factbook.json/middle-east/ym.json

{
  "Introduction": {
    "Background": {
      "text": "<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. <br><br>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.</p>"
    }
  },
  "Geography": {
    "Location": {
      "text": "Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia"
    },
    "Geographic coordinates": {
      "text": "15 00 N, 48 00 E"
    },
    "Map references": {
      "text": "Middle East"
    },
    "Area": {
      "total ": {
        "text": "527,968 sq km"
      },
      "land": {
        "text": "527,968 sq km"
      },
      "water": {
        "text": "0 sq km"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> 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": {
      "text": "almost four times the size of Alabama; slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming"
    },
    "Land boundaries": {
      "total": {
        "text": "1,601 km"
      },
      "border countries": {
        "text": "Oman 294 km; Saudi Arabia 1,307 km"
      }
    },
    "Coastline": {
      "text": "1,906 km"
    },
    "Maritime claims": {
      "territorial sea": {
        "text": "12 nm"
      },
      "contiguous zone": {
        "text": "24 nm"
      },
      "exclusive economic zone": {
        "text": "200 nm"
      },
      "continental shelf": {
        "text": "200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east"
    },
    "Terrain": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,666 m"
      },
      "lowest point": {
        "text": "Arabian Sea 0 m"
      },
      "mean elevation": {
        "text": "999 m"
      }
    },
    "Natural resources": {
      "text": "petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west"
    },
    "Land use": {
      "agricultural land": {
        "text": "44.4% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 2.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 0.6% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 41.7% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "1% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "54.5% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Irrigated land": {
      "text": "6,800 sq km (2012)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": "sandstorms and dust storms in summer <br><br><strong>volcanism:</strong> 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": {
      "text": "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": {
    "Population": {
      "total": {
        "text": "32,140,443 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "16,221,139"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "15,919,304"
      }
    },
    "Nationality": {
      "noun": {
        "text": "Yemeni(s)"
      },
      "adjective": {
        "text": "Yemeni"
      }
    },
    "Ethnic groups": {
      "text": "predominantly Arab; but also Afro-Arab, South Asian, European"
    },
    "Languages": {
      "Languages": {
        "text": "Arabic (official)"
      },
      "major-language sample(s)": {
        "text": "<br>كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)<br><br>The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information."
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> a distinct Socotri language is widely used on Socotra Island and Archipelago; Mahri is still fairly widely spoken in eastern Yemen"
    },
    "Religions": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "34.4% (male 5,622,998/female 5,430,285)"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "62.2% (male 10,112,603/female 9,865,805)"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "3.4% (2024 est.) (male 485,538/female 623,214)"
      }
    },
    "Dependency ratios": {
      "total dependency ratio": {
        "text": "71.3 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "youth dependency ratio": {
        "text": "66 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "elderly dependency ratio": {
        "text": "5.4 (2024 est.)"
      },
      "potential support ratio": {
        "text": "18.6 (2024 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Median age": {
      "total": {
        "text": "22 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "21.9 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "22.2 years"
      }
    },
    "Population growth rate": {
      "text": "1.78% (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Birth rate": {
      "text": "23.4 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Death rate": {
      "text": "5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Net migration rate": {
      "text": "-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Population distribution": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "39.8% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Major urban areas - population": {
      "text": "3.292 million SANAA (capital), 1.080 million Aden, 941,000 Taiz, 772,000 Ibb (2023)"
    },
    "Sex ratio": {
      "at birth": {
        "text": "1.05 male(s)/female"
      },
      "0-14 years": {
        "text": "1.04 male(s)/female"
      },
      "15-64 years": {
        "text": "1.03 male(s)/female"
      },
      "65 years and over": {
        "text": "0.78 male(s)/female"
      },
      "total population": {
        "text": "1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Mother's mean age at first birth": {
      "text": "20.8 years (2013 est.)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49"
    },
    "Maternal mortality ratio": {
      "text": "118 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Infant mortality rate": {
      "total": {
        "text": "44.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "49.9 deaths/1,000 live births"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "39 deaths/1,000 live births"
      }
    },
    "Life expectancy at birth": {
      "total population": {
        "text": "68.2 years (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "65.8 years"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "70.6 years"
      }
    },
    "Total fertility rate": {
      "text": "2.82 children born/woman (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Gross reproduction rate": {
      "text": "1.37 (2024 est.)"
