The Bedouin
have lived as nomads
in Saudi Arabia for thousands of years, but their lifestyle
is changing. More Bedouins now use cars instead of camels to
move from place to place. Traditional crafts like these hand-woven
baskets earn some extra money from tourists, but many have chosen
to give up their nomadic
existence altogether. 95% of Saudis now live in the country’s
towns and cities.
Baby Boomers
With one of the world’s highest birth rates, half of
Saudi’s population is under 18, and the population could
double by 2050. Click on the graph to see how
Saudi Arabia’s population might change in the future.
High population growth
is putting pressure on the country’s resources -
water, food, schools and hospitals are all under strain. Unemployment
may be as high as 30% as hundreds of thousands of young Saudis
join the workforce each year. Competition for jobs is fierce.
Finding a job is even more
difficult because of the number of foreign workers in Saudi
Arabia. Out of the total workforce of ten million, about seven
million are from overseas, working as teachers, maids, construction
workers and in the oil industry. Although they are sometimes
treated as second-class citizens, many workers from poorer
countries can earn good wages in Saudi Arabia. The money they
save and send back home boosts the economy of the whole region.
But frustration from the lack of job opportunities and anger
over the number of foreign workers may be drawing more young
Saudis to Islamic fundamentalist
groups.
Go to the next page to find out more about
Saudi Arabia’s economy.
