Yemen

Broadcast media

state-run TV with 2 stations; state-run radio with 2 national radio stations and 5 local stations; stations from Oman and Saudi Arabia can be accessed (2007)

Internet country code

.ye

Internet hosts

33,206 (2012) country comparison to the world: 105

Internet users

2.349 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 71

Telephone system

general assessment: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the national network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, tropospheric scatter, GSM and CDMA mobile-cellular telephone systems; fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains low by regional standards international: country code - 967; landing point for the international submarine cable Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG); satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti (2006)

Telephones - main lines in use

1.1 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 72

Telephones - mobile cellular

13.9 million (2012) country comparison to the world: 60

Agriculture - products

grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Budget

revenues: $7.769 billion expenditures: $12.31 billion (2013 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-10.3% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 206

Central bank discount rate

NA%

Commercial bank prime lending rate

22% (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 12 23% (31 December 2012 est.)

Current account balance

-$3.312 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 161 -$985 million (2012 est.)

Debt - external

$7.806 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 106 $7.419 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

37.7 (2005) country comparison to the world: 74 33.4 (1998)

Economy - overview

Yemen is a low income country that is highly dependent on declining oil resources for revenue. Petroleum accounts for roughly 25% of GDP and 63% of government revenue. Yemen has tried to counter the effects of its declining oil resources and continuing attacks on its oil pipelines by diversifying its economy through an economic reform program initiated in 2006 that is designed to bolster non-oil sectors of the economy and foreign investment. In October 2009, Yemen exported its first liquefied natural gas as part of this diversification effort. In January 2010, the international community established the Friends of Yemen group that aims to support Yemen's efforts toward economic and political reform. In 2012, the Friends of Yemen pledged nearly $7 billion in assistance to Yemen. The Yemeni Government also endorsed a Mutual Accountability Framework to facilitate the efficient implementation of donor aid. The unrest that began in early 2011 caused GDP to plunge almost 11% in 2011. Availability of basic services, including electricity, water, and fuel, has improved since the transition, but progress toward achieving more sustainable economic stability has been slow and uneven. Yemen continues to face difficult long-term challenges, including declining water resources, high unemployment, severe food scarcity, and a high population growth rate.

Exchange rates

Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 214.9 (2013 est.) 214.35 (2012 est.) 219.59 (2010 est.) 202.85 (2009) 199.76 (2008)

Exports

$6.694 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 105 $7.57 billion (2012 est.)

Exports - commodities

crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish, liquefied natural gas

Exports - partners

China 41%, Thailand 19.2%, India 11.4%, South Korea 4.4% (2013 est.)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$43.89 billion (2013 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$61.63 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 89 $58.45 billion (2012 est.) $57.36 billion (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 80.3% government consumption: 12.5% investment in fixed capital: 18.4% investment in inventories: -4% exports of goods and services: 17.8% imports of goods and services: -24.9% (2013 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 7.7% industry: 30.9% services: 61.4% (2013 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,500 (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 187 $2,500 (2012 est.) $2,500 (2011 est.) note: data are in 2013 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

3.8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 86 0.1% (2012 est.) -10.5% (2011 est.)

Gross national saving

4.2% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 9.6% of GDP (2012 est.) 6.3% of GDP (2011 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 30.8% (2005)

Imports

$10.97 billion (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $12.49 billion (2012 est.)

Imports - commodities

food and live animals, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners

EU 48.8%, UAE 9.8%, Switzerland 8.8%, China 7.4%, India 5.8% (2013 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

4.8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 60

Industries

crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles, leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; aluminum products; cement; commercial ship repair; natural gas production

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.8% (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 213 9.9% (2012 est.)

Labor force

7.1 million (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 63

Labor force - by occupation

most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

45.2% (2003)

Public debt

47.1% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 73 45.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$5.538 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $6.158 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of broad money

$14.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 $12.35 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$NA

Stock of domestic credit

$11.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 93 $9.576 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$5.753 billion (31 December 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 96 $5.142 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

17.7% of GDP (2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 176

Unemployment rate

35% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 188

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

23.75 million Mt (2011 est.)

