---
title: "France vs Saudi Arabia — area, population, currency"
description: "France is 643,801 km² with 68,720,337 people; Saudi Arabia is 2,149,690 km² with 36,973,555. Area, density, currency, languages and time zones side by side."
url: https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-saudi-arabia/
site: "At One Place"
---

# France vs Saudi Arabia

**France vs Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is larger; France has more people**

643,801 km² vs 2,149,690 km² · 68,720,337 vs 36,973,555

Saudi Arabia is 3.3 times larger than France — 2,149,690 against 643,801 km². France is 1.9 times more populous than Saudi Arabia — 68,720,337 against 36,973,555 people.

## Side by side

|  | France | Saudi Arabia |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital | Paris | Riyadh |
| Area | 643,801 km² | 2,149,690 km² |
| Population | 68,720,337 (2025) | 36,973,555 (2025) |
| Density | 106.7 /km² | 17.2 /km² |
| Currency | Euro (EUR) | Saudi riyal (SAR) |
| Official languages | French | Arabic |
| Time zones | UTC+01:00 | UTC+03:00 |
| Calling code | +33 | +966 |
| Drives on the | right | right |
| Continent | Europe | Asia |
| ISO codes | FR / FRA | SA / SAU |

## Population density

France is 6.2 times more densely populated than Saudi Arabia — 107 against 17 people per km². Density is where area and population interact, and it often reverses the impression the headline figures give — a large country with a small population can feel emptier than a small crowded one by an enormous margin.

## Practical differences

- Different currencies: the Euro and the Saudi riyal.
- Different continents — Europe and Asia.

## France

Mont Blanc on the Italian border is 4,806 m, the highest point in western Europe. Counting its overseas departments, France spans twelve time zones — more than any other country — and its exclusive economic zone is the second largest in the world. The Gouffre Mirolda and other Alpine systems make it one of the great caving countries.

## Saudi Arabia

The Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter, is the largest continuous sand desert in the world at about 650,000 km² — bigger than France. Saudi Arabia has no permanent rivers or lakes at all, which is true of only a handful of countries. It holds roughly a sixth of the world's proven oil reserves.

> Neutral facts only. Nothing here addresses politics, government, economics or which country is preferable in any respect — population is the one figure that dates, and it carries its year.

## Common questions

### Is France bigger than Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia is larger — 2,149,690 km² against 643,801 km².

### Which has more people, France or Saudi Arabia?

France, with 68,720,337 against 36,973,555.

### What is the time difference between France and Saudi Arabia?

France is UTC+01:00 and Saudi Arabia is UTC+03:00. Daylight saving shifts the gap during the year in places that observe it.

## Related pages

- [France](https://atoneplace.net/country/france/)
- [Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country/saudi-arabia/)
- [India vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/india-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [China vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-france/)
- [China vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/china-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [Japan vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/japan-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [Canada vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-france/)
- [Canada vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/canada-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [Australia vs France](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-france/)
- [Australia vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/australia-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [New Zealand vs Saudi Arabia](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/new-zealand-vs-saudi-arabia/)
- [France vs United States](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-united-states/)
- [France vs India](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-india/)
- [France vs United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/country-vs/france-vs-united-kingdom/)

## Sources

- The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/) [Public domain (US Government)]
- World Bank Open Data — The World Bank (https://data.worldbank.org/) [CC BY 4.0]