Introduction
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 withdrew in 1967 from what became the People's Republic of Southern Yemen (colloquially known as South Yemen). The two countries were formally unified as the Republic of Yemen in 1990.
Geography
Area
total : 527,968 sq km
land: 527,968 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Climate
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Natural resources
petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
People and Society
Population
total: 32,140,443
Ethnic groups
predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, European
Languages
Arabic (official)
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.)
Population growth rate
1.78% (2024 est.)
Government
Government type
in transition
Capital
name: Sanaa
Executive branch
chief of state: Chairperson, Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI, Dr. (since 19 April 2022)
head of government: Prime Minister Ahmad Awad Bin MUBAREK (since 5 February 2024)
Legislative branch
summary: bicameral Parliament consists of the Shura Council (111 seats) and the House of Representatives (301 seats)
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed AL-HADHRAMI (since 7 June 2022)
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
Economy
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)
$73.63 billion (2017 est.)
$78.28 billion (2016 est.)
$90.63 billion (2015 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$2,500 (2017 est.)
$2,700 (2016 est.)
$3,200 (2015 est.)
Exports
$384.5 million (2017 est.)
$938.469 million (2016 est.)
$1.867 billion (2015 est.)
Exports - partners
China 32%, Thailand 20%, India 12%, UAE 7%, Oman 5% (2022)
Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, scrap iron, gold, fish, shellfish (2022)
Imports
$4.079 billion (2017 est.)
$8.256 billion (2016 est.)
$7.697 billion (2015 est.)
Imports - partners
China 26%, UAE 14%, Turkey 10%, India 10%, Oman 4% (2022)
Imports - commodities
wheat, raw iron bars, rice, garments, milk (2022)
Page last updated: Wednesday, August 07, 2024
