Yemen
Republic of YemenAl Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
in transition
Yemen as the 2024 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 148 fields, one of 35 editions from 1991 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
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.
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.
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.
Geography
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
17 fieldsLand useshare of 527,968 sq km
Location
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Climate
- mostly desert;
- hot and humid along west coast;
- temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon;
- extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain
- 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
Natural resources
- petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble;
- small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper;
- fertile soil in west
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
Natural hazards
sandstorms and dust storms in summer
- volcanism:
- 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, erupted in 2007 after awakening from dormancy;
- 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
strategic location on Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
People and Society
35 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2024 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2024 est.)
Male · female(2015)
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. note: a distinct Socotri language is widely used on Socotra Island and Archipelago; Mahri is still fairly widely spoken in eastern Yemen
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 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
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.)
Infant mortality rate
- total:
- 44.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
- male:
- 49.9 deaths/1,000 live births
- female:
- 39 deaths/1,000 live births
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.)
Environment
12 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
Environment - current issues
- limited natural freshwater resources;
- inadequate supplies of potable water;
- overgrazing;
- soil erosion;
- desertification
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- 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:
- Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Climate
- mostly desert;
- hot and humid along west coast;
- temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon;
- extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 39.8% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 3.71% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
Food insecurity
- widespread lack of access:
- due to conflict, poverty, floods, high food and fuel prices - in 2023, a partial analysis in government‑controlled areas, where approximately 25 percent of the population in acute food insecurity resides, shows that the situation remains dire;
- despite some improvements in security, the economic crisis and localized conflicts continue, fueled by persistent political instability, while insufficient external revenues and elevated global commodity prices on imported food limits food security (2023)
Air pollutants
- particulate matter emissions:
- 41.61 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- carbon dioxide emissions:
- 10.61 megatons (2016 est.)
- methane emissions:
- 8.03 megatons (2020 est.)
Waste and recycling
- municipal solid waste generated annually:
- 4,836,820 tons (2011 est.)
- municipal solid waste recycled annually:
- 386,946 tons (2016 est.)
- percent of municipal solid waste recycled:
- 8% (2016 est.)
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 270 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- industrial:
- 70 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
- agricultural:
- 3.24 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Government
In transition; Chairperson, Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Muhammad al-ALIMI, Dr. (since 19 April 2022); Prime Minister Ahmad Awad Bin MUBAREK (since 5 February 2024)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 296 seatsone dot, one seat
Percent of vote
Composition: men 245, women 0, percent of women 0%
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Yemen
- conventional short form:
- Yemen
- local long form:
- Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah
- local short form:
- Al Yaman
- former:
- Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]
- etymology:
- name derivation remains unclear but may come from the Arab term "yumn" (happiness) and be related to the region's classical name "Arabia Felix" (Fertile or Happy Arabia);
- the Romans referred to the rest of the peninsula as "Arabia Deserta" (Deserted Arabia)
Capital
- name:
- Sanaa
- geographic coordinates:
- 15 21 N, 44 12 E
- time difference:
- UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- etymology:
- the name is reputed to mean "well-fortified" in Sabaean, the South Arabian language that went extinct in Yemen in the 6th century A.D.
