Yemen — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Yemen: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Yemen — in Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia. Political status: in transition. It covers 527,968 sq km.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). Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland…
| Capital | Sanaa |
|---|---|
| Population | 34,505,496 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $18.719 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $200 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 0.8% (2018 est.) |
| Inflation | 29.1% (2022 est.) |
| Unemployment | 17.1% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 68.1% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $384.5 million (2017 est.) |
| Imports | $4.079 billion (2017 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 68.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 20.5 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 39.8% of total population (2023) |
| Government | in transition |
| 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) |
| Languages | Arabic (official) |
Yemen’s GDP is $18.719 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $8.278 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 0.8% (2018 est.). See where Yemen ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Steadiness was the quarter's defining trait: no rupture, no windfall, no surprise strong enough to move the score.
The trajectory remains set by fundamentals that change over years, not quarters — and this quarter changed little.
- What our model rewards: sits astride Bab el-Mandeb — leverage over the world's trade routes
- What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $2 billion (29.2% of GDP) — living beyond its means; unemployment at 17.1%
Oil, Marble, Gold, Lead, Nickel, Copper.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 76% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 83% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 17% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 2.987 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2024.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $384.5 million (2017 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $4.079 billion (2017 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $3.7 billion (2017), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key 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 |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Rashad al-Alimi — Chairman, Presidential Leadership Council. Presidential Leadership Council Chairperson Dr. Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI (since 19 April 2022)
Yemen maintains 49 embassies and 4 consulates abroad. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 49 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 4 |
Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, January 2026 report (Zenodo).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 1906 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 37 + 6 heliports (registration prefix 7O) |
| Major seaports | Aden, Al Ahmadi, Al Mukalla, Al Mukha, Ras Isa Marine Terminal |
| Pipelines | 641 km gas, 22 km liquid petroleum gas, 1,370 km oil (2013) |
Major airports
Aden International Airport (ADE) — Aden; Riyan International Airport (RIY) — Mukalla(Riyan); Sanaa International Airport (SAH) — Sanaa; Seiyun Hadhramaut International Airport (GXF) — Seiyun; Al Ghaydah International Airport (AAY) — Al Ghaydah; Socotra Airport (SCT) — Mori; Taiz International Airport (TAI) — Taiz.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | transitional government |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Yemen.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Yemen — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Yemen's power score?
Yemen has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.