    },
    "Contraceptive prevalence rate": {
      "text": "33.5% (2013)"
    },
    "Drinking water source": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 98.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 84.2% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 99.6% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 1.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 15.8% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 10.4% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Health expenditure": {
      "Health expenditure (as % of GDP)": {
        "text": "4.3% of GDP (2015)"
      },
      "Health expenditure (as % of national budget)": {
        "text": "2.5% of national budget (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Physician density": {
      "text": "0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2023)"
    },
    "Sanitation facility access": {
      "improved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 83.5% of population"
      },
      "improved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 44.2% of population"
      },
      "improved: total": {
        "text": "total: 59.1% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: urban": {
        "text": "urban: 16.5% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: rural": {
        "text": "rural: 55.8% of population"
      },
      "unimproved: total": {
        "text": "total: 40.9% of population (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": {
      "text": "17.1% (2016)"
    },
    "Alcohol consumption per capita": {
      "total": {
        "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "beer": {
        "text": "0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "wine": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "spirits": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      },
      "other alcohols": {
        "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Tobacco use": {
      "total": {
        "text": "20.2% (2025 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "33.1% (2025 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "7.3% (2025 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": {
      "text": "60.4% (2023 est.)"
    },
    "Child marriage": {
      "women married by age 15": {
        "text": "6.5% (2023)"
      },
      "women married by age 18": {
        "text": "29.6% (2023)"
      }
    },
    "Literacy": {
      "female": {
        "text": "54.1% (2023 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Environment": {
    "Environmental issues": {
      "text": "limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification"
    },
    "International environmental agreements": {
      "party to": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban"
      }
    },
    "Climate": {
      "text": "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": {
        "text": "44.4% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: arable land": {
        "text": "arable land: 2.2% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent crops": {
        "text": "permanent crops: 0.6% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural land: permanent pasture": {
        "text": "permanent pasture: 41.7% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "forest": {
        "text": "1% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "other": {
        "text": "54.5% (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Urbanization": {
      "urban population": {
        "text": "39.8% of total population (2023)"
      },
      "rate of urbanization": {
        "text": "3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Air pollutants": {
      "particulate matter emissions": {
        "text": "41.61 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)"
      },
      "carbon dioxide emissions": {
        "text": "10.61 megatons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "methane emissions": {
        "text": "8.03 megatons (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Waste and recycling": {
      "municipal solid waste generated annually": {
        "text": "4,836,820 tons (2011 est.)"
      },
      "municipal solid waste recycled annually": {
        "text": "386,946 tons (2016 est.)"
