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Saudi Arabia vs Texas Size: How Much Bigger Is Saudi Arabia?

By SimpleMapLab·Published 15 May 2026·Reviewed against CIA Factbook + US EIA·CC-BY 4.0

Saudi Arabia covers 830,000 sq mi (2.15 million km²) — the 12th-largest country in the world. Texas covers 268,596 sq mi (695,662 km²) — the second-largest US state. Saudi Arabia is 3.09× larger — about three Texases fit inside. But Texas flips the script economically: $2.6T GDPvs Saudi's $1.07T (Texas is 2.43× bigger by economy despite being one-third the area).

Diagram showing 3.09 Texases tiled inside Saudi Arabia at true equal-area scale. The world's two largest oil-producing regions compared.3 Texases fit inside Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia 830,000 sq mi · Texas 268,596 sq miSAUDI ARABIA1230.09Each shape = 1 Texassimplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/saudi-arabia-vs-texas · CC-BY 4.0
Three Texas silhouettes plus a 0.09 partial packed inside Saudi Arabia at true equal-area scale.
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At a glance: Saudi Arabia vs Texas by the numbers

MetricSaudi ArabiaTexasRatio
Total area (sq mi)830,000268,5963.09× SA
Population (2024)36,400,00030,500,0001.19× SA
Density (/sq mi)441172.66× TX
GDP (2024)$1.1T$2.6T2.43× TX
Oil production (Mb/d)10.55.41.94× SA
Coastline (mi)1,6403674.47× SA
Highest point (ft)9,843 (Jabal Sawda)8,751 (Guadalupe Pk)—
World rank (area)12th country2nd US state—

The oil-giant matchup: Saudi outpumps, Texas out-earns

Saudi Arabia and Texas are the world's two largest oil-producing regions. Saudi pumps roughly 10.5 million barrels per day (state-owned Aramco, plus minor private); Texas pumps ~5.4 million bbl/day (mostly private operators in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford). Saudi production is 1.94× Texas's.

But the economic outcome inverts: Texas's $2.6 trillion GDP is 2.43× Saudi's $1.07 trillion. Reasons: Texas's economy is diversified far beyond oil (tech in Austin, healthcare in Dallas, aerospace in Houston, finance throughout, agriculture across the Panhandle). Saudi's economy remains heavily oil-dependent — petroleum and petrochemicals make up about 45% of GDP. Vision 2030, Saudi's diversification plan, aims to shift the economy toward tourism, manufacturing, and renewables.

Both regions are mostly desert

Saudi Arabia is roughly 95% uninhabited desert. The southeast quadrant is the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter) — the world's largest contiguous sand desert at ~250,000 sq mi. No permanent settlements, sand dunes hundreds of feet tall, temperatures regularly exceeding 130°F. The population clusters in three zones: the western Hejaz (Mecca, Medina, Jeddah), the central Najd (Riyadh), and the eastern oil region (Dammam, Dhahran, Khobar).

Texas has substantial desert too: the Chihuahuan Desert covers western Texas (Big Bend, El Paso, Marfa). The Llano Estacado plateau covers the Panhandle. But Texas also has Gulf Coast humid subtropical climate, East Texas pine forests, and the Hill Country oak savannas — much more variety. About 84% of Texas is rural in terms of land use, but population is concentrated in the Texas Triangle (Houston-Dallas-San Antonio-Austin).

Drawn to scale: Saudi Arabia next to Texas

Both regions at the same area-per-pixel scale.

Side-by-side equal-area: Saudi Arabia next to Texas at the same pixel scale.Saudi Arabia is 3.09× the area of TexasSaudi Arabia830,000 sq miTexas268,596 sq mi
Saudi Arabia rendered with rotate −45°, parallels 18/30°N. Texas with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving.

What else is the size of Saudi Arabia?

What else is the size of Texas?

