What is the population of Yemen in 2025?

Yemen has a population of 41.77 million (41,773,878) according to World Bank, World Development Indicators data for 2025.

What is the capital of Yemen?

The capital of Yemen is Sana'a.

How large is the economy of Yemen?

Yemen's GDP is $21.61B (2018, World Bank, World Development Indicators), which is $634 per capita.

Head of state: Rashad al-Alimi (since April 7, 2022). Head of government: Salem Saleh bin Braik (since May 3, 2025). Source: Wikidata, checked August 11, 2026.

Yemen

Republic of Yemen

Updated August 12, 2026

Population

41.77 million

2025 · World Bank

GDP

$21.61B

2018 · World Bank

GDP per capita

$634

2018 · World Bank

Area

527,968 km²

mledoze/countries reference dataset

Capital

Sana'a

Median age

18.4 yrs

2025 · UN WPP

CIA World Factbook map of Yemen, showing major cities, rivers and neighbouring countries — Map from The World Factbook, final edition. Public domain (17 U.S.C. § 105); boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative.

Capital: Sana'a
Region: Middle East
Subregion: Western Asia
Area: 527,968 km²
Neighbours: 2
Languages: Arabic

#37 of 238 in population #133 of 222 in GDP #51 of 252 in area #208 of 213 in GDP per capita #167 of 228 in life expectancy

Leadership

Head of state: Rashad al-Alimi; In office since April 7, 2022
Head of government: Salem Saleh bin Braik; In office since May 3, 2025

Wikidata (CC0), checked August 11, 2026. Frozen Factbook mirrors still list the officeholders of January 2026.

Then and now

The CIA World Factbook stopped updating in January 2026. This is what has changed since its final edition.

Final CIA World Factbook figures of January 2026 versus current data for Yemen
Indicator	Factbook, final edition	Current	Change
Population	34,505,4962025	41,773,8782025	+21.1%

Trends since 2000

Population +113% since 2000

19.62 million (2000) 41.77 million (2025)

GDP +123% since 2000

$9.68B (2000) $21.61B (2018)

GDP per capita +29% since 2000

$493 (2000) $634 (2018)

Inflation +77% since 2000

4.6% (2000) 8.1% (2014)

World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0).

5 facts about Yemen

01 Yemen ranks 37 of 238 in population, with 41.77 million people as of 2025.
02 Its economy produced $21.61B in 2018, or $634 per person.
03 It shares land borders with 2 neighbours: Oman, Saudi Arabia.
04 Population has grown 113% since 2000, from 19.62 million to 41.77 million.
05 17% of the population uses the internet (2019).

Reference

Languages: Arabic
Currency: Yemeni rial (YER)
Calling code: +967
Internet TLD: .ye
Demonym: Yemeni
ISO codes: YE · YEM · 887

Land borders

Oman Saudi Arabia

Compare Yemen

The Factbook archive 139 fields · 12 categories

The complete World Factbook entry for Yemen: 139 fields and 232 sub-entries across 12 categories, kept whole as historical reference. A United States Government work in the public domain, reflecting data as of the final January 2026 edition; the live figures above supersede the fast-moving numbers in it. Last CIA update: January 20, 2026.

Yemen and neighbouring land. Geometry: Natural Earth (public domain).

Introduction 1 field

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.

Geography 17 fields

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 48 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 527,968 sq km
land: 527,968 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: almost four times the size of Alabama; slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries: total: 1,601 km
border countries: Oman 294 km; Saudi Arabia 1,307 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
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
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
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
Elevation: highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,666 m
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
mean elevation: 999 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use: agricultural land: 44.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 2.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 41.7% (2023 est.)
forest: 1% (2023 est.)
other: 54.5% (2023 est.)
Irrigated land: 6,800 sq km (2012)
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
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
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

People and Society 33 fields

Population: total: 34,505,496 (2025 est.)
male: 17,275,539
female: 17,229,957
Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s)
adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, European
Languages: 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.
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.)
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)
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.)
Median age: total: 20.5 years (2025 est.)
male: 21.9 years
female: 22.2 years
Population growth rate: 2.22% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 29.07 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
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
Urbanization: urban population: 39.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 3.292 million SANAA (capital), 1.080 million Aden, 941,000 Taiz, 772,000 Ibb (2023)
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.)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 20.8 years (2013 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Maternal mortality ratio: 118 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 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
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.2 years (2024 est.)
male: 65.8 years
female: 70.6 years
Total fertility rate: 3.65 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 1.78 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 77.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 51.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 61.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 22.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 48.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 38.2% of population (2022 est.)
Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP): 4.3% of GDP (2015)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget): 2.5% of national budget (2022 est.)
Physician density: 0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 83.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: 44.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 59.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 16.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: 55.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 40.1% of population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate: 17.1% (2016)
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.)
Tobacco use: total: 20.2% (2025 est.)
male: 33.1% (2025 est.)
female: 7.3% (2025 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 40.7% (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 63.9% (2023 est.)
Child marriage: women married by age 15: 6.5% (2023)
women married by age 18: 29.6% (2023)
Literacy: female: 54.1% (2023 est.)

