View source for Yemen

{{Short description|Country in West Asia}}
{{About|the country}}
{{Pp-protected|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Yemen
| common_name            = Yemen
| native_name            = {{native name|ar|ٱلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْيَمَنِيَّةُ|italics=off}}<br />{{small|{{transliteration|ar|al-Jumhūriyyah l-Yamaniyyah}}}}
| image_flag             = Flag of Yemen.svg
| image_coat             = Emblem of Yemen (2).svg
| coa_size               = 120px
| symbol_type            = Emblem
| national_motto         = {{native phrase|ar|ٱللَّهُ، ٱلْوَطَنُ، ٱلثَوْرَةُ، ٱلْوَحْدَةُ|paren=off}}<br />{{transliteration|ar|Allāh, al-Waṭan, ath-Thawrah, al-Waḥdah}}<br />"[[God in Islam|God]], the Homeland, Revolution, [[Yemeni unification|Unity]]"
| national_anthem        = {{native name|ar|الجمهورية المتحدة|paren=off}}<br />{{transliteration|ar|al-Jumhūriyyah al-Muttaḥidah}}<br />"[[National anthem of Yemen|United Republic]]"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:United States Navy Band - United Republic.ogg|center]]}}
| image_map              = {{switcher|[[File:Yemen (orthographic projection)2.svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File:Yemen - Location Map (2013) - YEM - UNOCHA.svg|frameless]]|Show map of Yemen}}
| map_caption            = 
| image_map2             = 
| capital                = [[Sanaa]]{{refn|group="n"|Constitutional capital. Under [[Houthis|Houthi]] control since 2014.}}
| coordinates            = {{Coord|15|20|54|N|44|12|23|E|region:YE|display=title}}
| admin_center           = [[Aden]]{{refn|group="n"|Claimed by the [[Presidential Leadership Council]] as its [[temporary capital|provisional capital]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Al-Sakani |first1=Ali |title=Yemen inaugurates new presidential council |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/19/yemen-inaugurates-new-presidential-council |access-date=8 May 2022 |work=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al Jazeera]] |date=19 April 2022 |quote=Yemen's Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, along with other senior government officials, had also arrived in Aden, which serves as Yemen's temporary capital, before the swearing-in ceremony. |archive-date=8 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508025532/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/19/yemen-inaugurates-new-presidential-council |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| admin_center_type      = Government seat
| religion_year          = 2020
| largest_city           = capital
| languages_type         = Official language<br>{{nobold|and national language}}
| languages              = [[Modern Standard Arabic|Arabic]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Yemen's Constitution of 1991 with Amendments through 2015 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Yemen_2015.pdf?lang=en |website=Constitute Project |access-date=31 August 2020 |archive-date=15 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415035011/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Yemen_2015.pdf?lang=en |url-status=live }}</ref>
| religion_ref           = <ref name="CIA">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/yemen/ |title=Yemen |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=CIA World Factbook |work=Central Intelligence Agency |date=6 December 2013 |access-date=24 January 2021 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508223950/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/yemen |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|Also see [[Religion in Yemen]].}}
| demonym                = [[Yemenis|Yemeni]] <br />[[Demographics of Yemen|Yemenite]]
| government_type        = [[Unitary state|Unitary]] provisional [[republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[List of heads of state of Yemen|Chairman]] of the [[Presidential Leadership Council]]
| leader_name1           = [[Rashad al-Alimi]]{{refn|group="n"|Disputed by [[Mahdi al-Mashat]] of the [[Supreme Political Council]]. Despite not holding an official position in the government, [[Houthis|Houthi movement]] leader [[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]] controls the SPC.}}
| leader_title2          = [[Prime Minister of Yemen|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2           = [[Salem Saleh bin Braik]]{{refn|group="n"|Disputed by [[Muhammad Ahmed Miftah]] of the Supreme Political Council}}
| leader_title3          = [[List of speakers of the House of Representatives of Yemen|President of the House of Representatives]]
| leader_name3           = [[Sultan al-Barakani]]
| leader_title4          = [[Shura Council (Yemen)|Speaker of the Shura Council]]
| leader_name4           = [[Ahmed Obaid Bin Dagher]]
| legislature            = [[Parliament]]
| upper_house            = [[Shura Council (Yemen)|Shura Council]]
| lower_house            = [[House of Representatives (Yemen)|House of Representatives]]
| sovereignty_type       = [[History of Yemen|Establishment]]
| established_event1     = [[Yemeni unification|Unification]]
| established_date1      = 22 May 1990
| established_event2     = [[Constitution of Yemen|Current constitution]]
| established_date2      = 16 May 1991
| area_km2               = 455,503<ref name="area">{{Cite web|url=https://ye.chm-cbd.net/sites/ye/files/2022-05/NSES.pdf|title=THE NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY 2005–2015 AND NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION PLAN 2005–2010|publisher=Republic of Yemen Ministry of Water and Environment Environment Protection Agency|page=6|quote=The area of Yemen is 455,503 sq. km. most of which is rocky land|access-date=3 December 2024|archive-date=30 August 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250830101157/https://ye.chm-cbd.net/sites/ye/files/2022-05/NSES.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_rank              = 54th<!-- Area rank should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi             = 175,870<!-- Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| percent_water          = negligible
| population_estimate    = {{IncreaseNeutral}} 32,684,503<ref>{{cite web |url=https://moh.gov.ye/storage/2086/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%88%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-2023--_%D9%A1%D9%A0%D9%A4%D9%A3%D9%A0%D9%A4.pdf |title=Annual Statistical Health Report 2023 |page=11 |publisher=[[Ministry of Public Health and Population|Yemen Ministry of Health]] |website=www.moh.gov.ye |date=August 2024 |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref> (2023 est.)
| population_estimate_year = 2023
| population_estimate_rank = 48th
| population_density_km2 = 71.8
| population_density_sq_mi = 185.8 <!-- Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]] -->
| population_density_rank = 143rd
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $69.960 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |website=IMF |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2025
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 117th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $1,670<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 183rd
| GDP_nominal            = {{decrease}} $17.400 billion<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |website=IMF |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2025
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 135th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{decrease}} $416<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2025 |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2025/april |language=en}}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 190th
| Gini                   = 36.7 <!-- number only -->
| Gini_year              = 2014
| Gini_change            = <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?end=2014&locations=YE&start=2014|title=GINI index (World Bank estimate)|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=15 October 2017|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216223336/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?end=2014&locations=YE&start=2014|url-status=live}}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI                    = 0.470 <!-- number only -->
| HDI_year               = 2023 <!-- Please use the year to which the HDI data refers, not the year of its publication -->
| HDI_change             = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady -->
| HDI_ref                = <ref name="UNHDR">{{Cite web |date=6 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2025 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250506051232/https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2025reporten.pdf |archive-date=6 May 2025 |access-date=13 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en}}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 184th
| currency               = [[Yemeni rial]]
| currency_code          = YER
| time_zone              = [[UTC+03:00#Arabia Standard Time|AST]]
| utc_offset             = +3
| drives_on              = right<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newssafety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=28&Itemid=100385 |title=Yemen |publisher=International News Safety Institute |access-date=14 October 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505191038/http://www.newssafety.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=28&Itemid=100385 |archive-date=5 May 2010}}</ref>
| calling_code           = [[Telephone numbers in Yemen|+967]]
| cctld                  = [[.ye]], {{lang|ar|[[اليمن.]]}}
| ethnic_groups          = {{ubl|92.8% [[Arabs]]|3.7% [[Somali people|Somalis]]|1.1% [[Afro-Arabs]]|1.0% [[Indians in Yemen|Indo]]-[[Pakistanis in Yemen|Pakistani]]|1.4% [[Demographics of Yemen|other]]}}
| ethnic_groups_ref      = <ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen – Flora, Fauna, Ecosystems |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen/Plant-and-animal-life |access-date=8 September 2023 |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |language=en |archive-date=5 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205061155/https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen/Plant-and-animal-life |url-status=live }}</ref>
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2000
| religion               = {{Tree list}}
* ~99.1% [[Islam in Yemen|Islam]] ([[State religion|official]])
** 65% [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]]
** 35% [[Zaydism|Zaydi]]
* ~0.9% [[Religion in Yemen|other]]
{{Tree list/end}}
}}

