Riyadh is a sprawling metropolis in Saudi Arabia that also serves as the country’s capital. It is home to approximately seven million people out of the country’s total population of 32.5 million. Despite the abundance of data on the country’s constantly rising economy, updated statistics and data on Saudi Arabia’s and Riyadh’s poverty rates are missing, since the Saudi government appears to keep such information under wraps. Nonetheless, following ten facts regarding poverty in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia may help to illuminate the issue.
Facts About Poverty in Riyadh
- Despite having one of the world’s most robust economies, Saudi Arabia’s social welfare programs and job development appear to be unable to keep up with the country’s rapid population increase. Saudi Arabia’s population was under six million in 1970 and has been rapidly growing since then.
- The Saudi royal family is the wealthiest in the world, with a net worth of over $1.4 trillion thanks to abundant oil reserves, but the country as a whole is impoverished, with an estimated 20% of the population living in poverty.
- Three young guys were arrested and imprisoned in 2011 after uploading video footage of underprivileged individuals in Riyadh to YouTube. The video featured a documentary on a poor neighborhood in the city, including personal interviews and a call to action for the Saudi Arabian government to do more to combat poverty. Thousands of people expressed their support or disapproval of the arrests on social media.
- Despite the fact that the initiatives appear to be ineffectual, the government under King Abdullah has spent $37 billion on housing, unemployment, and other programs as of 2012 in an attempt to aid the growing number of poor people.
- The country owns around 22% of the world’s oil and generates about half of its GDP from it. Government authorities want to minimize the economy’s reliance on oil through Saudi Vision 2030, an action plan to privatize additional businesses and reduce unemployment from 11% to 7%. The plan even includes specific aims for Saudi citizens’ health, such as the construction of sports and physical activity facilities.
- Youth unemployment rates rise in tandem with poverty rates. Nearly a quarter of all unemployed people are in their twenties.
- Image-conscious, high-status individuals The existence of poverty in Saudi Arabia has been downplayed by Saudis, and the topic has been avoided in Saudi Arabian media. It was a taboo issue in Saudi media until 2002, when King Abdullah paid a visit to a slum in Riyadh, allowing for proper news coverage of a slum in Riyadh.
- Saudi Arabia’s government provides free education, healthcare, and burials to its inhabitants, but it does not have a welfare system or food stamps. Pensions and payments for food and electricity bills are also provided to the impoverished and disenfranchised. Despite these efforts, many families are said to still rely on donations from ordinary residents.
- Because Saudi Arabia is a predominantly Muslim country, citizens follow the religious zakat obligation, which requires individuals and corporations to pay 2.5 percent of their wealth to charity. The government collects this money and distributes it to the impoverished.
- Women who are widowed or single have financial difficulties because Islamic law and Saudi society dictate that men should be the primary breadwinners. Before being recruited, certain establishments demand written approval from a guardian. In 2015, women made up 56% of the unemployed youth aged 15 to 25.
Regardless their efforts to alleviate poverty, Saudi and American researchers allege that the royal family obtains large sums of money through corrupt practices and schemes. A long-term solution may be adopted in the future as a result of Saudi Vision 2030’s initiatives and the country’s generous and religious ethos.
What is the typical Saudi Arabian household income?
In 2018, the Eastern area of Saudi Arabia had the highest average monthly per capita income, at around three thousand Saudi riyal, compared to around 3.4 thousand Saudi riyal for Saudi citizens.
What is Dubai’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)?
Dubai’s economy has a gross domestic output of US$102.67 billion as of 2018. The construction boom was curtailed by the Great Recession.
It’s been described as “centrally-planned free-market capitalism” by the International Herald Tribune. Oil production, which once contributed for half of Dubai’s gross domestic product, now accounts for less than 1%. Wholesale and retail commerce accounted for 26% of total GDP in 2018, while transportation and logistics accounted for 12%, banking, insurance activities, and capital markets accounted for 10%, manufacturing accounted for 9%, real estate 7%, construction 6%, and tourism 5%.