Administrative divisions
- 22 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah);
- 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
Independence
- 22 May 1990 (Republic of Yemen was established with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic [Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen] and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen [Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen]);
- notable earlier dates: North Yemen became independent on 1 November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and became a republic with the overthrow of the theocratic Imamate on 27 September 1962;
- South Yemen became independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
Legal system
mixed legal system of Islamic (sharia) law, Napoleonic law, English common law, and customary law
Constitution
- history:
- adopted by referendum 16 May 1991 (following unification);
- note - after the National Dialogue ended in January 2015, a Constitutional Drafting Committee appointed by the president worked to prepare a new draft constitution that was expected to be put to a national referendum before being adopted;
- however, the start of the current conflict in early 2015 interrupted the process
- amendments:
- amended several times, last in 2009
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- no
- citizenship by descent only:
- the father must be a citizen of Yemen; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen
- dual citizenship recognized:
- no
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 10 years
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)
- cabinet:
- 24 members from northern and southern Yemen, with representatives from Yemen's major political parties
- elections/appointments:
- 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);
- election last held on 21 February 2012 (next election NA);
- note - a special election was held on 21 February 2012 to remove Ali Abdallah SALIH under the terms of a Gulf Cooperation Council-mediated deal during the political crisis of 2011;
- vice president appointed by the president;
- prime minister appointed by the president
- election results:
- Abd Rabuh Mansur HADI (GPC) elected consensus president
note: 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
Legislative branch
- description:
- bicameral Parliament or Majlis consists of:; Shura Council or Majlis Alshoora (111 seats; members appointed by the president; member term is continuous); House of Representatives or Majlis al Nuwaab (301 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 6-year terms)
- elections:
- Shura Council - last appointments NA (next appointments NA); House of Representatives - last held in April 2019 (next to be held in NA)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - GPC 58%, Islah 22.6%, YSP 3.8%, Unionist Party 1.9%, other 13.7%;
- seats by party - GPC 238, Islah 46, YSP 8, Nasserist Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party 2, independent 4;
- composition - men 245, women 0, percent of women 0%
Judicial branch
- highest court(s):
- 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:
- 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:
- appeal courts;
- district or first instance courts;
- commercial courts
Political parties
- General People’s Congress or GPC (3 factions: pro-Hadi, pro-Houthi, pro-Salih)
- Nasserist Unionist People's Organization
- National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
- Southern Transitional Council or STC
- Yemeni Reform Grouping or Islah
- Yemeni Socialist Party or YSP
International organization participation
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed AL-HADHRAMI (since 7 June 2022)
- chancery:
- 2319 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 965-4760
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 337-2017
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://www.yemenembassy.org/
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
- embassy:
- previously - Sa'awan Street, Sanaa
- mailing address:
- 6330 Sanaa Place, Washington DC 20521-6330
- telephone:
- US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-488-3800; previously - [967] 1 755-2000
- FAX:
- US Embassy Riyadh [966] 11-488-7360
- email address and website:
- [email protected]; https://ye.usembassy.gov/
Flag description
- three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
- the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white)
note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two green stars in the white band, and of Iraq, which has an Arabic inscription centered in the white band;
also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a heraldic eagle centered in the white band
National anthem
- name:
- "al-qumhuriyatu l-muttahida" (United Republic)
- lyrics/music:
- Abdullah Abdulwahab NOA'MAN/Ayyoab Tarish ABSI
note: 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:
- 5 (4 cultural, 1 natural)
- selected World Heritage Site locales:
- 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
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
31 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2018 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
By end use% of GDP · (2018 est.)
Budget(2019 est.)
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
Agricultural products
mangoes/guavas, potatoes, onions, milk, sorghum, spices, watermelons, chicken, tomatoes, grapes (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
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
Labor force
6.883 million (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Unemployment rate
17.22% (2023 est.) · 17.52% (2022 est.) · 18.25% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
- total:
- 32.7% (2023 est.)
- male:
- 32.1% (2023 est.)
- female:
- 38.4% (2023 est.)
note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
Population below poverty line
48.6% (2014 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
36.7 (2014 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Remittances
20.52% of GDP (2023 est.) · 16.01% of GDP (2022 est.) · 19.58% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Current account balance
-$2.419 billion (2016 est.) · -$3.026 billion (2015 est.) · -$1.488 billion (2014 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Exports
$384.5 million (2017 est.) · $938.469 million (2016 est.) · $1.867 billion (2015 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, scrap iron, gold, fish, shellfish (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
Imports
$4.079 billion (2017 est.) · $8.256 billion (2016 est.) · $7.697 billion (2015 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Imports - commodities
wheat, raw iron bars, rice, garments, milk (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$1.251 billion (2022 est.) · $1.688 billion (2021 est.) · $969.613 million (2020 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Debt - external
$5.687 billion (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
Exchange rates
Yemeni rials (YER) per US dollar - 1,114.293 (2022 est.) · 1,035.467 (2021 est.) · 743.006 (2020 est.) · 486.731 (2019 est.) · 214.89 (2018 est.)
Energy
8 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity, 1.776 million kW(2022 est.)
