World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside Saudi Arabia 19 times
Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 6 times as long as the median country’s
Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Saudi Arabia’s highest peak towers 665 m above the median country’s
Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 82% of Saudi Arabia, versus 38% of the median country
Saudi Arabia: 81.7% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Saudi Arabia has 5 times as many people as the median country
Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 5.7 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 1.7 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 1.9 years older than in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.4 more children on average than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The median country hosts 68 times as many refugees per resident as Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 0.012 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Saudi Arabia and the median country are practically level
Saudi Arabia: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Saudi Arabia and the median country are practically level
Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 28 times the size of the median country’s
Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 3.5 times as much per person as the median country
Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Saudi Arabia: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Saudi Arabia: no data · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 6.5% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.8%
Saudi Arabia: 6.5% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, Saudi Arabia’s 8.1%
Saudi Arabia: 8.1% (2024) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the median country’s
Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as the median country
Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 4.4 years longer than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 2.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 2 times as many doctors per person as the median country
Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country and Saudi Arabia are nearly identical here
Saudi Arabia: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the median country is 4.5 times that in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 2.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 24% in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024) · World median: 19% (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 the median country
Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Saudi Arabia: no data · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Saudi Arabia has 3% more meat per person than the median country
Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 722 kcal more food per person per day than the median country
Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 150 more hours a year than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 1.7 years longer than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 2.4 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019)
Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Saudi Arabia has 5 more World Heritage sites than the median country (8 against 3)
Saudi Arabia: 8 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Saudi Arabia and the median country are practically level
Saudi Arabia: 4 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 82% in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Saudi Arabia is 22% faster than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 196 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Saudi Arabia and the median country are practically level
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Saudi Arabia’s railway network is 37% longer than the median country’s
Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from the median country
Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 1.3% of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 1.3% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 6.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 3 times as much fine dust as in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in the median country as in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 15% deadlier than in the median country
Saudi Arabia: 21.4 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 3.9 °C warmer than the median country
Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 17 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Saudi Arabia bigger than the median country?
Saudi Arabia is larger. The median country fits inside Saudi Arabia 19 times.
Which has more people, Saudi Arabia or the median country?
Saudi Arabia has 5 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Saudi Arabia or the median country?
People in Saudi Arabia live 4.4 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years in Saudi Arabia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Saudi Arabia or the median country?
Men in the median country are 2.8 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