'''Yemen''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-us-Yemen.ogg|ˈ|j|ɛ|m|ən}}; {{langx|ar|ٱلْيَمَنْ|al-Yaman}}}} officially the '''Republic of Yemen''',{{efn|{{langx|ar|ٱلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْيَمَنِيَّةُ|translit=al-Jumhūriyya l-Yamaniyya}} ({{ALA-LC|ar|al-Jumhūrīyah al-Yamanīyah}}), {{Literal translation|the Yemeni Republic}}}} is a country in [[West Asia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen {{!}} History, Map, Flag, Population, Capital, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen |access-date=16 April 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510194421/https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen |url-status=live }}</ref> Including the [[Socotra Archipelago]], mainland Yemen is located in [[South Arabia|southern Arabia]]; bordering [[Saudi Arabia]] to [[Saudi Arabia–Yemen border|the north]], [[Oman]] to [[Oman–Yemen border|the northeast]], the south-eastern part of the [[Arabian Sea]] to the east, the [[Gulf of Aden]] to the south, and the [[Red Sea]] to the west, sharing [[maritime boundary|maritime borders]] with [[Djibouti]], [[Eritrea]], and [[Somalia]] across the [[Horn of Africa]]. Covering roughly 455,503 square kilometres (175,871 square miles),<ref name="area"/> with a coastline of approximately {{convert|2000|km|mile|abbr=off}}, Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula by area,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQvhZaEVzjcC|title=Yemen|last=McLaughlin|first=Daniel|date=1 February 2008|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=978-1-84162-212-5|page=3|access-date=11 March 2017|archive-date=2 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702224444/https://books.google.com/books|url-status=live}}</ref>  and the largest by population.

