Yemen: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Republic of Yemen

Capital

Sana'a

Area

527,970 sq km

203,850 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Aden

441,880 (1994)

Abyan

379,815 (1994)

Al Bayda’

460,892 (1994)

Al Hudaydah

1,558,513 (1994)

Al Jawf

168,852 (1994)

Al Mahrah

56,425 (1994)

Al Mahwit

371,595 (1994)

Dhamar

981,674 (1994)

Hadhramaut

718,008 (1994)

Hajjah

1,238,114 (1994)

Ibb

1,771,861 (1994)

Lahij

588,746 (1994)

Ma’rib

181,740 (1994)

Muḩāfaat Ta‘izz

2,026,991 (1994)

Sa'dah

481,617 (1994)

Sana'a

2,806,306 (1994)

Shabwah

354,778 (1994)

Largest cities (population)

Sana'a

1,469,000 (2003 estimate)

Aden

634,710 (2006 estimate)

Ta‘izz

178,043 (1995 estimate)

Al Ḩudaydah

155,110 (1995 estimate)

Al Mukallā

154,360 (1995 estimate)

Population

23,822,783 (2009 estimate)

Population growth rate

3.45 per cent (2009 estimate)

Population density

45 persons per sq km (2009 estimate)

117 persons per sq mi (2009 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

26 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

74 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

63.3 years (2009 estimate)

Female

65.3 years (2009 estimate)

Male

61.3 years (2009 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

55 deaths per 1,000 live births (2009 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

58.9 per cent (2007 estimate)

Female

40.5 per cent (2007 estimate)

Male

77 per cent (2007 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Predominantly Arab; African-Arab concentrations in coastal locations; South Asians in southern regions; small European communities in cities

Languages

Standard Arabic (official), Sanaani Spoken Arabic, Ta'izzi-Adeni Spoken Arabic, Hadrami Spoken Arabic, Mehri, Soqotri, Judeo-Yemeni Arabic

Religions

Muslim including Shafii (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shiites), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Type of government

Republic

Independence

May 22, 1990

NOTE: Republic of Yemen was established 22 May 1990 with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic (Yemen [Sana'a] or North Yemen) and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (Yemen [Aden] or South Yemen); North Yemen had become independent in November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the United Kingdom)

Constitution

April 16, 1991; amended September 28, 1994

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

22,523 million (2007)

GDP per capita (US$)

1,006.30 (2007)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

13.3 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

40.9 per cent (2004)

GDP, services

45.3 per cent (2004)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

1,654 million (1999)

Total expenditure

1,786 million (1999)

Monetary unit

Yemeni rial (YRI), consisting of 100 fils

Exports

Crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables, dried and salted fish

Imports

Textiles, manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, cement, machinery, chemicals

Major trading partners for exports

South Korea, Singapore, Japan, United States, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain

Major trading partners for imports

United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, United States, France, United Kingdom, Malaysia, Turkey

Industries

Crude-oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; cement

Agriculture

Products: grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, fish

Natural resources

Petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.