      },
      "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": {
        "text": "8% (2016 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total water withdrawal": {
      "municipal": {
        "text": "270 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "industrial": {
        "text": "70 million cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      },
      "agricultural": {
        "text": "3.24 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Total renewable water resources": {
      "text": "2.1 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)"
    }
  },
  "Government": {
    "Country name": {
      "conventional long form": {
        "text": "Republic of Yemen"
      },
      "conventional short form": {
        "text": "Yemen"
      },
      "local long form": {
        "text": "Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah"
      },
      "local short form": {
        "text": "Al Yaman"
      },
      "former": {
        "text": "Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the name origin is unclear but may come from the Arabic word <em>al-yamin</em>, meaning \"the right,\" as a reference to its geographic position in relation to Mecca"
      }
    },
    "Government type": {
      "text": "in transition"
    },
    "Capital": {
      "name": {
        "text": "Sanaa"
      },
      "geographic coordinates": {
        "text": "15 21 N, 44 12 E"
      },
      "time difference": {
        "text": "UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)"
      },
      "etymology": {
        "text": "the name is reputed to mean \"fortified place\" in an ancient language"
      }
    },
    "Administrative divisions": {
      "text": "22 governorates (<em>muhafazat</em>, singular - <em>muhafazah</em>); 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": {
      "text": "mixed system of Islamic (sharia) law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law"
    },
    "Constitution": {
      "history": {
        "text": "adopted by referendum 16 May 1991 (following unification)"
      }
    },
    "International law organization participation": {
      "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt"
    },
    "Citizenship": {
      "citizenship by birth": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "citizenship by descent only": {
        "text": "the father must be a citizen of Yemen; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen"
      },
      "dual citizenship recognized": {
        "text": "no"
      },
      "residency requirement for naturalization": {
        "text": "10 years"
      }
    },
    "Suffrage": {
      "text": "18 years of age; universal"
    },
    "Executive branch": {
      "chief of state": {
        "text": "Presidential Leadership Council Chairperson Dr. Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI (since 19 April 2022)"
      },
      "head of government": {
        "text": "Prime Minister Salim Salih BIN BURAYK (since 9 May 2025)"
      },
      "cabinet": {
        "text": "24 members from northern and southern Yemen, with representatives from Yemen's major political parties"
      },
      "election/appointment process": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "21 February 2012"
      },
      "election results": {
        "text": "<em><br>2012:</em> Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI (GPC) elected consensus president"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> 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"
    },
    "Legislative branch": {
      "legislature name": {
        "text": "Parliament (Majlis)"
      },
      "legislative structure": {
        "text": "bicameral"
      },
      "note": "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": {
        "text": "House of Representatives (Majlis Annowab)"
      },
      "number of seats": {
        "text": "301 (all directly elected)"
      },
      "electoral system": {
        "text": "plurality/majority"
      },
      "scope of elections": {
        "text": "full renewal"
      },
      "term in office": {
        "text": "6 years"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "4/27/2003"
      },
      "parties elected and seats per party": {
        "text": "General People's Congress (GPC) (238); Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) (46); Other (17)"
      },
      "percentage of women in chamber": {
        "text": "0%"
      }
    },
    "Legislative branch - upper chamber": {
      "chamber name": {
        "text": "Shura Council (Majlis Alshoora)"
      },
      "number of seats": {
        "text": "111 (all appointed)"
      },
      "scope of elections": {
        "text": "full renewal"
      },
      "most recent election date": {
        "text": "4/28/2001"
      },
      "percentage of women in chamber": {
        "text": "1.1%"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> the Shura Council serves in an advisory role to the president; it has no legislative responsibilities"
    },
    "Judicial branch": {
      "highest court(s)": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "appeal courts; district or first instance courts; commercial courts"
      }
    },
    "Political parties": {
      "text": "General People’s Congress or GPC (3 factions: pro-Hadi, pro-Houthi, pro-Salih)<br>Nasserist Unionist People's Organization<br>National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party<br>Southern Transitional Council or STC<br>Yemeni Reform Grouping or Islah<br>Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP"
    },
    "Diplomatic representation in the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "Ambassador-designate Abdulwahab Abdullah Ahmed al-HAJRI (since 10 April 2025)"
      },
      "chancery": {
        "text": "2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 965-4760"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "[1] (202) 337-2017"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>Information@yemenembassy.org<br><br>https://www.yemenembassy.org/"
      }
    },
    "Diplomatic representation from the US": {
      "chief of mission": {
        "text": "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"
      },
      "embassy": {
        "text": "previously - Sa'awan Street, Sanaa"
      },
      "mailing address": {
        "text": "6330 Sanaa Place, Washington DC&nbsp; 20521-6330"
      },
      "telephone": {
        "text": "US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-488-3800<br>previously - [967] 1 755-2000"