[[Sanaa]] is its constitutional capital and largest city. Yemen's estimated population is 34.7 million, mostly [[Arabs|Arab]] [[Muslims]], which is estimated to be greater than that of Saudi Arabia<ref name="Yemen Population">{{cite web |title=Yemen Population (2025) - Worldometer |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/yemen-population/ |language=en |access-date=12 November 2023 |archive-date=11 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511140306/https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/yemen-population/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a member of the [[Arab League]], the [[United Nations]], the [[Non-Aligned Movement]] and the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]].

Owing to its geographic location, Yemen has been at the crossroads of many civilisations for over 7,000 years. The [[Sabaeans]] formed a thriving commercial kingdom that [[Sabaeans in the Horn of Africa|influenced]] parts of modern [[Ethiopia]] and Eritrea.<ref name="Burrowes2010">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC|title=Historical Dictionary of Yemen|last=Burrowes |first=Robert D.|date=2010 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]]|isbn=978-0-8108-5528-1|page=319}}</ref><ref name="Simpson2002">{{cite book|author=St. John Simpson|year=2002|title=Queen of Sheba: treasures from ancient Yemen|page=8|publisher=[[British Museum Press]]|isbn=0-7141-1151-1}}</ref><ref name="British Museum22">{{cite web |title=The kingdoms of ancient South Arabia |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east/ancient_south_arabia/the_kingdoms_of_ancient_south.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504061448/https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east/ancient_south_arabia/the_kingdoms_of_ancient_south.aspx |archive-date=4 May 2015 |access-date=22 February 2013 |publisher=[[British Museum]]}}</ref> In 275 CE, it was succeeded by the [[Himyarite Kingdom]], which spanned much of Yemen's present-day territory and was heavily influenced by Judaism.<ref>{{cite book|author=Yaakov Kleiman|year=2004|title=DNA & Tradition: The Genetic Link to the Ancient Hebrews|page=70|publisher=Devora Publishing|isbn=1-930143-89-3}}</ref> [[Christianity in Yemen|Christianity]] arrived in the fourth century, followed by the rapid spread of [[Islam]] in the seventh century. From its conversion to Islam, Yemen became a center of Islamic learning, and Yemenite troops played a crucial role in early Islamic conquests.<ref>{{cite book|author=Marta Colburn|year=2002|title=The Republic of Yemen: Development Challenges in the 21st Century|page=13|publisher=CIIR|isbn=1-85287-249-7}}</ref> Much of [[Architecture of Yemen|Yemen's architecture]] survived until modern times. For centuries, it was a primary producer of [[coffee]], exported through the port of [[Mocha, Yemen|Mocha]]. Various dynasties emerged between the 9th and 16th centuries.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Karl R. DeRouen |title=Civil Wars of the World: Major Conflicts Since World War II, Volume 1|author2=Uk Heo |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2007|isbn=978-1-85109-919-1|page=810}}</ref> During the 19th century, the country was divided between the [[Yemen Eyalet|Ottoman]] and [[Aden Protectorate|British]] empires. After [[World War I]], the [[Kingdom of Yemen]] was established, which in 1962 became the [[Yemen Arab Republic]] (North Yemen) following [[North Yemen civil war|a civil war]]. In 1967, the [[South Yemen|People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] (South Yemen) gained its independence from the British [[Aden Protectorate]], becoming the first and only [[communist state]] in the [[Middle East]] and the [[Arab world]]. In 1990, the two Yemeni states [[Yemeni unification|united]] to form the modern Republic of Yemen, with [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] serving as the first president until his resignation in 2012 in the wake of the [[Arab Spring]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Laura Etheredge |title=Saudi Arabia and Yemen |year=2011 |page=137|publisher=[[The Rosen Publishing Group]] |isbn=978-1-61530-335-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Burrowes|first1=Robert|title=Why Most Yemenis Should Despise Ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh |url=http://www.yementimes.com/en/1550/opinion/488/Why-most-Yemenis-should-despise--ex-president-Ali-Abdullah-Saleh.htm|website=[[Yemen Times]]|access-date=20 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170616171932/http://www.yementimes.com/en/1550/opinion/488/Why-most-Yemenis-should-despise--ex-president-Ali-Abdullah-Saleh.htm|archive-date=16 June 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Since 2011, Yemen has been enduring [[Yemeni crisis|a political crisis]], marked by [[Yemeni Revolution|street protests]] against poverty, unemployment, corruption, and President Saleh's plan to amend [[Constitution of Yemen|Yemen's constitution]] and eliminate the presidential term limit.<ref name="Gelvin">{{cite book |author=James L. Gelvin |title=The Arab Uprisings: What Everyone Needs to Know |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-19-989177-1 |page=68}}</ref> By 2015, the country became engulfed by [[Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|an ongoing civil war]] with multiple entities vying for governance, including the [[Presidential Leadership Council]] of the internationally recognized government, and the [[Houthi movement]]'s [[Supreme Political Council]]. This conflict, which has escalated to involve various foreign powers, has led to a [[Timeline of the Yemeni humanitarian crisis|severe humanitarian crisis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://muftah.org/houthis-successful-yemen/#.VCicqfldWSo |author=Mareike Transfeld |title=Capturing Sanaa: Why the Houthis Were Successful in Yemen |date=2014 |website=Muftah |access-date=17 October 2014 |archive-date=21 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021042202/http://muftah.org/houthis-successful-yemen/#.VCicqfldWSo |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/ipi_e_pub_mediating_transition.pdf |author=Steven A. Zyck |title=Mediating Transition in Yemen: Achievements and Lessons |date=2014 |website=[[International Peace Institute]] |access-date=17 October 2014 |archive-date=14 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091345/https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/ipi_e_pub_mediating_transition.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/09/26/shifting-balances-of-power-in-yemens-crisis/|author=Silvana Toska|title=Shifting balances of power in Yemen's crisis|date=26 September 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=24 October 2014|archive-date=6 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006145424/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/09/26/shifting-balances-of-power-in-yemens-crisis/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="glorious">{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/houthi-leader-vows-defend-glorious-revolution-150207145038603.html|agency=[[Al Jazeera]]|title=Houthi leader vows to defend 'glorious revolution'|date=8 February 2015|access-date=7 February 2015|archive-date=8 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208030516/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/02/houthi-leader-vows-defend-glorious-revolution-150207145038603.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Yemen's fate was sealed six years ago |first=Noha |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/yemen-fate-sealed-years-171123110813931.html |last=Aboueldahab |website=[[Al Jazeera]] |access-date=24 November 2017 |archive-date=31 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200831080205/https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/yemen-fate-sealed-years-171123110813931.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/saudi-led-naval-blockade-worsens-yemen-humanitarian-disaster |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |title=Saudi-led naval blockade leaves 20&nbsp;m Yemenis facing humanitarian disaster |date=5 June 2015 |first=Julian |last=Borger |author-link=Julian Borger |access-date=31 October 2015 |archive-date=5 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605084858/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/saudi-led-naval-blockade-worsens-yemen-humanitarian-disaster |url-status=live }}</ref>

