Social welfare: As a welfare state, all citizens in Saudi Arabia enjoy free medical care and free education. Meanwhile, residents of the gulf states have long benefited from a tax-free and heavily-subsidized policy. However, tax-free living has become a thing of the past, as the Saudi cabinet approved a 5 percent levy on certain goods in January in the wake of an oil slump.

A Saudi woman wearing Virtual Reality goggles experiencing SAUDI ARAMCO oil plant tour during the 20th Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference (MOES 2017) in Manama, Bahrain, March 7, 2017. [Photo/VCG]