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In 2022, the number of Christians living in Saudi Arabia was estimated at 2.1 million; however, it was unknown how many are Protestants, Catholics or Orthodox [17] Other estimates put this at over 2 million.
There are an estimated 2 million Christians in Saudi Arabia — mostly foreign workers—compared to over 32 million Muslims, according to Open Doors.
In most countries the expatriates have freedom of worship but are not allowed to try to convert Muslims to Christianity. In Saudi Arabia, public expressions of non-Muslim religion are...
Thriving Christian communities exist among the millions of migrant workers in the region. Church buildings are bursting at the seams, overflowing into rented hotels and movie theaters.
Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam, has outlawed churches and punished Christian worship for decades. The kingdom's 1.4 million Christians meet in secret, but authorities are signaling more...
According to the 1992 Basic Law of Governance, the country’s official religion is Islam and the constitution is the Quran and Sunna (traditions and practices based on the life of the Prophet Muhammad). The legal system is based largely on sharia as interpreted by the Hanbali school of Sunni Islamic jurisprudence.
Despite whatever strides have been made, religious freedom in Saudi Arabia continues to be treated like a benefit granted by authorities instead of a right permitted under international law, USCIRF said in its December report.
Between 85 and 90 percent of the approximately 21 million Saudi citizens are Sunni Muslims. Shia Muslims constitute 10 to 12 percent of the citizen population and an estimated 25 to 30 percent of the Eastern Province’s population.
Hostility toward Christians in Saudi Arabia is generally the same all over the country, but it can be more acute in rural areas. A possible exception is Western expatriate compounds, where there is less pressure to adhere to strict Islamic norms.
Some parts of modern Saudi Arabia, such as Najran, were predominantly Christian until the 7th to 10th century, when most Christians were expelled, converted to Islam or left the region via the Sea route to Asia, with which merchant trade already existed, others migrated north to Jordan and Syria. [309]