Yemen is one of the [[least developed countries|least developed countries in the world]],<ref>{{cite web |date=25 May 2008 |title=LDCs at a Glance {{!}} Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category/ldcs-at-a-glance.html |access-date=29 July 2020 |website=Economic Analysis & Policy Division {{!}} Dept of Economic & Social Affairs {{!}} United Nations |archive-date=29 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329160054/https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category/ldcs-at-a-glance.html |url-status=live }}</ref> facing significant obstacles to [[sustainable development]],<ref>{{cite web |date=23 September 2010 |title=Least Developed Countries (LDCs) {{!}} Department of Economic and Social Affairs |url=https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category.html |access-date=29 July 2020 |website=Economic Analysis & Policy Division {{!}} Dept of Economic & Social Affairs {{!}} United Nations |archive-date=20 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620211205/https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and is one of the poorest countries in the [[Middle East and North Africa]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview | title=Overview | access-date=2 February 2023 | archive-date=26 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426131826/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview | url-status=live }}</ref> In 2019, the United Nations reported that Yemen had the highest number of people in need of humanitarian aid, amounting to about 24 million individuals, or nearly 75% of its population.<ref name="ReliefWeb 2019">{{cite web |title=Yemen: 2019 Humanitarian Needs Overview [EN/AR] |website=ReliefWeb |publisher=United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) |date=14 February 2019 |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-2019-humanitarian-needs-overview-enar |access-date=17 June 2019 |archive-date=17 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617055834/https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-2019-humanitarian-needs-overview-enar |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2020, Yemen ranked the highest in the [[Fragile States Index]]<ref name="fragilestatesindex.org">{{cite web |title=Global Data {{!}} Fragile States Index |url=https://fragilestatesindex.org/data/ |access-date=29 July 2020 |website=fragilestatesindex.org |archive-date=15 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190715052132/https://fragilestatesindex.org/data/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and second-worst on the [[Global Hunger Index]], surpassed only by the [[Central African Republic]].<ref name="fragilestatesindex.org" /> As of 2024, Yemen is regarded as the world's least peaceful country by the [[Global Peace Index]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024 Global Peace Index |url=https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf |website=Institute for Economics & Peace |publisher=[[Institute for Economics & Peace]] |publication-date=June 2024 |access-date=2 July 2024 |archive-date=19 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240819091540/https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, it is ranked 184th on the [[Human Development Index]] {{as of|2025|lc=yes}}. Yemen is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to [[climate change]] and among the least prepared to handle its effects.

