Yemen

Yemen, located in West Asia, has a population of around 40.8 million people as of 2024, ranking it as the 37th most populous country in the world. Strategically covering almost 528,000 square kilometers in southern Arabia, this nation has borders to the north from Saudi Arabia and to the northeast from Oman. Yemen’s 2,000-kilometer coastline runs from the Indian Ocean to the south to the Red Sea to the west. Located across the Horn of Africa, this geographical orientation forms maritime borders between Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia.

Officially acknowledged as such, the Republic of Yemen has a rich history spanning 7,000 years that serves as a central junction for several civilizations. The country’s cultural and historical relevance has been much influenced by its strategic location. The Sabaeans established a rich commercial kingdom around 1200 BCE that stretched across what is now Ethiopia and Eritrea in addition to beyond Yemen’s current boundaries. Following this kingdom in 275 CE, the Himyarite Kingdom underlined control over a large area of modern Yemen and showed clear Jewish influence.

An important change in Yemen’s religious history is the arrival of Christianity in the fourth century. The dynamics of the area were greatly changed by the fast expansion of Islam in the seventh century. Early Islamic conquests included notable participation of Yemenite troops, which helped the new faith to spread outside the Arabian Peninsula.

A number of dynasties emerging from the 9th to the 16th centuries have shaped Yemen’s political scene. Yemen’s future would suffer long-lasting effects from the major division of the nation between the Ottoman and British empires that defined the 19th century. Following World War I, the Kingdom of Yemen was established; later, a coup resulted in the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen). Once the British Aden Protectorate gained its freedom in 1967, it became the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen). This is important since it signaled the founding of the first and only formally socialist state in the Arab world.

Established in 1990 after North and South Yemen united, the modern Republic of Yemen was affected by the series of demonstrations known as the Arab Spring, Ali Abdullah Saleh was the first president of the unified nation until his resignation in 2012. In Yemen’s recent history, this time marks the beginning of a difficult and multifarious era.

Yemen has been suffering a major political crisis since 2011. Along with President Saleh’s attempts to change the constitution and eliminate presidential term restrictions, the first demonstrations addressing poverty, unemployment, and corruption combined became a full-fledged civil war by 2015. Various entities vying for control—including the Presidential Leadership Council of the internationally acknowledged government and the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi movement—have been involved in the conflict. Many foreign entities’ involvement has worsened the situation and led to a serious humanitarian crisis.

The present conflict has seriously affected Yemen’s population and development. Yemen still ranks among the least developed nations in the world in 2024, thus reaching sustainable development will prove difficult. Among the Middle East and North Africa countries, this one is ranked as the least wealthy. With almost 24 million people—almost 75% of Yemen’s population—seeking aid, the United Nations said in 2019 that the country had the highest demand for humanitarian supplies globally.

Yemen’s problems are several and go beyond the current conflict. The country is facing major economic difficulties shown by a 52% drop in real GDP per capita between 2015 and 2022. Two-thirds of the population, or roughly 21.6 million people, depend on humanitarian assistance out of the current economic crisis. Food insecurity is a major problem since 3.5 million people suffer from severe malnutrition while more than 17 million people experience food shortages.

Recovering efforts in Yemen have become more difficult with the division of the country into two separate economic zones with separate governing institutions and policies. Following the UN-brokered truce in 2022, the unofficial truce first gave hope; but, the situation deteriorated in 2023 due to a blockade on oil exports placed on the Houthis. The blockade has greatly restricted foreign exchange liquidity and escalated already existing economic problems.

Given the current difficulties, Yemen’s demographic profile exposes a complex interaction of possibilities and constraints. With a median age of 20.2 years, the country shows clearly young demography. This young population offers a chance for future economic development, but it also strains limited resources and job markets. At 3.84 births per woman, the fertility rate is still notable even if it is declining and helps explain the continuous population increase.

Comparatively low when compared to many other countries, Yemen’s urban population is just 35.19%. With a population almost 4 million, Sanaa, the capital, has grown significantly. Reflecting a clear trend of urbanization, major cities including Ta’izz, Al Hudaydah, and Aden have populations almost or beyond 500,000.

Yemen’s future looks to be one of uncertainty. Projections show that the country’s population is expected to rise to 50 million by 2055, then peak at about 55 million in 2080. These forecasts rely on several elements, including changes in healthcare and education, the speed of economic recovery, and the resolution of the continuous conflict.