Pray for Saudi Arabia
Learn about and pray for Saudi Arabia in just 5 minutes per week!
Receive one email per week for 13 weeks about Saudi Arabia’s history, geography, persecution profile, and largest unreached people groups.
WEEK 1
Prayercast
Pray along with a local believer for their nation.
WEEK 2
Operation World
Pray through Operation World's country profile.
WEEK 3
World Watch List
Pray through the country's persecution profile.
WEEKS 4-13
People Groups
Pray for the country's 10 largest unreached people groups.
Introduction
Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, boasts desert landscapes, the sacred cities, of Mecca and Medina, and beautiful coastlines. It holds about 16% of the world’s proven oil reserves.
However, the nation faces serious human rights and religious freedom issues. While recent reforms have brought limited freedoms for women and opened doors to tourism, strict religious laws persist.
Wahhabi Islam is exported worldwide, fueling extremism. Proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, Libya, and Iraq contribute to regional instability.
Christians, often migrants, face extreme difficulties in practicing their faith openly, while believers in secret churches continue to grow despite persecution.
Read on to learn how you can pray for Saudi Arabia.
Fast Facts
Capital City: Riyadh
Population: 37 million (91% unreached)
People Groups: 45
10/40 Window: Yes
Major People Groups: 37% Saudi Arab; 33% Saudi Arab Hijazi
Major Religions: Muslim 91%, Christian 6%
Language: Arabic
GDP Per Capita: $44,300
Literacy Rate: 98%
Did you know? The Rub’ al Khali is the largest continuous sand desert in the world.
Pray for the unreached people groups of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia has two of the largest frontier people groups in the world and is home to 27 other unreached people groups.
Below are the 10 largest unreached people groups in Saudi Arabia:
| Name | Religion | Population |
| 1. Nadji Arab | Islam | 14,668,000 |
| 2. Hijazi Arab | Islam | 11,291,000 |
| 3. Bedouin Arab | Islam | 1,402,000 |
| 4. Gulf-Spoken Arab | Islam | 1,055,000 |
| 5. Punjabi | Islam | 872,000 |
| 6. Urdu | Islam | 811,000 |
| 7. Rohingya | Islam | 558,000 |
| 8. Swahili | Islam | 433,000 |
| 9. Telugu-Speaking South Asian | Islam | 383,000 |
| 10. Northern Yemeni Arab | Islam | 289,000 |
Pray for Christians being persecuted
Saudi Arabia is ranked #13 on the 2024 World Watch List published by Open Doors.
Saudi Arabia is a highly conservative Islamic nation. No official churches are allowed, and it remains one of the few countries in the world where church buildings are forbidden.
Foreign Christians are severely restricted in sharing their faith and gathering for public worship. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is forbidden under Islamic law, so the small number of Saudi converts live as secret believers. But despite the risks, their numbers are slowly increasing.
World Watch List
You can learn about Christian persecution and pray for our brothers and sisters who being persecuted around the world by praying through the Open Doors’ World Watch List.
“[God] has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.”
Pray for Saudi Arabia
“Slow drip” your learning and prayers for Saudi Arabia: its history, geography, persecution profile, and largest unreached people groups.