Moving to Saudi Arabia can be a really enriching experience. Here is an overview fact sheet of the country’s economic, social, and political situation.
Saudi Arabia is deemed to be an absolute monarchy, founded in 1744 by Saoud bin Mohammed al-Mouqrin. The country has been one of the Middle-East region’s major strategic economic and political players. Stretching over some 2,149,690 km2, covering 80% of the Arabian Peninsula, it is considered to be the region’s biggest and most prosperous country. Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s capital city while a few other major cities include Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina.
Demography
Saudi Arabia is home to 33,000,000 inhabitants. The population is overwhelmingly young with roughly 70% of the citizens below 30yrs old. The population also includes a large expat community of nearly 9 million foreigners who now call Saudi Arabia home.
Language
The official language of Saudi Arabia is Arabic, although English is widely used and spoken by most of the population. Almost all official signage and businesses offer both Arabic and English translations and services.
Currency
The Saudi riyal is the currency of Saudi Arabia. It is abbreviated as SAR (Saudi Arabian Riyal). It is subdivided into 100 halalas.
Economy
Saudi Arabia has built up a solid reputation worldwide in terms of its economy. In fact, the country’s economy relies not only on the petroleum sector, which contributes some US$ 727.3 billion per year to its GDP, but also on the very developed and dynamic services sector which consists of religious tourism, banking, finance, insurance, trade, hotels, restaurants, and government services. As regards to the secondary sector, it involves mining, construction, and manufacturing. The primary sector makes a 2% contribution to the country’s GDP through fishing and agriculture, among others. This should give you an idea of the fields in which you are more likely to find job opportunities if you wish to settle and work there.
Climate
Saudi Arabia has a desert climate with very hot temperatures during the day and relatively cold at dusk. In summer, you should expect temperatures rising up to 50°C. However, given the size of the country, the west side has a subtropical climate with high humidity in the summer and moderate temperatures in winter. You are also likely to have rainfall over the central area, including in Mecca and Jeddah. In short, you will often feel hot in Saudi Arabia.
Expatriation
Expatriation requires appropriate reflection and planning, regardless of the destination. Culture shock is expected of any new destination, but with a positive and open mind, it can be very rewarding.
When moving to Saudi Arabia, it is important to understand the country’s cultural and religious subtleties. If you manage to overcome this challenge, Saudi Arabia can be an ideal and attractive destination for expatriation.
In spite of all paradoxes, Saudi Arabia sails between old traditions and modernism. Millions of foreigners have decided to live and work within the monarchy so as to benefit from its economic prosperity and various opportunities and benefits attached.
According to many expats their decision to settle in Saudi Arabia has been motivated by the following:
- Tax-free salary
- Learning Arabic
- Low cost of living
- Positive work-life balance
- More free time (for recreational activities/ family time)
- Beautiful environment (landscapes, terrains, coasts)
- Experiencing a new and different culture and heritage
- Warm temperatures (despite extremes)
- Higher salaries & incentives