      },
      "FAX": {
        "text": "US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-488-7360"
      },
      "email address and website": {
        "text": "<br>YemenEmergencyUSC@state.gov<br><br>https://ye.usembassy.gov/"
      }
    },
    "International organization participation": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": "Unification Day, 22 May (1990)"
    },
    "Flag description": {
      "text": "three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; 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": "<strong>note:</strong> 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)": {
      "text": "golden eagle"
    },
    "National color(s)": {
      "text": "red, white, black"
    },
    "National anthem(s)": {
      "title": {
        "text": "\"Al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida\" (United Republic)"
      },
      "lyrics/music": {
        "text": "Abdullah Abdulwahab NOA'MAN/Ayyoab Tarish ABSI"
      },
      "history": {
        "text": "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": {
        "text": "5 (4 cultural, 1 natural)"
      },
      "selected World Heritage Site locales": {
        "text": "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": {
    "Economic overview": {
      "text": "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) 2017": {
        "text": "$73.63 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016": {
        "text": "$78.28 billion (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015": {
        "text": "$90.63 billion (2015 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "Real GDP growth rate": {
      "Real GDP growth rate 2018": {
        "text": "0.75% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2017": {
        "text": "-5.07% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP growth rate 2016": {
        "text": "-9.38% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Real GDP per capita": {
      "Real GDP per capita 2017": {
        "text": "$2,500 (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2016": {
        "text": "$2,700 (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Real GDP per capita 2015": {
        "text": "$3,200 (2015 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> data are in 2017 dollars"
    },
    "GDP (official exchange rate)": {
      "text": "$21.606 billion (2018 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate"
    },
    "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": {
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": {
        "text": "24.7% (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016": {
        "text": "-12.6% (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2014": {
        "text": "8.1% (2014 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": {
      "agriculture": {
        "text": "28.7% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "industry": {
        "text": "25.4% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "services": {
        "text": "41.8% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data"
    },
    "GDP - composition, by end use": {
      "household consumption": {
        "text": "126.4% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "government consumption": {
        "text": "9.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "investment in fixed capital": {
        "text": "5.8% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "exports of goods and services": {
        "text": "8.8% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "imports of goods and services": {
        "text": "-50.1% (2018 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection"
    },
    "Agricultural products": {
      "text": "mangoes/guavas, potatoes, milk, onions, spices, chicken, sorghum, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage"
    },
    "Industries": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": "-1.12% (2018 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency"
    },
    "Labor force": {
      "text": "7.848 million (2024 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work"
    },
    "Unemployment rate": {
      "Unemployment rate 2024": {
        "text": "17.1% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2023": {
        "text": "17.1% (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Unemployment rate 2022": {
        "text": "17.4% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment"
    },
    "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": {
      "total": {
        "text": "32.4% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "male": {
        "text": "31.8% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "female": {
        "text": "38.4% (2024 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment"
    },
    "Population below poverty line": {
      "text": "48.6% (2014 est.)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line"
    },
    "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": {
      "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2014": {
        "text": "36.7 (2014 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality"
    },
    "Household income or consumption by percentage share": {
      "lowest 10%": {
        "text": "3% (2014 est.)"
      },
      "highest 10%": {
        "text": "29.4% (2014 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population"
    },
    "Remittances": {
      "Remittances 2023": {
        "text": "20.05% of GDP (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2022": {
        "text": "16.02% of GDP (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Remittances 2021": {
        "text": "19.44% of GDP (2021 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities"
    },
    "Budget": {
      "revenues": {
        "text": "$2.207 billion (2019 est.)"
      },
      "expenditures": {
        "text": "$3.585 billion (2019 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Public debt": {
      "Public debt 2017": {
        "text": "74.5% of GDP (2017 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Taxes and other revenues": {
      "text": "9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)"
    },
    "Current account balance": {
      "Current account balance 2016": {
        "text": "-$2.419 billion (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2015": {
        "text": "-$3.026 billion (2015 est.)"
