According to the 1992 census, the population of Saudi Arabia is 12,304,000.
Additionally, there are 4,625,000 expatriates living in the Kingdom. It is a traditional
society that combines the virtues of Bedouin life with a talent for commerce and an
underlying devotion to the principles of Islam. Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom, is the
largest city with a population of more than two million. Jeddah, the mainland, air and sea
gateway on the Red Sea coast, has a population of about two million. Other main cities
including Makkah, Madinah, Dammam, Jubail, Yanbu, Al-Ahsa, Buraidah, Unaiza, Tabouk,
Al-Taif, Hail, Abha, etc., have populations of about 500,000 to one million people.
Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia. It is the language of the Qur’an
(the holy book of Islam). Through its eloquence and the spread of Islam, Arabic has become
one of the most widely used languages of the world. English is also used in the Kingdom,
most frequently in conducting business.
