Distillers Country guides / Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
A one-page guide to Saudi Arabia for the spirits trade: the country, its people, its economy and how it drinks.
At a glance
- Capital
- Riyadh
- Official languages
- Arabic
- Currency
- Saudi riyal (SAR)
- Time zone
- UTC+3
People
- Population growth
- 4.6% a year
- Living in towns and cities
- 84.6%
- Aged under 15
- 23.6%
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.1%
- Life expectancy
- 79.0 years
Climate
Mostly desert: very hot summer days, sharp night-time drops, mild winters. The south-west (Aseer) is cooler and wetter; the north sees occasional snow.
Alcohol
- Alcohol is
- Prohibited
Sources: World Bank (population, economy and demographics), WHO Global Health Observatory (alcohol per adult and drinking mix); Wikipedia: Saudi Arabia; World Bank indicators API; WHO Global Health Observatory API; UN Comtrade public API; US Commerce - Saudi Arabia prohibited and restricted imports; AP via The Week - Saudi Arabia quietly expands access to only alcohol store (21 Dec 2025). Figures are the latest each source publishes; the year is shown beside each one.