Saudi Arabia has revealed that 51 per cent of its population is under the age of 51.
The Saudi Statistics Authority announced that the population has reached more than 32.1 million, of whom 18.8 million are citizens, while non-Saudis account for 13.4 million.
The number of Saudi families reached 4.2 million, with an average family size consisting of 4-5 members.
50.2 per cent of the citizen population were males with females accounting for 49.8 per cent.
“Youth is the future of the nation, and with our young Crown Prince who has empowered us and given us the Vision 2030, the youth can finally achieve its dreams,” said Afrah Suhail, a 32-year-old PhD student in Riyadh.
The results, released on Wednesday, showed that the kingdom’s youth's median age stood at 29, with the proportion of Saudis aged under 30 amounting to 63 per cent of the total population.
Saudi Arabia has also recorded the highest annual growth rate among the world’s 20 biggest economies in 2022, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
“The Saudi 2022 census is an important national project, and its outputs will be a key pillar for planning and decision-making, developing economic and social policy, creating development plans for various sectors and services, and supporting the investment environment in the kingdom,” said Faisal Al Ibrahim, the Minister of Economy and Planning and the Chairman of the General Authority for Statistics.
“Today you see Saudi women everywhere, including space.
“The first Arab woman in space is a Saudi, this is something we never imagined” said Abeer Jamil, a Saudi nurse in Jeddah.
“It is giving hope to kids and youth that anything is possible, it's a very positive and motivating era for women and youth,” added the 29-year-old.
The kingdom's labour force participation rose to 52.5 per cent last year from 51.5 per cent in 2021, with higher participation among both genders and the youth.
“During the past three years, female labour force participation has seen tremendous improvement … reflecting the overall improvement in labour policies,” according to a report by Jadwa Investment.
“Wherever you go today, you find talented, hardworking and ambitious youth, male and female, leading their nation's growth and contributing to its success,” says Haifa Khalil, a 29-year-old Saudi graphic designer.
“It's thanks to the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who gave us the opportunity to work, drive and make our families, community and nation proud.”
Saudi authorities gathered the data by placing more than one million phone calls, and 900,200 field visits.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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