Population figures
Total country population
37,473,930
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
488
Asylum-seekers:
3,906
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
0
Other people in need of international protection:
0
Other
Statelessness persons
70,000
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
0
Country context
Saudi Arabia is situated in West Asia on the Arabian Peninsula, bounded by the Red Sea to the west and the Persian Gulf to the east, with land frontiers adjoining Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen. Refugees and asylum-seekers in Saudi Arabia originate from diverse regions, including the Horn of Africa, the Levant and South Asia. Those identified as in need of international protection reside within urban areas rather than dedicated camps, accessing housing and essential services under prevailing immigration arrangements.
The Kingdom is not party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol. There is no national asylum framework in place and individuals seeking protection fall under general immigration legislation, without clear referral mechanisms or procedural safeguards for asylum claims.
...The Kingdom is not party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. The nationality law of Saudi Arabia contains gender-discriminatory provisions regarding the conferral of nationality on children, which is a cause of statelessness in the country. Another key cause of statelessness is the exclusion of certain groups from nationality at the time of the state’s formation.
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Sources: UNHCR Refugee Data finder https://www.unhcr.org/refugee-statistics/ | 2024 mid-year figures. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects 2022, Online Edition https://population.un.org/wpp/assets/Files/WPP2022_Data_Sources.pdf