Environment 11 fields

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
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Land use: agricultural land: 44.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 2.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 41.7% (2023 est.)
forest: 1% (2023 est.)
other: 54.5% (2023 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 39.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total 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.)
Particulate matter emissions: 43.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 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.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 4.837 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 8% (2016 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.)
Total renewable water resources: 2.1 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Government 25 fields

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
Government type: in transition
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
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
Legal system: mixed system of Islamic (sharia) law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law
Constitution: history: adopted by referendum 16 May 1991 (following unification)
International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
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
Legislative branch: legislature name: Parliament (Majlis)
legislative structure: bicameral
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%
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
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
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:
[email protected]

https://www.yemenembassy.org/
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:
[email protected]

https://ye.usembassy.gov/
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
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)
National holiday: Unification Day, 22 May (1990)
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)
National symbol(s): golden eagle
National color(s): red, white, black
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 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)

Economy 26 fields

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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $18.719 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $18.908 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $19.294 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2018: 0.8% (2018 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2017: -5.1% (2017 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2016: -9.4% (2016 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $200 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $200 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $300 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $8.278 billion (2024 est.)

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 29.1% (2022 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021: 26% (2021 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020: 19.6% (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 28.7% (2018 est.)
industry: 25.4% (2018 est.)
services: 41.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural products: mangoes/guavas, potatoes, milk, onions, spices, chicken, sorghum, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes (2023)

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
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
Industrial production growth rate: -1.1% (2018 est.)

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Labor force: 7.848 million (2024 est.)

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 17.1% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 17.1% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 17.4% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 32.4% (2024 est.)
male: 31.8% (2024 est.)
female: 38.4% (2024 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2023: 20.05% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 16.02% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021: 19.44% of GDP (2021 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.207 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $3.585 billion (2019 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 68.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2016: -$2.419 billion (2016 est.)
Current account balance 2015: -$3.026 billion (2015 est.)
Current account balance 2014: -$1.488 billion (2014 est.)
Exports: Exports 2017: $384.5 million (2017 est.)
Exports 2016: $938.469 million (2016 est.)
Exports 2015: $1.867 billion (2015 est.)
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
Exports - commodities: gold, fish, scrap iron, shellfish, industrial acids/oils/alcohols (2023)

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports: Imports 2017: $4.079 billion (2017 est.)
Imports 2016: $8.256 billion (2016 est.)
Imports 2015: $7.697 billion (2015 est.)
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
Imports - commodities: wheat, raw sugar, rice, iron bars, plastic products (2023)

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $1.251 billion (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021: $1.688 billion (2021 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020: $969.613 million (2020 est.)
Debt - external: Debt - external 2023: $6.492 billion (2023 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2023: 1,355.116 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 1,115.002 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 1,028.108 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 743.006 (2020 est.)
Exchange rates 2019: 486.731 (2019 est.)

Energy 7 fields

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 76% (2022 est.)
electrification - urban areas: 96.1%
electrification - rural areas: 65%
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 generation sources: fossil fuels: 83% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 17% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: consumption: 27,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 36,000 metric tons (2023 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.)
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.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 2.987 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Communications 6 fields

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

Transportation 5 fields

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 7O
Airports: 37 (2025)
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

Military and Security 5 fields

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
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)

Terrorism 1 field

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

Transnational Issues 2 fields

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/

Frequently asked

What is the population of Yemen in 2025?: Yemen has a population of 41.77 million (41,773,878) according to World Bank, World Development Indicators data for 2025.
What is the capital of Yemen?: The capital of Yemen is Sana'a.
How large is the economy of Yemen?: Yemen's GDP is $21.61B (2018, World Bank, World Development Indicators), which is $634 per capita.
Who leads Yemen?: Head of state: Rashad al-Alimi (since April 7, 2022). Head of government: Salem Saleh bin Braik (since May 3, 2025). Source: Wikidata, checked August 11, 2026.

Location