Republic of Yemen

Country Information

Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Arab region,though it is ranked 154 on the Human Development Index (HDI), which places among medium human development countries. Ever since reunification of the country in 1990 its relative position on the HDI index has remained steady, with very slow progress towards attaining the MDG goals. At 3%, the country has one of the highest population growth rates globally, with the population expected to double in 23 years to around 40 million. This increases the demand for educational and health services, drinking water and employment opportunities. Yemen faces a severe water shortage, with available ground water being depleted at an alarming rate. The Yemeni economy is caught in a jobless slow growth cycle leading to stagnant per capita incomes and rising levels of unemployment, particularly amongst the youth and women.

The analysis contained in the Common Country Assessment (CCA) 2005 has identified the following four underlying reasons for the poor outcome of development interventions in Yemen:

• Lack of transparency and participation;
• Disempowerment of women and children;
• Inequitable and unsustainable use of water resources; and
• Jobless growth, in the face of rising population.

Poverty is widespread, with about 42% of the population living on less than US$ 2 per day and social development indicators, such as child malnutrition, maternal mortality, and education attainment remain poor. There are also large gender disparities, with significant gaps in women’s access to economic, social and political opportunities.

While not a country in crisis, Yemen faces a formidable web of economic, environmental, and political challenges which contribute to the country's low level of human development. Expanded and concerted international cooperation is required to address a wide range of development issues, including those related to democratic governance where important steps are being taken.
Yemen’s development is guided by the National Strategic Vision 2025 and the MDG based 4th Development Plan for Poverty Reduction (2011 - 2015).

Yemen in Figures*

People		All figures relate to 2009 data unless labelled otherwise
	Population	22.5 million
	Percentage of population living in urban areas	24%
	Percentage of population living in rural areas	76%
	Percentage of population under the age of 15	45.4%
	Youth Population - age 15 to 24	5.2 Million of which 2.5 Million female
	Percentage of population 65 years or older	3.2%
	Annual population growth rate	3% (2004)
	Land area	527,970 sq km
Economy
	GDP per capita	US$ 1,160 (2008)
	Annual GDP growth rate	2.4% (2004-2008)
	Average annual change in consumer price index	20.8% (1990 - 2005)
	Unemployment (percentage of labour force)	16.3% among youth population group(5-24) reaches to 52.9% (2008)
	Principal exports	Oil, fish, coffee
	Main trading partners	China, India, Japan, UAE and Saudi Arabia
	Total official development assistance	US$ 513 million
	Official development assistance per capita	US$ 22.80
Health
	Life expectancy at birth	62 years
	Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)	78.2 (2006)
	Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 live births)	69
	Proportion of children under the age of five underweight	442.9% (2003)
	Proportion of I year old children immunized against measles	74.9% (2006)
	Maternal mortality ratio (reported)	365 (2003)
	Modern contraceptive prevalence rate (percentage of married women aged 15-49)	23.1% (2003)
	Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel	36% (2006)
	Fertility rate (births per woman)	4.7 %
Education
	Estimated adult illiteracy rate (total)	45.3% (2004)
	Estimated adult illiteracy rate (male)	29.6% (2004)
	Estimated adult illiteracy rate (female)	61.6% (2004)
	Net enrolment rates for Basic Education(1-9 years age group)	69.8% (2008)
	Net enrolment rates for Basic Education(1-6 years age group)	75.3% (2008)
	Net enrolment rates for Basic Education(1-6 years age group) (male)	82.3% (2008)
	Net enrolment rates for Basic Education(1-6 years age group) (female)	67.9% (2008)
Poverty
	Percentage of population below National Poverty Line	41.8% (2007)
Human Development
	Human Development Index ranking	154 (out of 176 countries; HDR-2011)
	Gender Inequality Index ranking	138
	Multidimensional Poverty Index	0.283 (2008)
Environment
	Available freshwater per person	136 cubic meters per person (2008)
	Proportion of the population without improved water source	52% (2008)
	Proportion of the population with no access to improved sanitation	77% (2008)
* Sources:	United Nations Human Development Report (2010); National Statisticals books (2010); 2nd MDGR (2010)

 

Last Modified on 10/01/2012 05:41 am