Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Saudi Arabia fits inside Russia 8 times
Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 14 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s
Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 2,642 m above Saudi Arabia’s
Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 82% of Saudi Arabia, versus 13% of Russia
Russia: 13.2% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 81.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 3.9 times as many people as Saudi Arabia
Russia: 144 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Saudi Arabia is 2 times as densely populated as Russia
Russia: 9 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 6.0 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 176.7 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 5.7 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 164.5 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 10 years older than in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 39.5 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 Russia
Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 17.8% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Russia hosts 6.8 times as many refugees per resident as Saudi Arabia
Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0.012 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none
Russia: 2 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Russia and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Russia: 1 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 2 times the size of Saudi Arabia’s
Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 49% more per person than Russia
Russia: Int$49,568 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Russia: 33 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Russia: 0.1% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Saudi Arabia, versus 2.1% in Russia
Russia: 2.1% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Saudi Arabia 6.5%
Russia: 7.5% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Russia’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Saudi Arabia’s 8.1%
Russia: 10.9% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 8.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Russia’s
Russia: 35% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 82% more on health per person than Russia
Russia: $1,003 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 5.5 years longer than in Russia
Russia: 73.4 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Saudi Arabia is 15% more likely to die before turning one than in Russia
Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 50% more doctors per person than Saudi Arabia
Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 2.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Saudi Arabia
Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 9 times that in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 21% in Russia
Russia: 21.2% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 27% (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 0.98 points higher than in Russia
Russia: 5.83 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Russia: 10.4 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 46% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia
Russia: 84.8 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 131 kcal more food per person per day than Russia
Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 38 more hours a year than in Russia
Russia: 2,087 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 0.8 years longer than in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 12.4 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Russia: no data · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 25 more World Heritage sites than Saudi Arabia (33 against 8)
Russia: 33 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, Saudi Arabia 4
Russia: 539 (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 94% in Russia
Russia: 94% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Russia: no data · Saudi Arabia: 196 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Russia and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Russia: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 75% in Russia
Russia: 75% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Saudi Arabia 160
Russia: 186 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 29 times as long as Saudi Arabia’s
Russia: 85,544 km (2021) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 88% more passengers per resident than those from Russia
Russia: 0.69 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 1.3% of Saudi Arabia
Russia: 50.8% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 66% more CO₂ than someone in Russia
Russia: 12.3 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Russia’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 17.4% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Russia
Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.4 times as likely to be murdered in Russia as in Saudi Arabia
Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 60% deadlier than in Russia
Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 21.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 29.4 °C warmer than Russia
Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Russia gets 9.6 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia
Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Russia bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Russia is larger. Saudi Arabia fits inside Russia 8 times.
Which has more people, Russia or Saudi Arabia?
Russia has 3.9 times as many people as Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Russia or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 5.5 years longer than in Russia. Life expectancy at birth is 73.4 years in Russia and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Russia or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Russia are 6.0 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
Russia vs Azerbaijan 
Russia vs Belarus 
Russia vs China 
Russia vs Estonia 
Russia vs Finland 
Russia vs Georgia 
Saudi Arabia vs Iraq 
Saudi Arabia vs Jordan 
Saudi Arabia vs Kuwait 
Saudi Arabia vs Oman 
Saudi Arabia vs Qatar 
Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates 
Russia vs the world →Saudi Arabia vs the world →