The population of Saudi Arabia stands at 27.1m, of which nearly a third are expats, prelimimary results of a countrywide census have revealed.
Foreign residents numbered 8.4m, according to the report by the Public Statistics and Information Department.
In a statement published by Saudi Press Agency, the authority said the figures, still under revision, were correct as of April 27.
Regarding the number of Saudi nationals, which totalled 18.7m, 50.9 percent were male, SPA reported.
However, males dominated the number of expats (70.9 percent), reflecting the high number of foreign workers employed in the kingdom to help develop infrastructure projects.
According to the figures, the number of homes in Saudi Arabia totalled 4.6m. Full details of the census would be announced soon, SPA added.
Last month, a report by Euromonitor International said Saudi Arabia’s rising population would mean about $80bn worth of investment was needed by 2018 to meet power demands in the kingdom.
According to Euromonitor International, government sources estimate that an additional 3,000MW of electricity generation is needed annually to meet consumer demand.
Its report added that Saudi officials aim to meet a fifth of its power generation from alternative energy sources such as nuclear and renewables.
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