Yemen

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 486,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.)

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

Internet country code

.ye

Internet users

percent of population: 14% (2020 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 728,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 20 million (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51 (2023 est.)

Agricultural products

mangoes/guavas, potatoes, milk, onions, spices, chicken, sorghum, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Budget

revenues: $2.207 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $3.585 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance

-$2.419 billion (2016 est.) -$3.026 billion (2015 est.) -$1.488 billion (2014 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

$6.492 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

low-income Middle Eastern economy; infrastructure, trade, and economic institutions devastated by civil war; oil/gas-dependent but decreasing reserves; massive poverty, food insecurity, and unemployment; high inflation

Exchange rates

Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 1,355.116 (2023 est.) 1,115.002 (2022 est.) 1,028.108 (2021 est.) 743.006 (2020 est.) 486.731 (2019 est.)

Exports

$384.5 million (2017 est.) $938.469 million (2016 est.) $1.867 billion (2015 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

gold, fish, scrap iron, shellfish, industrial acids/oils/alcohols (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

UAE 28%, India 21%, Saudi Arabia 17%, Oman 7%, Malaysia 5% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$8.278 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 28.7% (2018 est.) industry: 25.4% (2018 est.) services: 41.8% (2018 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Imports

$4.079 billion (2017 est.) $8.256 billion (2016 est.) $7.697 billion (2015 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

wheat, raw sugar, rice, iron bars, plastic products (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 23%, UAE 15%, Saudi Arabia 11%, Turkey 8%, India 7% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

-1.1% (2018 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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)

29.1% (2022 est.) 26% (2021 est.) 19.6% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

7.848 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Public debt

68.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$18.719 billion (2024 est.) $18.908 billion (2023 est.) $19.294 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

0.8% (2018 est.) -5.1% (2017 est.) -9.4% (2016 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$200 (2024 est.) $200 (2023 est.) $300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2015 dollars

Remittances

20.05% of GDP (2023 est.) 16.02% of GDP (2022 est.) 19.44% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.251 billion (2022 est.) $1.688 billion (2021 est.) $969.613 million (2020 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Unemployment rate

17.1% (2024 est.) 17.1% (2023 est.) 17.4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 32.4% (2024 est.) male: 31.8% (2024 est.) female: 38.4% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Coal

consumption: 27,000 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 36,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 1.79 million kW (2023 est.) consumption: 2.579 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 486.24 million kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 76% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 96.1% electrification - rural areas: 65%

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 83% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 17% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

2.987 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Natural gas

production: 10.286 million cubic meters (2023 est.) consumption: 10.286 million cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 478.555 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 58,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 3 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

8.193 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 93,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 8.08 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 21,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Climate

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

Environmental issues

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

International environmental agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban

Land use

agricultural land: 44.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 2.2% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 41.7% (2023 est.) forest: 1% (2023 est.) other: 54.5% (2023 est.)

Methane emissions

energy: 190.5 kt (2022-2024 est.) agriculture: 192.2 kt (2019-2021 est.) waste: 135.9 kt (2019-2021 est.) other: 0.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

Particulate matter emissions

43.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

2.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 265 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 65 million cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 3.235 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 39.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 4.837 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 8% (2016 est.)

Area

total : 527,968 sq km 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)

Area - comparative

almost four times the size of Alabama; slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

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

highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,666 m lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m mean elevation: 999 m

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 and one of world's most active shipping lanes

Irrigated land

6,800 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 1,601 km border countries (2): Oman 294 km; Saudi Arabia 1,307 km

Land use

agricultural land: 44.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 2.2% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 41.7% (2023 est.) forest: 1% (2023 est.) other: 54.5% (2023 est.)