== Etymology ==
{{Further|Arabia Felix|South Arabia|}}

The term ''Yamnat'' was first mentioned in the [[Old South Arabian]] inscriptions on the title of one of the kings of the second [[Himyarite Kingdom]] known as [[Shammar Yahri'sh]]. The term probably referred to the southwestern coastline of the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and the southern coastline between [[Aden]] and [[Hadhramaut]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Jawād ʻAlī |script-title=ar:الـمـفـصـّل في تـاريـخ العـرب قبـل الإسـلام |trans-title=Detailed history of Arabs before Islam |year=1968 |orig-year=Digitized 17 February 2007 |publisher=Dār al-ʻIlm li-l-Malāyīn |language=ar |volume=1 |page=171}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GcgCErhKGrAC&pg=PA33|title=The Qur??n in Context: Historical and Literary Investigations Into the Qur??nic Milieu|last1=Neuwirth|first1=Angelika|last2=Sinai|first2=Nicolai|last3=Marx|first3=Michael|date=2010|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004176881}}</ref> [[Greater Yemen|Historical Yemen]] included much greater territory than the current nation, stretching from northern [['Asir Province|'Asir]] in southwestern [[Saudi Arabia]] to [[Dhofar Governorate|Dhofar]] in southern [[Oman]].<ref>{{Harvp|Burrowes|2010|p=145}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |quote=He was worshiped by the Madhij and their allies at Jorash (Asir) in Northern Yemen |first=William Robertson |last=Smith |title=Kinship and Marriage in Early Arabia |date=November 2009 |page=193 |publisher=BiblioBazaar |isbn=978-1-117-53193-9}}</ref>

One etymology derives Yemen from ''ymnt'', meaning literally "[[South Arabia|South]] [of the [[Arabian Peninsula]]]", and significantly plays on the notion of the land to the right ([[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/yamīn-|𐩺𐩣𐩬]]).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beeston |first1=A.F.L. |last2=Ghul |first2=M.A. |last3=Müller |first3=W.W. |last4=Ryckmans |first4=J. |title=Sabaic Dictionary |publisher=[[University of Sanaa]], YAR |date=1982 |isbn=2-8017-0194-7 |url=https://archive.org/stream/mo3sab/Sabaic.Dictionary-pages-OCR#page/n0/mode/2up |page=168}}</ref> Other sources claim that Yemen is related to ''yamn'' or ''yumn'', meaning "felicity" or "blessed", as much of the country is fertile, in contrast to the barren land of most of Arabia.<ref>{{cite book|author=Vladimir Sergeyevich Solovyov|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0J6oJjgvefQC&q=yemen+means+blessed&pg=PA149|title=Enemies from the East?: V. S. Soloviev on Paganism, Asian Civilizations, and Islam|publisher=Northwestern University Press|year=2007|page=149|isbn=978-0-8101-2417-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Edward Balfour|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d9UBAAAAYAAJ&q=yemen+means+felicity&pg=RA1-PA240|title=Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Commercial, Industrial and Scientific: Products of the Mineral, Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms, Useful Arts and Manufactures, Band 5|publisher=Printed at the Scottish & Adelphi presses|year=1873|page=240}}</ref> The Romans called it ''[[Arabia Felix]]'' ("happy" or "fortunate" [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]]"), as opposed to ''[[Arabia Deserta]]'' ("deserted Arabia").
Latin and [[Greeks|Greek]] writers referred to ancient Yemen as "India", which arose from the Persians calling the [[Abyssinian people|Abyssinians]] whom they came into contact with in South Arabia by the name of the black-skinned people who lived next to them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.528983|title=Origin Of Islam In Its Christian Environment|first=Richard|last=Bell|date=20 October 1926|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/GeschichteDerPerserUndAraber|title=T. Nöldeke, Geschichte der Perser und Araber zur Zeit der en aus der arabischen Chronik des Tabari: Übersetzt und mit ausführlichen Erläuterungen und ergänzungen Versehn|last=Nöldeke|first=Theodor|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|E.J. Brill]]|year=1879|location=Leiden|pages=[https://archive.org/details/GeschichteDerPerserUndAraber/page/n255 222]}}</ref>

== History ==
{{Main|History of Yemen}}

=== Ancient history ===
{{Main|Ancient history of Yemen|Awsan|Sheba|Qataban|Kingdom of Hadhramaut{{!}}Hadhramaut|Ma'in|Himyar}}

[[File:Jemen1988-022 hg.jpg|thumb|Ruins of the [[Marib Dam|Great Dam of Marib]]]]

