Country Details
Yemen
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Explore Information
Choose a category to dive deeper
People and Society
Detailed information and insights
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
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.)