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) (244 m), which forms an island in the Red Sea, became active in 2007; 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

Population distribution

the vast majority of the population is found in the Asir Mountains (part of the larger Sarawat Mountain system), located in the far western region of the country

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

Administrative divisions

22 governorates ( muhafazat , singular - muhafazah ); Abyan, 'Adan (Aden), Ad Dali', Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Amanat al 'Asimah (Sanaa City), 'Amran, Arkhabil Suqutra (Socotra Archipelago), 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) etymology: the name is reputed to mean "fortified place" in an ancient language

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Yemen; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Constitution

history: adopted by referendum 16 May 1991 (following unification)

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] etymology: the name origin is unclear but may come from the Arabic word al-yamin , meaning "the right," as a reference to its geographic position in relation to Mecca

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Steven H. FAGIN (since 1 June 2022); note - the embassy closed in March 2015; Yemen Affairs Unit currently operates out of US Embassy Riyadh mailing address: 6330 Sanaa Place, Washington DC 20521-6330 telephone: US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-835-4000 FAX: US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-488-7360 email address and website: YemenEmergencyUSC@state.gov https://ye.usembassy.gov/

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Abdulwahab Abdullah Ahmed AL-HAJRI (since 24 July 2025) chancery: 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017 email address and website: Information@yemenembassy.org https://www.yemenembassy.org/

Executive branch

chief of state: Presidential Leadership Council Chairperson Dr. Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI (since 19 April 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Salim Salih BIN BURAYK (since 9 May 2025) cabinet: 24 members from northern and southern Yemen, with representatives from Yemen's major political parties election/appointment process: formerly, the president was directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister appointed by the president most recent election date: 21 February 2012 election results: 2012: Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI (GPC) elected consensus president note: on 7 April 2022, President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI announced his abdication, the dismissal of Vice President ALI MUHSIN al-Ahmar and the formation of a Presidential Leadership Council, an eight-member body chaired by former minister Rashad AL-ALIMI; on 19 April 2022, the Council was sworn in before Parliament and began assuming the responsibilities of the president and vice president and carrying out the political, security, and military duties of the government; in May 2025, Chairperson al-ALIMI made changes to his cabinet

Flag

description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black meaning: the band colors come 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 flags of Iraq (Arabic inscription centered in the white band) and Egypt (heraldic eagle centered in the white band)

Government type

in transition

Independence

22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]); notable earlier dates: 1 November 1918 (North Yemen independent from the Ottoman Empire), 27 September 1962 (North Yemen becomes republic), 30 November 1967 (South Yemen independent 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 (temporarily suspended), 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, UNMHA, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNVIM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president, 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, which is chaired by the president of the republic and includes 10 high-ranking judicial officers; judges serve for life with mandatory retirement at age 65 subordinate courts: appeal courts; district or first instance courts; commercial courts

Legal system

mixed system of Islamic (sharia) law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law

Legislative branch

legislature name: Parliament (Majlis) legislative structure: bicameral note: the last legislative election occurred in 2003, and the six-year term for the House of Representatives expired in 2009. Ongoing instability, beginning in 2011, has since prevented new elections. A new Shura Council was appointed in 2021 and is currently chaired by Dr. Ahmed Obaid bin Dagher (as of Jan 2025).

Legislative branch - lower chamber

chamber name: House of Representatives (Majlis Annowab) number of seats: 301 (all directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 6 years most recent election date: 4/27/2003 parties elected and seats per party: General People's Congress (GPC) (238); Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) (46); Other (17) percentage of women in chamber: 0%

Legislative branch - upper chamber

chamber name: Shura Council (Majlis Alshoora) number of seats: 111 (all appointed) scope of elections: full renewal most recent election date: 4/28/2001 percentage of women in chamber: 1.1% note: the Shura Council serves in an advisory role to the president; it has no legislative responsibilities

National anthem(s)

title: "Al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida" (United Republic) lyrics/music: Abdullah Abdulwahab NOA'MAN/Ayyoab Tarish ABSI history: adopted 1990; the music first served as the anthem for South Yemen before unification with North Yemen in 1990

National color(s)

red, white, black

National heritage

total World Heritage Sites: 5 (4 cultural, 1 natural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Old Walled City of Shibam (c); Old City of Sana'a (c); Historic Town of Zabid (c); Socotra Archipelago (n); Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib (c)

National holiday

Unification Day, 22 May (1990)

