Grim warning: Writer warns of declining population in Saudi Arabia

 Cairo: A Saudi writer has raised alarms about the country's declining birth rates, warning that Saudis could face extinction.

In an article published in the Saudi newspaper Al Watan, Mansour Al Daban referenced UN data that shows a worrying drop in Saudi birth rates.

The figures indicate that births in Saudi Arabia fell by 67 per cent in 2023 compared to 1950, when the birth rate was 53.34 per 1,000 people. By 2023, the rate had plummeted to 15.7, marking a 2.88 per cent decline from the previous year.

Al Daban also cited a study titled Epidemiological Decline in Human Fertility Rate in the Arab World, conducted by researchers from the University of Sharjah in the UAE. The study, which analysed fertility rates in the Arab world from 2011 to 2021, found a similar decline in most Arab countries.

Call for immediate action

"The situation demands a rescue plan before 2100," Al Daban warned. "Reluctance to marry, delayed childbearing, and infertility are directly contributing to the potential extinction of Arabs."

Al Daban's warning comes as a Saudi state agency reports the Kingdom's population at over 35 million, with 44.4 per cent (around 15.7 million) non-Saudis. The General Authority for Statistics recently announced that Saudi Arabia's population reached 35.3 million by mid-2024, a 1.6 million increase from the previous year, with 24.4 per cent of the growth attributed to Saudis.

Fertility rate decline

Last year, the Saudi population grew by about 389,300, while the expatriate population increased by 1.21 million. The current fertility rate for Saudi women is 2.7 births per 1,000 women, compared to 0.8 for non-Saudis. In 2011, the fertility rate for Saudis was 3.8. This significant decline has raised concerns about the long-term demographic future of the kingdom.