📜 A long story
Saudi Arabia, 1800 → today
Saudi Arabia grew from 2 million in 1800 to 33.3 million; a newborn can expect 38.7 more years of life than in 1950, and output per person is 67× its 1820 level, adjusted for inflation.
Told with long-run reconstructions, not the yearly series used elsewhere on the site: each chapter names its source. Scroll to move through the years.
☺ Chapter 1 · Population
How many people live there?
1800
In 1800, about 2 million people lived in Saudi Arabia.
1900
2.12 million people.
about the same as in 1800
1950
1.7 million people.
20% lower than in 1900
The sharpest fall in the data: down 44% between 1949 and 1950 (3.05 million → 1.7 million).
2023
33.3 million people, the latest year in this series.
20× the 1950 level
Reached twice the 1800 level in 1973.
Reached 5 times the 1800 level in 1989.
Reached 10 times the 1800 level in 2005.
Long-run series: before 1950, reconstructions by HYDE and Gapminder, filled in between benchmark years by those sources. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates.
✚ Chapter 2 · Life expectancy
How long do people live?
1950
In 1950, a newborn in Saudi Arabia could expect to live 40 years, on average.
2023
78.7 years, the latest year in this series.
+39 years since 1950
Passed 50 years in 1967.
Passed 60 years in 1978.
Passed 70 years in 1993.
Long-run series: before 1950, historical estimates (Riley, Clio Infra, Human Mortality Database), only for years they cover.
◎ Chapter 3 · GDP per person (PPP)
How much is produced per person?
1820
In 1820, Saudi Arabia produced about Int$797 per person, in 2011 prices.
1950
Int$3,560.
4.5× the 1820 level
Reached twice the 1820 level in 1950 (no data between 1913 and 1950, so it may have happened earlier).
2022
Int$53,500, the latest year in this series.
15× the 1950 level
Reached 5 times the 1820 level in 1953.
Reached 10 times the 1820 level in 1964.
Reached 20 times the 1820 level in 1973.
Reached 50 times the 1820 level in 2010.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 40% between 1981 and 1988 (Int$21,400 → Int$12,800).
Long-run series (Maddison Project) in 2011 international dollars: adjusted for inflation, so not the same unit as today’s PPP figure. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.
❦ Chapter 4 · CO₂ per person
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
1936
In 1936, fossil fuels and industry in Saudi Arabia emitted about 0.0027 t of CO₂ per person.
2024
20.4 t, the latest year in this series.
7,528× the 1936 level
Reached twice the 1936 level in 1937.
Reached 5 times the 1936 level, reached 10 times the 1936 level, reached 20 times the 1936 level in 1938.
Reached 50 times the 1936 level in 1939.
The sharpest fall in the data: down 76% between 1947 and 1950 (12.6 t → 3 t).
Long-run series: fossil CO₂ emitted within each country’s borders (Global Carbon Budget); early estimates are less certain. Log scale: equal steps up mean equal growth rates. Dashed stretches are years without data.