List of governorates of Saudi Arabia

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.

Administrative Division

Native name	محافظات المملكة العربية السعودية
Type	Second-level administrative division
Country	Saudi Arabia
Number	136
Established	1992
Subdivisions	Markaz
Administered by	Governors
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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.

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.

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 (مراكز), also known as sub-governorates. These centers handle local service delivery and coordinate with provincial authorities.

List of 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	–	–

See also

• Saudi Arabia portal

• Provinces of Saudi Arabia
• List of cities and towns in Saudi Arabia
• Subdivisions of Saudi Arabia