# Saudi Arabia and Türkiye compared

Saudi Arabia and Türkiye side by side: 44 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/sau-vs-tur
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Saudi Arabia: 1744 — The Diriyah pact founds the First Saudi State
- Türkiye: c. 1299 — Osman I founds the Ottoman beylik in Bithynia

## Economy

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $1.24 T | 2024 | $1.36 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $35,122 | 2024 | $15,893 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 2.0% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 1.7% | 2024 | 58.5% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 54.7% | 2024 | 54.6% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35 m | 2024 | 86 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 79.0 yrs | 2024 | 77.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 84.5% | 2024 | 89.3% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.3 | 2024 | 1.5 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 29.8 | 2024 | 37.7 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 65.1 | 2024 | 49.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 66.6 | 2024 | 50.0 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 66.1 | 2024 | 51.5 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 60.6 | 2024 | 42.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 63.1 | 2024 | 36.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 5.7% | 2023 | 4.3% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.41 | 2023 | 2.24 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 6.0 | 2024 | 9.6 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 96.0% | 2024 | 95.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 97.9% | 2024 | 97.3% | 2021 |
| Education spending | 4.5% | 2023 | 3.1% | 2022 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.0% | 2024 | 102.4% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 110.7% | 2024 | 118.4% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 83.9% | 2024 | 105.9% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.6% | 2024 | 1.4% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 1,235 | 2024 | 2,645 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 100.0% | 2024 | 89.8% | 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 160 | 2024 | 108 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 0.5% | 2024 | 5.1% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,149,690 km² | 2023 | 769,630 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 0.5% | 2023 | 29.5% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 80.8% | 2023 | 50.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 18.5 | 2024 | 5.4 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 0.1% | 2021 | 12.0% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 25.6% | 2021 | 0.8% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 23.7% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.2% | 2021 | 0.6% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Bauxite | 5.7 Mt | 2025 | 3.8 Mt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | 10 Mt | 2025 | 1.2 Mt | 2025 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 18 Mt | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 1,900 t | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 7.3% | 2024 | 1.9% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $80 B | 2024 | $25 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 282,000 | 2020 | 512,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/SAU.md and https://terralore.co/country/TUR.md.

## Entangled histories (2 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1517 CE: **Ottoman suzerainty over the Hejaz** — After defeating the Mamluks, the Ottomans gained sovereignty over the holy cities; the Sharif of Mecca recognized the Ottoman sultan as caliph while retaining local power. (from the Saudi Arabia chronicle; sources: Sharifate of Mecca)
- 1811 - 1818: **The Ottoman-Egyptian campaign against the Saudis** — On behalf of the Ottoman sultan, the Egyptian forces of Muhammad Ali Pasha waged war on the expanding First Saudi State, driving it from the holy cities and into the Najdi heartland. (from the Saudi Arabia chronicle; sources: Siege of Diriyah (1818); First Saudi State)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/SAU/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/TUR/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Saudi Arabia and Türkiye compared", terralore.co/compare/sau-vs-tur, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.