While the kingdom has faced criticism from human rights organizations, it insists that it is always acting in accordance with Sunni Islamic morality, particularly its Wahhabi influences. In recent decades there have been reports of an underground LGBT community. Homosexuality and cross-dressing are widely seen as immoral acts and are treated as serious crimes deserving of stoning, whipping, prison or execution. LGBT rights in Saudi Arabia are not recognized. Saudi Arabia is often called one of two Energy superpowers (the other is Russia). Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports and nearly 75 percent of government revenues, facilitating the creation of a welfare state, which the government has found difficult to fund during periods of low oil prices.
Saudi Arabia is the world’s leading petroleum exporter.