With its long sea border between eastern and western civilizations, Yemen has long existed at a crossroads of cultures with a strategic location in terms of trade on the west of the Arabian Peninsula. Large settlements for their era existed in the mountains of northern Yemen as early as 5000 BC.<ref>{{harvp|McLaughlin|2008|p=4}}</ref> The [[Sabaeans|Sabaean Kingdom]] existed in [[Yemen (region)|Yemen]] from {{Circa|1000 BCE}} to {{Circa|275 CE}}.<ref name="British Museum2">{{cite web |title=The kingdoms of ancient South Arabia |url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east/ancient_south_arabia/the_kingdoms_of_ancient_south.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504061448/https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/online_tours/middle_east/ancient_south_arabia/the_kingdoms_of_ancient_south.aspx |archive-date=4 May 2015 |access-date=22 February 2013 |publisher=[[British Museum]]}}</ref> {{Sfn|Arbach|Rossi|2022|pp=40–41}} Its inhabitants were the Sabaeans,{{Efn|{{langx|xsa|{{script|Sarb|𐩪𐩨𐩱}}|{{sc|s¹bʾ}}}}; {{langx|ar|ٱلسَّبَئِيُّوْن|as-Sabaʾiyyūn}}; {{langx|he|סְבָאִים|Səḇāʾīm}}}} The four major kingdoms or tribal confederations in [[South Arabia]] were Saba, [[Hadhramaut]], [[Qataban]], and [[Minaeans|Ma'in]].

''[[Sabaeans|Sabaʾ]]'' ({{langx|ar|سَـبَـأ}})<ref>{{qref|27|6-93|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{qref|34|15-18|b=y}}</ref> is thought to be biblical Sheba and was the most prominent federation.<ref>{{cite book|author=Geoffrey W. Bromiley|title=The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia|year=1979|volume=4|page=254 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn=0-8028-3784-0}}</ref> The Sabaean rulers adopted the title [[Mukarrib]] generally thought to mean ''unifier'',<ref>{{cite book |author=Nicholas Clapp |title=Sheba: Through the Desert in Search of the Legendary Queen |page=[https://archive.org/details/sheba00nich/page/204 204] |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2002 |isbn=0-618-21926-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/sheba00nich/page/204 }}</ref> or a ''priest-king'',<ref>{{cite book |author1=P. M. Holt |author2=Peter Malcolm Holt |author3=Ann K. S. Lambton |author4=Bernard Lewis |title=The Cambridge History of Islam |page=7 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=21 April 1977}}</ref> or the head of the confederation of South Arabian kingdoms, the "king of the kings".<ref>{{cite book |last=Korotayev |first=Andrey |author-link=Andrey Korotayev |year=1995 |title=Ancient Yemen: some general trends of evolution of the Sabaic language and Sabaean culture |place=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=https://www.academia.edu/32711023 |isbn=0-19-922237-1 |access-date=21 May 2017 |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129175115/https://www.academia.edu/32711023 |url-status=live }}</ref> The role of the Mukarrib was to bring the various tribes under the kingdom and preside over them all.<ref>{{harvp|McLaughlin|2008|p=5}}</ref> The Sabaeans built the [[Marib Dam|Great Dam of Marib]] around 940 BC.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Jerry R. Rogers |author2=Glenn Owen Brown |author3=Jürgen Garbrecht |title=Water Resources and Environmental History |page=36 |publisher=ASCE Publications |date=1 January 2004 |isbn=0-7844-7550-4}}</ref> The dam was built to withstand the seasonal flash floods surging down the valley.

By the third century BC, Qataban, Hadhramaut, and Ma'in became independent from Saba and established themselves in the Yemeni arena. Minaean rule stretched as far as [[Dedanites|Dedan]],<ref>{{cite book |editor-last= Negev |editor-first= Avraham |editor-link= Avraham Negev |editor-last2= Gibson |editor-first2= Shimon |editor-link2= Shimon Gibson |chapter= Dedan |title= Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land |year= 2001 |location= New York and London |publisher= Continuum |page= 137 |isbn= 0-8264-1316-1 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=l3JtAAAAMAAJ |access-date= 26 July 2021 |archive-date= 23 September 2023 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230923091525/https://books.google.com/books?id=l3JtAAAAMAAJ |url-status= live }} (Snippet view).</ref> with their capital at [[Baraqish]]. The Sabaeans regained their control over Ma'in after the collapse of Qataban in 50 BC. By the time of the Roman expedition to Arabia Felix in 25 BC, the Sabaeans were once again the dominating power in Southern Arabia.<ref>{{cite book|author=Lionel Casson|title=The Periplus Maris Erythraei: Text with Introduction, Translation, and Commentary|page=150|publisher= Princeton University Press|year= 2012|isbn=978-1-4008-4320-6}}</ref> [[Aelius Gallus]] was ordered to lead a military campaign to establish Roman dominance over the Sabaeans.<ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Richardson|title=Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans|page=230|publisher= Continuum|year= 1999|isbn=0-567-08675-5}}</ref>