Petroleum
- total petroleum production:
- 15,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- refined petroleum consumption:
- 60,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
- crude oil estimated reserves:
- 3 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Natural gas
- production:
- 189.432 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- consumption:
- 189.432 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- proven reserves:
- 478.555 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
9.017 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from coal and metallurgical coke:
- 373,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from petroleum and other liquids:
- 8.26 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
- from consumed natural gas:
- 385,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020–22 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- general assessment:
- Yemen continues to provide an exceptionally challenging market for telcos;
- civil unrest has caused havoc and devastation across most parts of the country, while the threat of sanctions has also made it a challenging environment in which to operate;
- a large proportion of the population requires humanitarian assistance, and there is little disposable income for services upon which telcos can generate revenue;
- essential telecom infrastructure, such as mobile towers and fiber cabling, has often been targeted, destroyed, or damaged by the opposing sides in the ongoing conflict;
- these difficulties have proved to be a disincentive to telcos investing in infrastructure, with the result that the country lacks basic fixed-line infrastructure, and mobile services are based on outdated GSM;
- this has prevented the development of a mobile broadband sector, or the evolution of mobile data services;
- the ownership of telecommunication services, and the scrutiny of associated revenues and taxes, have become a political issue in Yemen;
- until telecom infrastructure can be improved across Yemen, and until civil unrest eases, there will be little progress for the sector (2022)
- domestic:
- fixed-line teledensity is 4 per 100 but mobile cellular is 46 per 100 (2021)
- international:
- country code - 967;
- landing points for the FALCON, SeaMeWe-5, Aden-Djibouti, and the AAE-1 international submarine cable connecting Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Southeast Asia;
- satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat;
- microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti (2020)
Broadcast media
- 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
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 30 ships by typeone square, one ship · (2023)
Networkskm
National air transport system
- number of registered air carriers:
- 2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8
- annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:
- 336,310 (2018)
- annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:
- 3.27 million (2018) mt-km
Ports
- total ports:
- 10 (2024)
- large:
- 1
- medium:
- 2
- small:
- 2
- very small:
- 5
- ports with oil terminals:
- 6
- key ports:
- Aden, Al Ahmadi, Al Mukalla, Al Mukha, Ras Isa Marine Terminal
Military and Security
5 fieldsMilitary and security forces
- Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG) forces:
- Ministry of Defense:
- 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)
- Ministry of Interior:
- Special Security Forces (paramilitary; formerly known as Central Security Forces), Political Security Organization (state security), National Security Bureau (intelligence), Counterterrorism Unit
- Saudi-backed forces:
- paramilitary/militia border security brigades based largely on tribal or regional affiliation (based along the Saudi-Yemen border);
- United Arab Emirates-backed forces include tribal and regionally based militia and paramilitary forces (concentrated in the southern governates): Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, including the Security Belt Forces, the Shabwani and Hadrami “Elite” Forces, the Support and Backup Forces (aka Logistics and Support Forces), Facilities Protection Forces, and Anti-Terrorism Forces;
- Republican Forces;
- Joint Forces
- Houthi (aka Ansarallah) forces:
- land, aerospace (air, missile), naval/coastal defense, presidential protection, special operations, internal security, and militia/tribal auxiliary forces (2023)
note 1: 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
note 2: 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
- information limited and widely varied;
- Yemen Government: up to 300,000 estimated military, paramilitary, militia, and other security forces;
- UAE- and Saudi-backed forces: estimated 150-200,000 trained militia and paramilitary fighters;
- Houthis: up to 200,000 estimated fighters (2022)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
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
- 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: 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
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)
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
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
in January 2024, the US Government designated the Houthis (aka Ansarallah) as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group; the designation came after the Houthis began launching attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as military forces positioned in the area to defend the safety and security of commercial shipping (2024)
Terrorism
1 fieldTerrorist group(s)
- Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force;
- Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Yemen;
- al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Hizballah
note: 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
1 fieldRefugees and internally displaced persons
- refugees (country of origin):
- 45,608 (Somalia), 17,812 (Ethiopia) (2023)
- IDPs:
- 4.523 million (conflict in Sa'ada Governorate; clashes between al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula and government forces) (2022)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Yemen.” The World Factbook 2024. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/yemen/2024.