Crude oil - exports

175,200 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 31

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 145

Crude oil - production

156,500 bbl/day (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 44

Crude oil - proved reserves

3 billion bbl (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 31

Electricity - consumption

5.515 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 111

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 216

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 2

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 210

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 208

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 143

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 217

Electricity - installed generating capacity

1.53 million kW (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 114

Electricity - production

7.292 billion kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 106

Natural gas - consumption

869.9 million cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 90

Natural gas - exports

8.75 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Natural gas - production

9.62 billion cu m (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 42

Natural gas - proved reserves

478.5 billion cu m (1 January 2013 est.) country comparison to the world: 33

Refined petroleum products - consumption

177,000 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 62

Refined petroleum products - exports

14,330 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Refined petroleum products - imports

59,050 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 62

Refined petroleum products - production

86,330 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 76

Area

total: 527,968 sq km country comparison to the world: 50 land: 527,968 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)

Climate

mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east

Coastline

1,906 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Environment - current issues

limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 3.57 cu km/yr (7%/2%/91%) per capita: 162.4 cu m/yr (2005)

Geographic coordinates

15 00 N, 48 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes

Irrigated land

6,801 sq km (2004)

Land boundaries

total: 1,746 km border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km

Land use

arable land: 2.2% permanent crops: 0.55% other: 97.25% (2011)

Location

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards

sandstorms and dust storms in summer volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Jebel at Tair (Jabal al-Tair, Jebel Teir, Jabal al-Tayr, Jazirat at-Tair) (elev. 244 m), which forms an island in the Red Sea, erupted in 2007 after awakening from dormancy; other historically active volcanoes include Harra of Arhab, Harras of Dhamar, Harra es-Sawad, and Jebel Zubair, although many of these have not erupted in over a century

Natural resources

petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west

Terrain

narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula

Total renewable water resources

2.1 cu km (2011)

Administrative divisions

20 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) and 1 municipality*; Abyan, 'Adan (Aden), Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Amanat al 'Asimah (Sanaa City)*, 'Amran, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Raymah, Sa'dah, San'a' (Sanaa), Shabwah, Ta'izz

Capital

name: Sanaa geographic coordinates: 15 21 N, 44 12 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Constitution

adopted by referendum 16 May 1991 (following unification); amended several times, last in 2009; note - in early 2013, the Yemeni Government launched a National Dialogue to seek reforms and recommendations for a new constitution (2013)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman former: Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karen H. SASAHARA (since July 2013) embassy: Sa'awan Street, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 755-2000 ext. 2153 or 2266 FAX: [967] (1) 303-182

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Adel Ali Ahmed AL-SUNAINI chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Executive branch

chief of state: President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI (Field Marshal) (since 25 February 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Salim BA SINDWAH (since 27 November 2011); Deputy Prime Ministers Abdallah Muhsin al-AKWA and Ahmad Ubayd BIN DAGHIR cabinet: on 27 November 2011, Vice President HADI requested Interim Prime Minister Muhammad Salim BA SINDWAH to form a new government following the resignation of President SALIH on 24 November 2011 (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website) elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term based on constitution; however a special election was held on 21 February 2012 to remove Ali Abdallah SALIH based on a GCC-mediated deal during the political crisis of 2011 (next election expected in 2014); vice president appointed by the president but position is vacant; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI elected as a consensus president with about 50% popular participation; no other candidates

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white) note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band

Government type

republic

Independence

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); note - previously North Yemen became independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate in 1962; South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the president of the Court, 2 deputies, and nearly 50 judges; court organized into constitutional, civil, commercial, family, administrative, criminal, military, and appeals scrutiny divisions) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the Supreme Judicial Council, chaired by the president of the republic and consisting of 10 high-ranking judicial officers; judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: appeal courts; district or first instance courts; commercial courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of Islamic law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law

