Saudi Arabia: cities by population
Saudi Arabia has a population of 35,165,787 (UN estimate, 2026), with Riyadh as its capital. The 50 largest of its 154 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+117%
since 2000 (16,177,722)
+36%
projected by 2050 (47,693,910)
16
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Saudi Arabia
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeddah | Mecca Region | 4,697,000 |
| 2 | Riyadh | Riyadh Region | 4,205,961 |
| 3 | Makkah | Mecca Region | 1,578,722 |
| 4 | Madinah | Medina Region | 1,300,000 |
| 5 | Dammam | Eastern Province | 1,252,523 |
| 6 | Sulţānah | Medina Region | 946,697 |
| 7 | Buraydah | Al-Qassim Region | 745,353 |
| 8 | Ta’if | Mecca Region | 688,693 |
| 9 | Tabuk | Tabuk Region | 667,000 |
| 10 | Ha'il | Ha'il Region | 605,930 |
| 11 | Najrān | Najran Region | 505,652 |
| 12 | Al Kharj | Riyadh Region | 425,300 |
| 13 | Khamis Mushait | 'Asir Region | 387,553 |
| 14 | Al Hufūf | Eastern Province | 293,179 |
| 15 | Al Mubarraz | Eastern Province | 290,802 |
| 16 | Hafar Al-Batin | Eastern Province | 271,642 |
| 17 | Al Jubayl | Eastern Province | 237,274 |
| 18 | Şabyā | Jazan Region | 228,375 |
| 19 | Abha | 'Asir Region | 210,886 |
| 20 | Yanbu | Medina Region | 200,161 |
| 21 | Unaizah | Al-Qassim Region | 183,319 |
| 22 | Khobar | Eastern Province | 165,799 |
| 23 | Arar | Northern Borders Region | 148,540 |
| 24 | Sakakah | Al Jawf Region | 128,332 |
| 25 | Az Zulfī | Riyadh Region | 125,000 |
| 26 | Jizan | Jazan Region | 105,198 |
| 27 | Qurayyat | Al Jawf Region | 102,903 |
| 28 | Sabt Alalayah | 'Asir Region | 100,000 |
| 29 | Dhahran | Eastern Province | 99,540 |
| 30 | Al Qaţīf | Eastern Province | 98,259 |
| 31 | Al Bahah | Al Bahah Region | 88,419 |
| 32 | Ad Dawādimī | Riyadh Region | 86,861 |
| 33 | Tārūt | Eastern Province | 85,371 |
| 34 | Qal‘at Bīshah | 'Asir Region | 81,828 |
| 35 | Ar Rass | Al-Qassim Region | 81,728 |
| 36 | Bariq | 'Asir Region | 75,351 |
| 37 | Rābigh | Mecca Region | 72,928 |
| 38 | Ash Shafā | Mecca Region | 72,190 |
| 39 | Al Līth | Mecca Region | 72,000 |
| 40 | Abū ‘Arīsh | Jazan Region | 69,632 |
| 41 | Sayhāt | Eastern Province | 66,702 |
| 42 | Ţurayf | Northern Borders Region | 66,014 |
| 43 | King Faisal Military City | Eastern Province | 65,000 |
| 44 | Ras Tanura | Eastern Province | 62,314 |
| 45 | Ad Dir‘īyah | Riyadh Region | 61,609 |
| 46 | Al Khafjī | Eastern Province | 54,857 |
| 47 | Baljurashi | Al Bahah Region | 51,787 |
| 48 | Al Badā’i‘ al Wusţá | Al-Qassim Region | 48,474 |
| 49 | Ranyah | 'Asir Region | 45,942 |
| 50 | Şafwá | Eastern Province | 45,876 |
Twenty years earlier: Saudi Arabia in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 23,130,024.
Common questions
What is the population of Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has a population of 35,165,787, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 47,693,910 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Saudi Arabia?
Riyadh. The largest place we record there is Jeddah, with 4,697,000 people.