Internal migration to Riyadh City: new trends and characteristics

Rshood Khraif, King Saud University

Riyadh is the biggest city in Saudi Arabia. It has about 4 million inhabitants in 2004. It witnessed rapid population growth and fast areal expansion during the last few decades. It has been receiving migrants from all parts of the Country. Recently, it has been suffering from massive migration. Pressure on educational, health, and public services, has been apparent. Poverty, unemployment, and crime is rising in the inner city. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to determine the major sources of migration, and explore the receiving areas inside the city, in addition to presenting characteristic of migrants and pinpointing recent trend of internal of migration to Riyadh. Migrants’ demographic, social, and economic characteristics such as age, income, marital status, and will be determined. The data from recent population survey will be utilized. New trends are expected to unfold. Finding will be useful for policy makers in the city.