For Western manufacturers, Dubai has become an important port of call. The port region was home to the majority of the new city’s banking and financial centers. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Dubai remained a vital trading route. Dubai has unrestricted gold commerce and was the center of a “brisk smuggling trade” of gold ingots to India, where gold imports were prohibited, until the 1990s.
Dubai’s economy is now centered on tourism, with hotels being built and real estate being developed. Port Jebel Ali, built in the 1970s, boasts the world’s largest man-made harbor, but it’s also becoming a centre for service industries like IT and banking, thanks to the new Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Emirates Airline, situated at Dubai International Airport, was formed by the government in 1985 and is still state-owned; in 2015, it carried over 49.7 million passengers.
Dubai is the #1 business gateway for the Middle East and Africa, according to Healy Consultants. In order to develop Dubai property, the government has established industry-specific free zones throughout the city. Dubai Internet City, which is now part of TECOM (Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Free Zone Authority), is one of these enclaves, with members including EMC Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Microsoft, Sage Software, and IBM, as well as media companies like MBC, CNN, Reuters, and the Associated Press. Dubai Knowledge Village (KV), an education and training hub, has been established to support the Free Zone’s other two clusters, Dubai Internet City and Dubai Media City, by offering facilities to train the clusters’ future knowledge workers. Companies engaged in outsourcing activities can set up offices in the Dubai Outsourcing Zone, which offers concessions from the Dubai government. In most parts of Dubai, internet access is restricted, with a proxy server screening out sites that are believed to be against the UAE’s cultural and religious values.
Is Saudi Arabia a wealthier country than India?
India vs. Saudi Arabia: A Comparison of Economic Indicators With a GDP of $2.7 trillion, India is the world’s seventh largest economy, while Saudi Arabia ranks 18th with $786.5 billion. India and Saudi Arabia were placed 6th vs. 124th and 150th vs. 41st, respectively, in terms of GDP 5-year average growth and GDP per capita.
What is a reasonable pay in Saudi Arabia?
Income in Saudi Arabia normally ranges from 4,688.00 SAR (lowest salary) to 19,525.00 SAR (maximum salary) (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
Is Saudi Arabia considered developed?
Saudi Arabia, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is classified as a developing country due to its poor economic performance. Saudi Arabia is classified as a high-developed economy by the United Nations, with a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.854.
Is Saudi Arabia a secure country?
Saudi Arabia has a low crime rate overall. Theft can happen in crowded settings and from moving cars. Carry only the essentials. Other valuables should be kept in a safe place.
Which country is the most powerful in the world?
In the 2021 Best Countries Report, Canada wins the top overall rank as the world’s number one country for the first time. After coming in second place in the 2020 report, Canada has now eclipsed Switzerland in the 2021 report, with Japan, Germany, Switzerland, and Australia following closely behind.
What makes Qatar so wealthy?
The once-sleeping peninsula off Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast has transformed into an important oil-exporting international hub in the last two decades, with only a little fishing economy and nearly no schools. Qatar began substantial natural gas shipments to Japan and Spain in 1997, then expanded to additional nations in the early 2000s. After fifteen years and 14 natural gas plants, the country’s GDP has risen from $30 billion to more than $200 billion. Qatar, behind Russia and Iran, has the world’s largest natural gas reserves, with about 900 trillion cubic feet, accounting for 60 percent of the country’s total GDP.
It began producing 46,500 barrels per day in 1951, after discovering oil in 1939 and natural gas 30 years later. Although some of the revenue was used to begin modernizing the country, the Royal Family amassed a large portion of it, with portions going to the kingdom’s sovereign country, Great Britain. Khalifa bin Hamad deposed his father after the country gained independence in 1971 and increased spending on social programs, housing, health, education, and pensions while lowering the Royal Family’s benefits. Investments in foreign businesses, banks, and even the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team and London real estate provide big returns for the country.