Two-thirds of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 35

A new study has revealed that over two-thirds of Saudi Arabia’s population is under the age of 35.

Specifically, 30.3 per cent of the kingdom’s population are from 0-14 years and 36.7 per cent from 15-34, according to figures revealed in the “Saudi Youth Report in Numbers” released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) on Sunday, ahead of the World Youth Day 2020.

Only 33 per cent are over the age of 35, reported state news channel Saudi Press Agency.

GASTAT provided further information about the young demographic in the kingdom. Within the age group of 20-24 years, 27.6 per cent are men and 26.2 per cent are women.

The percentage of young men and women who have never been married in the age group of 15-34 was 66.23 per cent. The percentage of unmarried women in this age bracket was 43.1 per cent. Also, the percentage of married women was 34.3 per cent, divorced females 1.27 per cent, and widows was 0.5 per cent.

The report also captured a health overview of the population. The ratio of Saudi nationals between the age of 15-34 years who suffer from chronic diseases to the total Saudi population amounted to 5.5 per cent, whereas the percentage of men reached 5.8 per cent, and women were 5.2 per cent.

The report also indicated that most Saudi women practice sports to improve their health, but for men, they practice it for physical fitness and recreation.

The study further revealed that illiteracy rate has dropped significantly among Saudi nationals in the age group of 15-34, compared to the decade from 2007-2017. This decrease is mainly attributed to the fall in illiteracy rates among women during this period.

The transition rate in secondary education for Saudis in 2019 was 99.8 per cent.

With regards to employment, it confirmed that in 2019, the number of employed young Saudis (15-34 years) reached 1,489,520 workers, representing around 47 per cent of the total number of Saudi employees.

There have been a number of social reforms initiated by the current 34-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Reflecting this young demographic in the country, its entertainment sector is beginning to grow rapidly too. Last year, a 41-day entertainment festival, Jeddah Season, culminated with the Jeddah World Fest concert which included performances by the likes of Janet Jackson, 50 Cent, Liam Payne and K-pop stars too.