JEDDAH — More than half of Saudi Arabia’s residents (56 percent) believe patterns of numbers hold particular meaning or have a positive influence on their mood, Virgin Mobile said in a new data.



In addition, 41 percent of people in the Kingdom claim to have a favorite number. According to the research, people in Saudi believe that seven is the best digit, with 17 percent naming it as their favorite number. Five is the next most preferred number, with 11 percent claiming it as their favorite, followed by 4 (9 percent).



Saudi Arabian residents are not alone in favoring the number seven – the special figure is also known to be the world’s favorite digit according to global surveys.



When it comes to determining why certain numbers are most likely to bring good fortune, for a third of women in Saudi Arabia (30 percent), favorite numbers are based simply on a preference for even digits. However, 14 percent of women said they preferred certain numbers for cultural reasons or due to anniversaries and birthdays. 



While a large percentage believe certain numbers offer good fortune, just 9 percent of people in Saudi Arabia claimed to associate particular numbers with misfortune, meaning Saudis are bucking the global trend. In France, for example, some people believe so strongly in the power of numbers that they avoid apartments with the number 13 due to its associations with misfortune.



Virgin Mobile is allowing consumers to choose their mobile phone numbers via its website, with one million numbers now available from Virgin Mobile’s 0570 range.  The numbers are up for grabs on a first come first served basis on www.virginmobile.sa.



Karim Benkirane, Chief Executive Officer at Virgin Mobile, said: “This research is particularly interesting to us a at Virgin Mobile as we know the power of numbers and the value people place in getting the right digits. That is one of the main reasons we’re giving customers the chance to select their preferred mobile number. With our 0570 numbers, we can guarantee everyone has at least one 7 in their number; the rest is up to our customers to select their favorite combination.” — SG