King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud | |||||
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques | |||||
![]() King Salman in 2020 | |||||
King of Saudi Arabia | |||||
Reign | 23 January 2015 – present | ||||
Bay'ah | 23 January 2015 | ||||
Predecessor | Abdullah | ||||
Crown princes |
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Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia | |||||
In office 23 January 2015 – 27 September 2022 | |||||
Preceded by | Abdullah bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Succeeded by | Mohammed bin Salman | ||||
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Deputy Prime Minister | |||||
In office 18 June 2012 – 23 January 2015 | |||||
Monarch | Abdullah bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Prime Minister | Abdullah bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Preceded by | Nayef bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Succeeded by | Muqrin bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Minister of Defense | |||||
In office 5 November 2011 – 23 January 2015 | |||||
Prime Minister | King Abdullah | ||||
Preceded by | Sultan bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Succeeded by | Mohammed bin Salman | ||||
Governor of Riyadh Province | |||||
In office 5 February 1963 – 5 November 2011 | |||||
Appointed by | King Saud | ||||
Preceded by | Badr bin Saud | ||||
Succeeded by | Sattam bin Abdulaziz | ||||
In office 18 April 1955 – 22 September 1960 | |||||
Appointed by | King Saud | ||||
Preceded by | Nayef bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Succeeded by | Fawwaz bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Deputy Governor of Riyadh Province | |||||
In office 16 March 1954 – 18 April 1955 | |||||
Appointed by | King Saud | ||||
Preceded by | Nayef bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Succeeded by | Turki II bin Abdulaziz | ||||
Born | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 31 December 1935||||
Spouses |
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Issue Detail | List
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House | Al Saud | ||||
Father | Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia | ||||
Mother | Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi | ||||
Signature | ![]() |
Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Arabic: سَلمَانْ بْنْ عَبْدُ اَلْعَزِیزْ آلْ سُعُودْ, romanized: Salmān bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Āl Su‘ūd; born 31 December 1935) is King of Saudi Arabia, reigning since 2015, and was also Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. The 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, he assumed the throne on 23 January 2015. Prior to his accession, he was Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia from 18 June 2012 to 23 January 2015. Salman is the third oldest living head of state, the oldest living monarch, and Saudi Arabia's first head of state born after the unification of Saudi Arabia. He has a reported personal wealth of at least $18 billion, which makes him the third wealthiest royal in the world and one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.[1]
Salman is a son of King Abdulaziz and Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi, making him one of the Sudairi Seven. He was the deputy governor of Riyadh and later the governor of Riyadh for 48 years from 1963 to 2011. He was then appointed minister of defense. He was named crown prince in 2012. Salman became king in 2015 upon the death of his half-brother, King Abdullah. Since January 2024, he is the oldest surviving son of King Abdulaziz.
Salman's major initiatives as king include the Saudi intervention in the Yemeni Civil War, Saudi Vision 2030, and a 2017 decree allowing Saudi women to drive. His seventh son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is considered the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia due to the King's poor health and Mohammed's own political maneuvering.[2] Mohammed replaced his father as prime minister in 2022.[3]