10 surprising facts about Saudi Arabia vs Texas

  1. Saudi is 3.09× Texas. Three Texases fit inside Saudi Arabia.
  2. Texas's GDP is 2.43× Saudi's. $2.6T vs $1.07T — Texas economy bigger despite one-third the area.
  3. Saudi pumps 1.94× more oil than Texas. 10.5 vs 5.4 million bbl/day.
  4. Texas oil exceeds every OPEC country except Saudi Arabia. If Texas were a country, it'd be the world's #2 oil producer.
  5. Saudi is 95% uninhabited desert. The Rub' al Khali alone is 250,000 sq mi — about the size of all of Texas.
  6. The Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali) is roughly the size of Texas. The world's largest contiguous sand desert.
  7. Saudi has 1.19× Texas's population. 36.4M vs 30.5M — slightly more people on 3× the land.
  8. Saudi's coastline (1,640 mi) is 4.47× Texas's. Saudi has Red Sea (west) + Persian Gulf (east); Texas has only the Gulf of Mexico.
  9. Saudi's capital Riyadh is roughly the same latitude as Houston. Both around 25°N — similar sun exposure year-round.
  10. Texas + Saudi combined = ~1.1 million sq mi. Bigger than Alaska. Together they pump ~16 million bbl/day of oil — roughly 16% of global production.

Methodology and sources

Area: CIA World Factbook 2024 (Saudi) + US Census 2020 (Texas).

Oil production: US Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2024 averages.

Projections: Saudi Arabia with d3.geoConicEqualArea (rotate −45°, parallels 18/30°N); Texas with standard US Albers. Both equal-area-preserving. Last reviewed 15 May 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Saudi Arabia covers approximately 830,000 sq mi (2,149,690 km²); Texas covers 268,596 sq mi (695,662 km²). Saudi Arabia is 3.09 times larger by total area. Three Texases plus a small partial fit inside Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is 3.09× larger than Texas — about 561,000 sq mi more land. That difference is larger than Alaska + South Carolina combined, or roughly the size of Iran.
Saudi Arabia produces more crude oil — about 10.5 million barrels/day (2024 avg). Texas produces ~5.4 million barrels/day. Saudi outproduces Texas by 1.94×. However, Texas's oil production alone exceeds every OPEC country except Saudi Arabia, and Texas is the #1 oil-producing US state by a wide margin.
Texas. Texas GDP (2024): $2.6 trillion — would rank #8 in the world if Texas were a country. Saudi Arabia GDP (2024): ~$1.07 trillion (#18 world). Texas's economy is 2.43× Saudi's despite being one-third the area. Texas's diversified economy (energy + tech + finance + agriculture) outperforms Saudi's oil-dominated economy.
Saudi Arabia has approximately 36.4 million people; Texas has 30.5 million. Saudi has 1.19× Texas's population on 3.09× the land — making Saudi Arabia much less densely populated overall (44/sq mi vs Texas's 117/sq mi). Most of Saudi's interior is the Rub' al Khali (Empty Quarter), one of Earth's largest sand deserts.
Both have substantial desert terrain. Saudi Arabia is mostly arid Arabian Plateau plus the Rub' al Khali (the world's largest contiguous sand desert, 250,000 sq mi). Texas has the Chihuahuan Desert in the west and Llano Estacado plateau. Both have significant coastlines (Texas Gulf of Mexico; Saudi Red Sea + Persian Gulf), and both produce most of their petroleum from sedimentary basins.
Saudi Arabia is dramatically hotter on average. Summer temperatures in Riyadh average 110°F (43°C); record highs reach 124°F (51°C). Texas summer averages 95°F (35°C) in Dallas/Houston, with record highs around 120°F (49°C) in remote areas. Saudi's deserts have lower humidity but higher daytime temperatures.
Saudi Arabia (830,000 sq mi) is approximately 1.45× the size of Alaska (570,641 sq mi) or 3.18× Texas. It's larger than Alaska alone, the next-closest US state by area. Saudi + Texas combined ≈ 1.10 million sq mi — bigger than the entire state of Alaska.
Saudi Arabia is approximately the size of Mexico × 1.09, Greenland × 0.99, Iran × 1.31, or Texas + Alaska combined × 0.99. Among countries, it ranks 12th by area (between Algeria and Mexico).
Roughly 95% of Saudi Arabia is uninhabited desert. The population is concentrated in the western Hejaz region (Mecca, Medina, Jeddah), the central Najd plateau (Riyadh), and the eastern oil region (Dammam, Dhahran). The Rub' al Khali in the southeast is one of the most hostile environments on Earth — temperatures regularly exceed 130°F, no permanent settlements, sand dunes hundreds of feet tall.

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Suggested citation: SimpleMapLab (2026). Saudi Arabia vs Texas Size. Retrieved from https://www.simplemaplab.com/size-comparisons/saudi-arabia-vs-texas. CC-BY 4.0.