<p>Understanding primate abundance and distribution provides insights into species ecology, habitat preferences, and the impact of environmental and anthropogenic pressures on primate populations. Urbanization and human expansion in Saudi Arabia have contributed to increased conflict between humans and hamadryas baboons (<i>Papio hamadryas</i>). We present population estimates and a distribution model for hamadryas baboons in Saudi Arabia in 2022, and compare our findings with those of a 1989 study to assess changes over the past three decades. We used methods similar to those used in the 1989 study, with minor modifications, conducting systematic population surveys along 15 transects across six administrative regions from March to October 2022. We used 502 baboon presence locations to model baboon distribution and identify suitable habitats, using a maximum entropy framework (MaxEnt) with ecologically relevant covariates. Using the areas derived from MaxEnt and regional density data, we estimated the total population size of hamadryas baboons to be 19,436 individuals living in semi-urban, semi-natural, and natural environments. This is a stark contrast to the estimate of 1079 individuals more than three decades ago. Baboon occurrence data indicated that since 1989, baboon distribution has expanded southward, eastward, and westward but contracted in the north. MaxEnt response curves showed baboons avoided areas with high temperatures and human disturbance. Baboons preferred altitudes between 1500–3000 m having higher precipitation and moderate vegetation cover. These insights are crucial for developing strategies to promote human–primate coexistence in Saudi Arabia.</p>