National symbol(s)

golden eagle

Political parties

General People s Congress or GPC (3 factions: pro-Hadi, pro-Houthi, pro-Salih) Nasserist Unionist People's Organization National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party Southern Transitional Council or STC Yemeni Reform Grouping or Islah Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

The Kingdom of Yemen (colloquially known as North Yemen) became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and in 1962 became the Yemen Arab Republic. 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 the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (colloquially known as South Yemen). Three years later, the southern government adopted a Marxist orientation and changed the country's name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen. The exodus of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis from the south to the north contributed to two decades of hostility between the states, which 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 delineate their border. Fighting in the northwest between the government and the Houthis, a Zaydi Shia Muslim minority, continued intermittently from 2004 to 2010, and then again from 2014 to the present. The southern secessionist movement was revitalized in 2007. Public rallies in Sana'a against then President Ali Abdallah SALIH -- inspired by similar Arab Spring demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt -- slowly gained momentum in 2011, fueled by complaints over high unemployment, poor economic conditions, and corruption. Some protests resulted in violence, and the demonstrations spread to other major cities. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mediated the crisis with the GCC Initiative, an agreement in which the president would step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution. SALIH eventually agreed to step down and transfer some powers to Vice President Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI. After HADI's uncontested election victory in 2012, SALIH formally transferred all presidential powers. In accordance with the GCC Initiative, Yemen launched a National Dialogue Conference (NDC) in 2013 to discuss key constitutional, political, and social issues. HADI concluded the NDC in 2014 and planned to proceed with constitutional drafting, a constitutional referendum, and national elections. The Houthis, perceiving their grievances were not addressed in the NDC, joined forces with SALIH and expanded their influence in northwestern Yemen, which culminated in a major offensive against military units and rival tribes and enabled their forces to overrun the capital, Sana'a, in 2014. In 2015, the Houthis surrounded key government facilities, prompting HADI and the cabinet to resign. HADI fled first to Aden -- where he rescinded his resignation -- and then to Oman before moving to Saudi Arabia and asking the GCC to intervene militarily in Yemen. Saudi Arabia assembled a coalition of Arab militaries and began airstrikes, and ground fighting continued through 2016. In 2016, the UN initiated peace talks that ended without agreement. Rising tensions between the Houthis and SALIH culminated in Houthi forces killing SALIH. In 2018, the Houthis and the Yemeni Government participated in UN-brokered peace talks, agreeing to a limited cease-fire and the establishment of a UN mission. In 2019, Yemen s parliament convened for the first time since the conflict broke out in 2014. Violence then erupted between HADI's government and the pro-secessionist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in southern Yemen. HADI's government and the STC signed a power-sharing agreement to end the fighting, and in 2020, the signatories formed a new cabinet. In 2020 and 2021, fighting continued as the Houthis gained territory and also conducted regular UAV and missile attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, the UN brokered a temporary truce between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition. HADI and his vice-president resigned and were replaced by an eight-person Presidential Leadership Council. Although the truce formally expired in 2022, the parties nonetheless refrained from large-scale conflict through the end of 2023. Saudi Arabia, after the truce expired, continued to negotiate with the Yemeni Government and Houthis on a roadmap agreement that would include a permanent ceasefire and a peace process under UN auspices.

Military - note

government forces under the Yemeni Ministry of Defense are responsible for both external and internal defense; their priorities are the Houthi separatists (aka Ansarallah), the terrorist groups al-Qa ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in Yemen (ISIS-Yemen), and maritime security, particularly against arms smuggling; in 2022, the Yemeni Government and the Houthis signed a truce, halting most fighting and establishing humanitarian measures; the former front lines of conflict, in some areas mirroring Yemen s pre-unification borders, remain static; AQAP and ISIS-Yemen continue to be active in remote areas (2025)

