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E.g., 06/18/2022
Country Resource - Saudi Arabia
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Saudi Arabia

SA
  • Population........................................................................... 34,783,757 (July 2021 est.)
  • Population growth rate ......................................................................... 1.62% (2021 est.)
  • Birth rate.......................................................... 14.56 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
  • Death rate........................................................ 3.39 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
  • Net migration rate.................................... 5.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
  • Ethnic groups................................................ Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%

Note: Immigrants make up 38.3% of the total population, according to UN data (2019)

CIA World Factbook

Recent Activity

Mother and daughter from Middle Eastern background
Spotlight
January 13, 2022
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

Migration from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to the United States doubled between 2000 and 2019, yet these immigrants represented less than 3 percent of the overall U.S. foreign-born population as of 2019. MENA immigrants are more likely than other immigrants to be English proficient, have a college degree, and work in management, business, science, and arts occupations.

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Feature
July 9, 2020
COVID-19 Pandemic Profoundly Affects Bangladeshi Workers Abroad with Consequences for Origin Communities

Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest migrant-origin countries, and money sent home by its workers abroad is crucial to an economy that has become one of the more vibrant ones in South Asia. Against this backdrop, the COVID-19 pandemic has injected turmoil into the economy as Bangladeshi migrants have lost their jobs, families are seeing reduced remittances, and would-be migrant workers have had to shelve their plans to work abroad.

Jamal Khashoggi
Feature
August 22, 2019
A Tightening Grip Abroad: Authoritarian Regimes Target Their Emigrant and Diaspora Communities

Authoritarian states have long attempted to restrict citizens’ movement. But what happens when their reach extends beyond their borders? The October 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi brought into sharp relief the long arm of these regimes in reaching citizens abroad. This phenomenon, “transnational authoritarianism,” further shows that the relationship between migration and authoritarianism is becoming more complex.

Migrants returning to Ethiopia
Top Ten
December 14, 2018
Intensifying Focus on Migrant Returns Takes a More Global Stage

Questions of how, when, and under what conditions migrants and asylum seekers can be returned to their origin countries have featured prominently in international discussions of migration in 2018. Crucially, so too has an increased interest on the part of both destination and origin countries in making reintegration assistance more effective to help ensure that return is sustainable.

EgyptianWoman BenPiven Flickr
Spotlight
January 10, 2018
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

In 2016, nearly 1.2 million immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lived in the United States. MENA immigration has picked up in recent decades, owing to war and worsening economic prospects. This article offers the latest data on the MENA population in the United States, which is more likely to come via humanitarian routes and less likely via family reunification than the foreign-born population overall.

 

UAEConstruction JakeBrewer Flickr
Feature
May 18, 2016
Kenyan Migration to the Gulf Countries: Balancing Economic Interests and Worker Protection

Kenyan migration to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries has been on the rise over the last few decades, spurred by rising unemployment and instability in Kenya combined with the GCC region's economic growth and proximity. While both sending and origin countries benefit economically from this new migration, it presents significant challenges for these governments, particularly in the area of labor rights, as this feature article explores. 

ilo_gcc construction workers
Feature
April 9, 2014
Global Civil Society in Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council: Emerging Dilemmas and Opportunities

As Qatar races to build its infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup, international civil-society actors increasingly are highlighting the harsh conditions under which temporary labor migrants often work in Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. This article examines the emerging roles, challenges, and opportunities that civil-society groups face in the region; it also analyzes the prevailing legal and political structures where civil society operates in the Gulf.

Feature
April 1, 2005
Domestic Workers: Little Protection for the Underpaid
An ILO study of Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates highlights the special risks of domestic work for women. Gloria Moreno-Fontes Chammartin discusses the findings and implications.
Feature
November 1, 2004
Saudi Arabia's Plan for Changing Its Workforce

MPI's Divya Pakkiasamy describes how "Saudiization" efforts are intended to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on foreign labor.
cover_regulatingrecruitment
Policy Briefs
August 2012

Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor

This issue brief examines Asian labor migration to the Middle East—a region distinguished by its major dependence on migrant workers, the overwhelming majority from Asia. The author focuses on the role of private recruiting agencies as key facilitators of temporary labor migration and perpetrators of exploitative practices.