The [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] had a vague and contradictory geographical knowledge about Arabia Felix. A Roman army of 10,000 men was defeated before reaching [[Marib]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Hârun Yahya|title=Perished Nations|page=115|publisher= Global Yayincilik|year= 1999|isbn= 1-897940-87-4}}</ref> [[Strabo]]'s close relationship with Aelius Gallus led him to attempt to justify his friend's defeat in his writings. It took the Romans six months to reach Marib and 60 days to return to [[Egypt]]. The Romans blamed their [[Nabataeans|Nabataean]] guide and executed him for treachery.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jan Retso|title=The Arabs in Antiquity: Their History from the Assyrians to the Umayyads|page=402|publisher= Routledge|year= 2013|isbn=978-1-136-87282-2}}</ref> No direct mention in Sabaean inscriptions of the Roman expedition has yet been found.

After the Roman expedition (perhaps earlier) the country fell into chaos, and two clans, namely [[Banu Hamdan|Hamdan]] and [[Himyar]], claimed kingship, assuming the title King of Sheba and [[Himyar|Dhu Raydan]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Clifford Edmund Bosworth |title=The Encyclopedia of Islam|volume= 6|page=561|publisher= Brill Archive|year= 1989|isbn=9004090827}}</ref> Dhu Raydan, ''i.e.'', Himyarites, allied themselves with [[Aksum]] in Ethiopia against the Sabaeans.<ref>{{cite book |author=Stuart Munro-Hay |authorlink=Stuart Munro-Hay |title= Ethiopia, the Unknown Land: A Cultural and Historical Guide|page=236|publisher= I. B. Tauris|year= 2002|isbn=1-86064-744-8}}</ref> The chief of [[Bakil]] and king of Saba and Dhu Raydan, [[Ilasaros|El Sharih Yahdhib]], launched successful campaigns against the Himyarites and Habashat, ''i.e.'', [[Aksum]]. El Sharih took pride in his campaigns and added the title Yahdhib to his name, which means "suppressor"; he used to kill his enemies by cutting them to pieces.<ref>{{cite book|author1=G. Johannes Botterweck |author2=Helmer Ringgren |title=Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament|volume= 3|page=448 |publisher= Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|year= 1979|isbn= 0-8028-2327-0}}</ref> Sana'a came into prominence during his reign, as he built the [[Ghumdan Palace]] as his place of residence.

[[File:Dhamar Ali Yahbur (bust).jpg|thumb|left|[[Himyarite]] King [[Dhamar Ali Yahbur]]]]
[[File:South Arabian - Stele with a Female Bust - Walters 2173.jpg|thumb|A [[Sabaeans|Sabaean]] gravestone of a woman holding a stylized sheaf of wheat, a symbol of fertility in ancient Yemen]]
The Himyarites annexed Sana'a from Hamdan around 100 AD.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jawād ʻAlī |script-title=ar:الـمـفـصـّل في تـاريـخ العـرب قبـل الإسـلام |trans-title=Detailed history of Arabs before Islam |year=1968 |orig-year=Digitized 17 February 2007 |publisher=Dār al-ʻIlm lil-Malāyīn |language=ar |volume=2 |page=482}}</ref> [[Hashid|Hashdi]] tribesmen rebelled against them and regained Sana'a around 180.<ref>{{cite book|author=Albert Jamme|title=Inscriptions From Mahram Bilqis (Marib)|page=392|publisher= Baltimore|year= 1962}}</ref> [[Shammar Yahri'sh]] had conquered Hadhramaut, [[Najran]], and [[Tihamah]] by 275, thus unifying Yemen and consolidating Himyarite rule.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Dieter Vogel |author2=Susan James |title=Yemen|page=34|publisher= APA Publications|year= 1990}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Klaus Schippmann|title= Ancient South Arabia: from the Queen of Sheba to the advent of Islam|pages=52–53|publisher= Markus Wiener Publishers|year= 2001|isbn=1-55876-236-1}}</ref> The Himyarites rejected [[polytheism]] and adhered to a consensual form of [[monotheism]] called [[Rahmanism]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Francis E. Peters|title=Muhammad and the Origins of Islam|page=[https://archive.org/details/muhammadorigins00pete/page/48 48]|publisher=SUNY Press|year=1994|isbn=0-7914-1875-8|url=https://archive.org/details/muhammadorigins00pete/page/48}}</ref>