      },
      "Current account balance 2014": {
        "text": "-$1.488 billion (2014 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars"
    },
    "Exports": {
      "Exports 2017": {
        "text": "$384.5 million (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2016": {
        "text": "$938.469 million (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Exports 2015": {
        "text": "$1.867 billion (2015 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Exports - partners": {
      "text": "UAE 28%, India 21%, Saudi Arabia 17%, Oman 7%, Malaysia 5% (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports"
    },
    "Exports - commodities": {
      "text": "gold, fish, scrap iron, shellfish, industrial acids/oils/alcohols (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Imports": {
      "Imports 2017": {
        "text": "$4.079 billion (2017 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2016": {
        "text": "$8.256 billion (2016 est.)"
      },
      "Imports 2015": {
        "text": "$7.697 billion (2015 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars"
    },
    "Imports - partners": {
      "text": "China 23%, UAE 15%, Saudi Arabia 11%, Turkey 8%, India 7% (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports"
    },
    "Imports - commodities": {
      "text": "wheat, raw sugar, rice, iron bars, plastic products (2023)",
      "note": "<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars"
    },
    "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": {
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022": {
        "text": "$1.251 billion (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021": {
        "text": "$1.688 billion (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020": {
        "text": "$969.613 million (2020 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars"
    },
    "Debt - external": {
      "Debt - external 2023": {
        "text": "$6.492 billion (2023 est.)"
      },
      "note": "<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars"
    },
    "Exchange rates": {
      "Currency": {
        "text": "Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar -"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2023": {
        "text": "1,355.116 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2022": {
        "text": "1,115.002 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2021": {
        "text": "1,028.108 (2021 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2020": {
        "text": "743.006 (2020 est.)"
      },
      "Exchange rates 2019": {
        "text": "486.731 (2019 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Energy": {
    "Electricity access": {
      "electrification - total population": {
        "text": "76% (2022 est.)"
      },
      "electrification - urban areas": {
        "text": "96.1%"
      },
      "electrification - rural areas": {
        "text": "65%"
      }
    },
    "Electricity": {
      "installed generating capacity": {
        "text": "1.79 million kW (2023 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "2.579 billion kWh (2023 est.)"
      },
      "transmission/distribution losses": {
        "text": "486.24 million kWh (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Electricity generation sources": {
      "fossil fuels": {
        "text": "83% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      },
      "solar": {
        "text": "17% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Coal": {
      "consumption": {
        "text": "27,000 metric tons (2023 est.)"
      },
      "imports": {
        "text": "36,000 metric tons (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Petroleum": {
      "total petroleum production": {
        "text": "15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)"
      },
      "refined petroleum consumption": {
        "text": "58,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)"
      },
      "crude oil estimated reserves": {
        "text": "3 billion barrels (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Natural gas": {
      "production": {
        "text": "10.286 million cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "consumption": {
        "text": "10.286 million cubic meters (2023 est.)"
      },
      "proven reserves": {
        "text": "478.555 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Carbon dioxide emissions": {
      "total emissions": {
        "text": "8.193 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from coal and metallurgical coke": {
        "text": "93,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from petroleum and other liquids": {
        "text": "8.08 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      },
      "from consumed natural gas": {
        "text": "21,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Energy consumption per capita": {
      "Total energy consumption per capita 2023": {
        "text": "2.987 million Btu/person (2023 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Communications": {
    "Telephones - fixed lines": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "728,000 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "2 (2022 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Telephones - mobile cellular": {
      "total subscriptions": {
        "text": "20 million (2023 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "46 (2021 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadcast media": {
      "text": "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": {
      "text": ".ye"
    },
    "Internet users": {
      "percent of population": {
        "text": "14% (2020 est.)"
      }
    },
    "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": {
      "total": {
        "text": "486,000 (2022 est.)"
