List of governorates of Saudi Arabia

Administrative Division
Native nameمحافظات المملكة العربية السعودية
TypeSecond-level administrative division
Country Saudi Arabia
Number136
Established1992
SubdivisionsMarkaz
Administered byGovernors

The governorates of Saudi Arabia are the second-level administrative divisions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, subordinate to the 13 first-level provinces. Each governorate is headed by an appointed governor.

Classification

Governorates are categorized into two levels based on population, availability of public services, geographic and environmental factors, security considerations, and transportation infrastructure. These categories are:

  Governorate (A)
  Governorate (B)

This classification is established in Article 3 of the Provinces System issued by King Fahd in 1992 and amended in 1993.[1][2]

History

The Provinces System was established in 1992 under a royal order by King Fahd, initially creating 118 governorates. This system aimed to decentralize governance and improve administrative efficiency by giving local authorities more oversight and responsibility.

In 2012, under the rule of King Abdullah, the number of governorates was increased to 136 to reflect the country's demographic and geographic developments.[3]

Administration

Each governorate is led by a governor (muḥāfiẓ) appointed by royal decree and assisted by a deputy governor. Governorates are further divided into administrative units called Markaz (مركز), also known as sub-governorates. These centers handle local service delivery and coordinate with provincial authorities.[2]

Governorates

  Governorate (A)
  Governorate (B)
Overall Original Governorate 2010 Census 2022 Census Map
Tabuk Province
1 1 Umluj 61,670 69,656
2 2 Al-Wajh 44,811 49,948
3 3 Duba 53,162 54,917
4 4 Tayma 36,666 42,164
5 5 Haql 28,399 27,712
6 6 Al-Bad' 18,673 17,973
Hail Province
7 1 Hait 58,123 74,596
8 2 Baqaa 40,211 56,362
9 3 Shanan 44,344 29,419
10 4 Shamli 19,059 20,946
11 5 Sumairah 17,874 19,563
12 6 Sulaimi 26,231 17,343
13 7 Mawqaq 21,173 16,835
14 8 Ghazalah 103,506 12,767
Northern Borders Province
15 1 Rafha 81,201 84,536
16 2 Turaif 49,277 66,004
17 3 Al-Uwayqilah 16,696 20,318
Medina Province
18 1 Yanbu 299,526 359,631
19 2 al-Ula 64,482 60,103
20 3 Badr 64,209 58,259
21 4 Mahd 61,936 48,590
22 5 Khaybar 48,901 45,532
23 6 Al-Hunakiyah 59,474 43,256
24 7 Wadi al-Fara 35,382 23,120
25 8 Al-Ais [ar] 30,169 22,445
Eastern Province
26 1 Al-Ahsa 1,067,691 1,104,267
27 2 Khobar 573,671 658,550
28 3 Qatif 524,417 552,442
29 4 Jubail 392,948 505,162
30 5 Hafar al-Batin 387,102 467,007
31 6 Khafji 77,328 84,316
32 7 Ras Tanura 62,069 62,314
33 8 Nariyah 52,403 52,340
34 9 Abqaiq 52,849 45,032
35 10 Qaryat al-Ulya 25,062 24,634
36 11 Al-Udeid 21,192 8,635
37 12 Al-Bayda – –

Defunct governorates

See also

References

  1. ^ "Saudi Arabia Regions". www.statoids.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  2. ^ a b "Organization of the Emirate of Makkah Province". Ministry of Interior.
  3. ^ "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques agrees to the addition of 46 new governorates and centers". Ar Riyadh. 26 April 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018.
  4. ^ "إلغاء محافظة الخرخير: أمر ملكي جديد". تغطيات (in Arabic). Retrieved 2026-03-11.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_governorates_of_Saudi_Arabia