The Makkah, Madinah and Riyadh regions harbor about 60 percent of the population in the Kingdom which reached 32.6 million people as of the first half of 2017, a research study revealed.
According to preliminary data of the General Authority for Statistics, this is an increase of about 870,000 people compared to the end of 2016.
The area of these combined areas amounts to about 20 percent of the Kingdom’s total area of about 2,150,000 square kilometers.
The study was conducted by member of the municipal council, member of the board of directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Makkah, Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz Sindi, and titled “Approach to urban development and management of urban communities through quality of life indicators.”
“It demonstrates that Saudi Arabia, under the reign of King Salman and the crown prince, is booming in various fields of development — industrial, technical and others,” Sindi said.
This boom includes the Red Sea island projects, alternative energy and industrial areas, as well as the Al-Ghedia project south of the capital of Riyadh, Al-Faisaliah Smart City project and several others, he added.
The study showed that these projects will play an effective role in decentralizing services from the main cities that include education, health services, universities, government departments, recreational services, urban environment and employment opportunities, which are the main reasons people migrate from rural to urban areas.
According to the study, the social structure in Saudi society has become more flexible and more attractive, resulting in a change in lifestyle. The intensity of social disparity has become minimal and the degree of conflict between individuals has diminished.
The state has taken into account modern planning and future programs, managing urban development, including a platform to manage development of new urban communities.
“The state has also developed solutions to improve quality of life indicators through the creation of new cities and the reorganization, structuring and expansion of small cities throughout the Kingdom by the Department of Urban Development,” the study explained.
All this helps to create new cities, and this causes a reverse migration from cities to new integrated areas.

Source: Arab News