      },
      "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": {
        "text": "1 (2022 est.)"
      }
    }
  },
  "Transportation": {
    "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": {
      "text": "7O"
    },
    "Airports": {
      "text": "37 (2025)"
    },
    "Heliports": {
      "text": "6 (2025)"
    },
    "Merchant marine": {
      "total": {
        "text": "30 (2023)"
      },
      "by type": {
        "text": "general cargo 2, oil tanker 1, other 27"
      }
    },
    "Ports": {
      "total ports": {
        "text": "10 (2024)"
      },
      "large": {
        "text": "1"
      },
      "medium": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "small": {
        "text": "2"
      },
      "very small": {
        "text": "5"
      },
      "ports with oil terminals": {
        "text": "6"
      },
      "key ports": {
        "text": "Aden, Al Ahmadi, Al Mukalla, Al Mukha, Ras Isa Marine Terminal"
      }
    }
  },
  "Military and Security": {
    "Military and security forces": {
      "text": "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)<br><br>Ministry of Interior: Security Forces, Emergency Forces, Counterterrorism Units (2024)",
      "note": "<strong>note 1: </strong>both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have raised and backed irregular forces in Yemen; Saudi-backed forces have included paramilitary/militia security brigades based largely on tribal or regional affiliation; UAE-backed forces include tribal and regionally based militia and paramilitary units concentrated in the southern governates and include such forces as the Southern Transitional Council (STC), the Joint Forces, the Giants Brigades, and Security Belt Forces; under the 2019 Riyadh Agreement, the STC forces were to be incorporated into Yemen’s Ministries of Defense and Interior under the authority of the HADI government <strong><br><br>note 2: </strong>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": {
      "text": "not available"
    },
    "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": {
      "text": "the Yemeni Government forces have an inventory consisting primarily of Russian and Soviet-era weapons and equipment   Houthi 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, such as Chinese and Russian missiles (2024)"
    },
    "Military service age and obligation": {
      "text": "18 is the legal minimum age for voluntary military service; conscription abolished in 2001; 2-year service obligation (note - limited information since the start of the civil war in 2014) (2022)",
      "note": "<strong>note:</strong> as late as 2022, all parties to the ongoing conflict were implicated in child soldier recruitment and use; during the beginning of the truce in April 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 "
    },
    "Military - note": {
      "text": "government forces under the Yemeni Ministry of Defense are responsible for territorial defense, but also have internal security functions; their main focus has been the Houthi separatists and protecting Yemen’s maritime borders, which are susceptible to smuggling of arms, fighters, and other material support for the Houthis and terrorist groups operating in Yemen, including al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in Yemen (ISIS-Yemen)<br><br>in 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt) intervened militarily in Yemen in support of the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) against the separatist Houthis; Saudi military forces conducted operations in Yemen and raised and equipped paramilitary/militia security forces in Yemen based largely on tribal or regional affiliation to deploy along the Saudi-Yemen border; UAE's participation in 2015 included several thousand ground troops, as well as supporting air and naval forces; UAE withdrew its main military force from Yemen in 2019, but has retained a smaller military presence while working with proxies in southern Yemen, most notably the Southern Transitional Council (STC); UAE has recruited, trained, and equipped tens of thousands of Yemeni fighters and formed them into dozens of militia and paramilitary units<br><br>in 2022, the RYOG and the Houthis signed a truce, halting military operations 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 have remained active in remote areas  (2024)"
    }
  },
  "Terrorism": {
    "Terrorist group(s)": {
      "text": "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": "<strong>note:</strong> 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": {
    "Refugees and internally displaced persons": {
      "refugees (country of origin)": {
        "text": "45,608 (Somalia), 17,812 (Ethiopia) (2023)"
      },
      "IDPs": {
        "text": "4.523 million (conflict in Sa'ada Governorate; clashes between al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula and government forces) (2022)"
      }
    }
  }
}