Legislative branch

bicameral legislature consisting of a Shura Council (111 seats; members appointed by the president) and House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote in single-member constituencies to serve six-year terms) elections: last held on 27 April 2003 (scheduled April 2009 election postponed) election results: House of Representatives percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - GPC 238, Islah 47, YSP 6, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'th Party 2, independents 5

National anthem

name: "al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida" (United Republic)

National holiday

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

National symbol(s)

golden eagle

Political parties and leaders

General People's Congress or GPC [Ali Abdallah SALIH, Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI] Islamic Reform Grouping or Islah [Muhammed Abdallah al-YADUMI, Abdul Wahab al-ANSI] Nasserite Unionist Party [Sultan al-ATWANI] Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP [Yasin Said NU'MAN] note: there are at least seven more active political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Muslim Brotherhood Women National Committee other: conservative tribal groups; Huthis, southern secessionist groups; al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

North Yemen became independent of the Ottoman Empire in 1918. The British, who had set up a protectorate area around the southern port of Aden in the 19th century, withdrew in 1967 from what became South Yemen. Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation. The massive exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states. The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990. A southern secessionist movement and brief civil war in 1994 was quickly subdued. In 2000, Saudi Arabia and Yemen agreed to a delimitation of their border. Fighting in the northwest between the government and the Huthis, a Zaydi Shia minority, began in 2004 and has since resulted in six rounds of fighting - the last ended in early 2010 with a cease-fire that continues to hold. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2008 when a popular socioeconomic protest movement initiated the prior year took on political goals including secession. Public rallies in Sana'a against then President SALIH - inspired by similar demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt - slowly built momentum starting in late January 2011 fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. By the following month, some protests had resulted in violence, and the demonstrations had spread to other major cities. By March the opposition had hardened its demands and was unifying behind calls for SALIH's immediate ouster, and prominent military and tribal leaders began defecting from SALIH's camp. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in late April 2011, in an attempt to mediate the crisis in Yemen, proposed an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH's refusal to sign an agreement led to heavy street fighting and his injury in an explosion in June 2011. The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2014 in October 2011 calling on both sides to end the violence and complete a power transfer deal. In late November 2011, SALIH signed the GCC-brokered agreement to step down and to transfer some of his powers to Vice President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI. Following elections in February 2012, won by HADI, SALIH formally transferred his powers. In accordance with the GCC initiative, Yemen launched a National Dialogue in March 2013 to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues. HADI concluded the National Dialogue in January 2014. Subsequent steps in the transition process include constitutional drafting, a constitutional referendum, and national elections.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 5,652,256 females age 16-49: 5,387,160 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 4,056,944 females age 16-49: 4,116,895 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 287,141 female: 277,612 (2010 est.)

Military - note

a Coast Guard was established in 2002

Military branches

Land Forces; Naval and Coastal Defense Forces (includes Marines); Air and Air Defense Force (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Yemeniya); Border Guards; Strategic Reserve Forces (2013)

Military expenditures

4.02% of GDP (2012) country comparison to the world: 11 3.48% of GDP (2011) 4.02% of GDP (2010)

Military service age and obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; no conscription; 2-year service obligation (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 41.7% (male 5,523,744/female 5,336,795) 15-24 years: 21.1% (male 2,789,510/female 2,709,263) 25-54 years: 30.9% (male 4,106,917/female 3,933,852) 55-64 years: 3.7% (male 450,185/female 515,255) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 320,426/female 367,019) (2014 est.)

Birth rate

31.02 births/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 39

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 1,334,288 percentage: 23 % (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

43.1% (2003) country comparison to the world: 3

Contraceptive prevalence rate

27.7% (2006)

Death rate

6.45 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 153

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 74.1 % youth dependency ratio: 69 % elderly dependency ratio: 5.1 % potential support ratio: 19.7 (2014 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 72% of population rural: 46.5% of population total: 54.9% of population unimproved: urban: 28% of population rural: 53.5% of population total: 45.1% of population (2012 est.)