Military and security forces

Yemeni Armed Forces: Yemeni National Army, Air Force and Air Defense, Navy and Coastal Defense Forces, Border Guard, Strategic Reserve Forces (includes Special Forces and Presidential Protection Brigades, which are under the Ministry of Defense but responsible to the president), Popular Committee Forces (aka Popular Resistance Forces; government-backed tribal militia) Ministry of Interior: Security Forces, Emergency Forces, Counterterrorism Units (2025) note 1: both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have raised and continue to back tribal and regionally based irregular forces in Yemen note 2: Houthi (alt Huthi; aka Ansarallah) forces include land, aerospace (air, missile), naval/coastal defense, presidential protection, special operations, internal security, and militia/tribal auxiliary components; a considerable portion--up to 70 percent by some estimates--of Yemen s military and security forces defected in whole or in part to former president SALAH and the Houthi opposition in 2011-2015

Military and security service personnel strengths

not available

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Yemeni Government forces have an inventory consisting primarily of older foreign-supplied weapons systems, mostly of Russian or Soviet origin (2025) note: Houthi rebel forces are armed largely with weapons seized from the Yemeni Government stockpiles, smuggled in from Iran, and manufactured copies of Iranian designs and pre-war Yemeni Government weapons

Military service age and obligation

limited available information; 18 is the legal minimum age for military service under the Yemeni Government (2025) note: there is widespread recruitment of fighters by numerous armed groups operating in Yemen; all parties to the civil war have been implicated in child soldier recruitment and use; in 2022, the Houthis signed a plan with the UN to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers; Houthi leaders previously pledged to end the use of child soldiers in 2012, as did the Government of Yemen in 2014; in 2019, the Saudi and UAE-led coalition committed to protect children in a memorandum of understanding signed with the UN

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.4% (male 5,622,998/female 5,430,285) 15-64 years: 62.2% (male 10,112,603/female 9,865,805) 65 years and over: 3.4% (2024 est.) (male 485,538/female 623,214)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

29.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 6.5% (2023) women married by age 18: 29.6% (2023)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

40.7% (2022 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

63.9% (2023 est.)

Death rate

6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 70.2 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 64.8 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 5.4 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 18.4 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 77.2% of population (2022 est.) rural: 51.8% of population (2022 est.) total: 61.8% of population (2022 est.) urban: 22.8% of population (2022 est.) rural: 48.2% of population (2022 est.) total: 38.2% of population (2022 est.)

Ethnic groups

predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, European

Gross reproduction rate

1.78 (2025 est.)

Health expenditure

4.3% of GDP (2015) 2.5% of national budget (2022 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 42.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 49.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 39 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Arabic (official) major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: a distinct Socotri language is widely used on Socotra Island and Archipelago; Mahri is still fairly widely spoken in eastern Yemen

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 68.2 years (2024 est.) male: 65.8 years female: 70.6 years

Literacy

female: 54.1% (2023 est.)

Major urban areas - population

3.292 million SANAA (capital), 1.080 million Aden, 941,000 Taiz, 772,000 Ibb (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

118 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

total: 20.5 years (2025 est.) male: 21.9 years female: 22.2 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.8 years (2013 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Nationality

noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni

Net migration rate

-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

17.1% (2016)

Physician density

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Population

total: 34,505,496 (2025 est.) male: 17,275,539 female: 17,229,957

Population distribution

the vast majority of the population is found in the Asir Mountains (part of the larger Sarawat Mountain system), located in the far western region of the country

Population growth rate

2.22% (2025 est.)

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) (2020 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 83.1% of population (2022 est.) rural: 44.8% of population (2022 est.) total: 59.9% of population (2022 est.) urban: 16.9% of population (2022 est.) rural: 55.2% of population (2022 est.) total: 40.1% of population (2022 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 20.2% (2025 est.) male: 33.1% (2025 est.) female: 7.3% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.65 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 39.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Terrorist group(s)

Ansarallah (Houthis); Hizballah; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) - Yemen; al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees: 60,921 (2024 est.) IDPs: 4,795,983 (2024 est.)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating: Special Case; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/yemen/

Airports

37 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

7O

Heliports

6 (2025)

Merchant marine

total: 30 (2023) by type: general cargo 2, oil tanker 1, other 27

Ports

total ports: 10 (2024) large: 1 medium: 2 small: 2 very small: 5 ports with oil terminals: 6 key ports: Aden, Al Ahmadi, Al Mukalla, Al Mukha, Ras Isa Marine Terminal