Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Population growth
Saudi Arabia
4.6%
in 2025
United Arab Emirates
4.7%
in 2025
Saudi Arabia rank
2nd
United Arab Emirates rank
1st
Population growth over time
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
How they compare
United Arab Emirates currently reports 4.7% against 4.6% in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 0.1%.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was United Arab Emirates ahead.
Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 1st of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Saudi Arabia averaged higher in 1 and United Arab Emirates in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Saudi Arabia | United Arab Emirates | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.8% | 6.7% | 2.9% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1970s | 5.1% | 13.4% | 8.2% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1980s | 5.7% | 6.7% | 1.0% | United Arab Emirates |
| 1990s | 4.2% | 6.0% | 1.8% | United Arab Emirates |
| 2000s | 4.5% | 7.2% | 2.7% | United Arab Emirates |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 3.4% | 1.3% | United Arab Emirates |
| 2020s | 3.4% | 3.3% | 0.1% | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population growth, Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates, at 4.7% against 4.6% in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population growth between Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates?
- 0.1%, with United Arab Emirates ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates rank globally for population growth?
- Saudi Arabia ranks 2nd and United Arab Emirates ranks 1st of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as Population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.