I have a friend who for professional reasons lives in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
He has invited me to visit him.
My friend tells me that they are making an effort to modernize and open up to tourism.
He says that it is no longer the closed and difficult country to visit that it once was.
I decide to accept the invitation.
After announcing my decision to my sister Maria, she refers to Saudi Arabia as a developed country.
That arouses my curiosity.
Indeed, it is a rich country.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in 2022 Saudi Arabia is among the 20 countries with the highest nominal gross domestic product in the world.
However, I wonder: besides being rich, can Saudi Arabia be considered a developed country?
I look at economipedia.com and read the following: “A developed country is one that has achieved a high GDP
per capita
(although there is no generally accepted minimum) and in turn shows good results in its development indicators.
Thus, the level of literacy, the coverage of medical services, life expectancy, among others, are evaluated.
According to this definition, Saudi Arabia looks like a developed country: its GDP is high, its literacy rate is 95.33% (according to UNESCO), the life expectancy at birth of its population is 75 years (in 2020).
In addition, its medical services are solid: in 2016, per capita
public spending
on health was 703 euros per inhabitant, which represents 10.06% of total public spending.
In the table that compares the countries by the amount they spend on healthcare, Saudi Arabia ranks 24th out of a total of 191 countries.
Salwa is a tour guide who runs a travel agency in Riyadh.
She has helped me prepare my excursion to Madain Saleh, an archaeological site 22 kilometers from the city of Al-Ula, in the north of the country.
It is the first place in Saudi Arabia to be declared a World Heritage Site.
Some know her as “Petra's pretty sister”.
Without a doubt, it is one of the most impressive places I have visited.
Salwa wears a hijab, which is a veil that leaves the face free.
During my stay in the country we have talked a lot.
She has told me how important the opening of Saudi Arabia is for all Saudis who, like her, live from tourism.
She is very excited about the discreet modernization of the country, and her face lights up when she explains to me that, finally, they are going to teach music in national schools to boys and girls.
Isn't it a country for tourists?
Impressed by her beauty, Madain Saleh sent a WhatsApp message to Carlos, a journalist friend.
He announces that I am in Saudi Arabia.
My friend responds with an unpleasant phone message in which he reproaches me for my decision to travel to this country.
He bases his reproach on, among other things, Saudi Arabia's position on women and freedom of expression.
According to Amnesty International report 2021/22, the Saudi Specialized Criminal Court imposed harsh prison sentences on people for expressing dissenting views.
This court handed down harsh prison sentences to several men for their work defending human rights and expressing dissenting opinions on media such as Twitter.
As far as women are concerned, and always according to the Amnesty International report, they continue to be severely discriminated against in relation to marriage, divorce, inheritance and child custody... I think that we must also take into account these types of circumstances when deciding whether a country can be considered developed or not.
I like to get to know new places (they are not always easy destinations) to get a better idea of the world in which I live.
Deciding to visit a country is not judging the political system or the rulers of the country you are visiting.
I am very happy to have visited Saudi Arabia.
I have loved this country.
Because, among many other things, this trip has allowed me to get to know places and people as wonderful as Madain Salé and Salwa, the endearing tour guide.
Miguel Forcat Luque
is an economist from the Complutense University of Madrid and an official of the European Commission.
The article does not necessarily reflect the point of view of the institution for which he works.
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