Education expenditures

5.2% of GDP (2008) country comparison to the world: 67

Ethnic groups

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asians, Europeans

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

HIV/AIDS - deaths

800 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

18,800 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 82

Health expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2011) country comparison to the world: 122

Hospital bed density

0.7 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Infant mortality rate

total: 50.41 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 38 male: 54.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 45.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Languages

Arabic (official)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 64.83 years country comparison to the world: 175 male: 62.72 years female: 67.04 years (2014 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 65.3% male: 82.1% female: 48.5% (2011 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2013)

Major urban areas - population

SANAA (capital) 2.419 million; Aden 784,000 (2011)

Maternal mortality rate

200 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 57

Median age

total: 18.6 years male: 18.5 years female: 18.7 years (2014 est.)

Nationality

noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni

Net migration rate

2.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

14.5% (2008) country comparison to the world: 121

Physicians density

0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

26,052,966 (July 2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 48

Population growth rate

2.72% (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 20

Religions

Muslim 99.1% (official; virtually all are citizens, an estimated 65% are Sunni and 35% are Shia), other 0.9% (includes Jewish, Baha'i, Hindu, and Christian; many are refugees or temporary foreign residents) (2010 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 92.5% of population rural: 34.1% of population total: 53.3% of population unimproved: urban: 7.5% of population rural: 65.9% of population total: 46.7% of population (2012 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years male: 11 years female: 8 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.09 children born/woman (2014 est.) country comparison to the world: 36

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 33.7% country comparison to the world: 22 male: 26% female: 74% (2010)

Urbanization

urban population: 32.3% of total population (2011) rate of urbanization: 4.78% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Saudi Arabia has reinforced its concrete-filled security barrier along sections of the fully demarcated border with Yemen to stem illegal cross-border activities

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 5,740 (Ethiopia) (2013); 233,723 (Somalia) (2014) IDPs: 309,823 (conflict in Sa'ada governorate; clashes between AQAP and government forces) (2014)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Yemen is a source and, to a much lesser extent, transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; some Yemeni children, mostly boys, migrate to Yemeni cities or across the border to Saudi Arabia and, less frequently Oman, where they end up as forced laborers in domestic service or small shops, beggars, or prostitutes; some of the large number of child workers in Yemen also face conditions of forced labor; other Yemeni children are conscripted into the government's armed forces or tribal or rebel militias; to a lesser degree, Yemen is a country of origin for girls trafficked within country or to Saudi Arabia to work as prostitutes in hotels and clubs; additionally, Yemen is a destination and transit country for women and children from the Horn of Africa who are looking for work or have received false job offers in the Gulf states but are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor upon arrival; reports indicate that adults and children are still sold or inherited as slaves in Yemen tier rating: Tier 3 - Yemen does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; prolonged political, economic, and security crises impeded the government's modest anti-trafficking efforts; the government has not instituted formal procedures to identify and protect victims of trafficking or investigate or prosecute officials complicit in trafficking-related crimes; no known efforts have been made to investigate or punish the practice of chattel slavery; the government has taken some steps to prevent the recruitment of children in the armed forces, but it is unclear if efforts have been made to remove child soldiers from the military and provide them with protective or rehabilitative services; no progress has been made in implementing Yemen's 2008 national action plan on trafficking (2013)

Airports

57 (2013) country comparison to the world: 83

Airports - with paved runways

total: 17 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 40 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 9 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 5 country comparison to the world: 126 by type: chemical tanker 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 14 (Moldova 4, Panama 4, Sierra Leone 2, Togo 1, unknown 3) (2010)

Pipelines

gas 641 km; liquid petroleum gas 22 km; oil 1,370 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla

Roadways

total: 71,300 km country comparison to the world: 66 paved: 6,200 km unpaved: 65,100 km (2005)

Transportation - note

the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators reduced the incidence of piracy in that body of water by more than half in 2010