.8 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 5.9 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 164.7 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 13 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 42.6 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.9 more children on average than in Romania.
Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 20.1% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none.
Romania: 2.1 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Romania and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Romania: 1 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 3 times the size of Romania’s.
Romania: $429 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 45% more per person than Romania.
Romania: Int$50,895 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Romania: 29.8 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 6% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, Romania 2.3%.
Romania: 2.3% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Romania’s.
Romania: 44% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 74% more on health per person than Romania.
Romania: $1,051 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 2.5 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 76.5 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 28% more likely to die before turning one than in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 6% more doctors per person than Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 38% in Romania.
Romania: 37.7% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 29.7% (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 0.19 points higher than in Romania.
Romania: 6.63 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Romania: 17.1 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 25% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 72.5 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia and Romania are practically level.
Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 299 more hours a year than in Romania.
Romania: 1,826 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Saudi Arabia and Romania are practically level.
Romania: 11.6 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 20% more tourists per resident than Romania (2019).
Romania: 0.7 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 91% in Romania.
Romania: 91% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Romania and Saudi Arabia are practically level.
Romania: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Romania: 52% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Romania: 120 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 3.7 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s.
Romania: 10,769 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 8.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Romania: 0.15 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 30.1% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 5.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania.
Romania: 3.6 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 47% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 3.5 times as much fine dust as in Romania.
Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 20% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 93% deadlier than in Romania.
Romania: 9.6 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 15.8 °C warmer than Romania.
Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 12 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Romania bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Romania fits inside Saudi Arabia 9 times.
Which has more people, Romania or Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has 94% more people than Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Romania or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 2.5 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Romania and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Romania or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Romania are 7.2 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