[[File:British Museum Yemen 04.jpg|thumb|Bronze hand with an inscribed prayer in [[Himyaritic]] to god [[Ta'lab]]]]
In 354, Roman Emperor [[Constantius II]] sent an embassy headed by [[Theophilos the Indian]] to convert the Himyarites to Christianity.<ref>{{cite book |author=Scott Johnson |title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity |page=265 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1 November 2012 |isbn=978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref> According to [[Philostorgius]], the mission was resisted by local Jews.<ref name="Shlomo Sand p.193">{{cite book |author=Shlomo Sand |title=The Invention of the Jewish People |page=[https://archive.org/details/inventionofjewi00sand/page/193 193] |publisher=Verso |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-84467-623-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/inventionofjewi00sand/page/193 }}</ref> Several inscriptions have been found in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] and [[Sabaean language|Sabaean]] praising the ruling house in Jewish terms for "...helping and empowering the People of Israel."<ref>{{cite book |author1=Y. M. Abdallah |chapter=The Inscription CIH 543: A New Reading Based on the Newly-Found Original |editor1=C. Robin |editor2=M. Bafaqih |name-list-style=amp |title=Sayhadica: Recherches Sur Les Inscriptions De l'Arabie Préislamiques Offertes Par Ses Collègues Au Professeur A.F.L. Beeston |year=1987 |publisher=Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner S.A. |location=[[Paris]] |pages=4–5}}</ref>

According to Islamic traditions, King [[Tub'a Abu Kariba As'ad|As'ad the Perfect]] mounted a military expedition to support the Jews of [[Yathrib]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Raphael Patai |author2=Jennifer Patai |title=The Myth of the Jewish Race|page=63|publisher= Wayne State University Press|year= 1989|isbn=0-8143-1948-3}}</ref> Abu Kariba As'ad, as known from the inscriptions, led a military campaign to central Arabia or [[Najd]] to support the vassal [[Kingdom of Kinda]] against the [[Lakhmids]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Uwidah Metaireek Al-Juhany|title=Najd before the Salafi reform movement: social, political and religious conditions during the three centuries preceding the rise of the Saudi state|page=171|publisher= Ithaca Press|year= 2002|isbn=0-86372-401-9}}</ref> However, no direct reference to Judaism or Yathrib was discovered from his lengthy reign. Abu Kariba died in 445, having reigned for almost 50 years.<ref>{{cite book|author=Scott Johnson|title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity|page=266|publisher= Oxford University Press|date= 1 November 2012|isbn= 978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref> By 515, Himyar became increasingly divided along religious lines and a bitter conflict between different factions paved the way for an [[Aksum]]ite intervention. The last Himyarite king Ma'adikarib Ya'fur was supported by Aksum against his Jewish rivals. Ma'adikarib was Christian and launched a campaign against the Lakhmids in southern [[Iraq]], with the support of other Arab allies of [[Byzantium]].<ref name="Scott Johnson 282">{{cite book |author=Scott Johnson |title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity |page=282 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1 November 2012 |isbn=978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref> The Lakhmids were a bulwark of [[Persia]], which was intolerant to a proselytizing religion like Christianity.<ref>{{cite book |author=Irfan Shahîd |title=Byzantium and the Arabs in the 5th Century |page=65 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks |year=1989 |isbn=0-88402-152-1}}</ref>

After the death of Ma'adikarib Ya'fur around 521, a Himyarite Jewish warlord called [[Dhu Nuwas]] rose to power. Emperor [[Justinian I]] sent an embassy to Yemen. He wanted the officially Christian Himyarites to use their influence on the tribes in inner Arabia to launch military operations against Persia. Justinian I bestowed the "dignity of king" upon the Arab [[sheikh]]s of Kindah and [[Ghassanids|Ghassan]] in central and northern Arabia.<ref name="Scott Johnson 293">{{cite book|author=Scott Johnson|title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity|page=293 |publisher= Oxford University Press|date= 1 November 2012|isbn= 978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref> From early on, Roman and Byzantine policy was to develop close links with the powers of the coast of the [[Red Sea]]. They were successful in converting{{clarify|date=August 2015|reason=https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 December 2024 |title=Byzantine Empire {{!}} History, Geography, Maps, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire |access-date=17 January 2025 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=4 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190904022422/https://www.britannica.com/place/Byzantine-Empire |url-status=live }}</ref> Aksum and influencing their culture. The results concerning to Yemen were rather disappointing.<ref name="Scott Johnson 293" />

A Kendite prince called Yazid bin Kabshat rebelled against Abraha and his Arab Christian allies. A truce was reached once the Great Dam of Marib had suffered a breach.<ref>{{cite book |author=Scott Johnson |title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity |page=285 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1 November 2012 |isbn=978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref> Abraha died around 570. The [[Sasanid Empire]] annexed Aden around 570. Under their rule, most of Yemen enjoyed great autonomy except for Aden and Sana'a. This era marked the collapse of ancient South Arabian civilization, since the greater part of the country was under several independent clans until the arrival of Islam in 630.<ref>{{cite book|author=Scott Johnson|title=The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity|page=298|publisher= Oxford University Press|date= 1 November 2012|isbn= 978-0-19-533693-1}}</ref>

=== Middle Ages ===
{{See also|Islamic history of Yemen}}

==== Advent of Islam and the three dynasties ====
{{Main|Yu'firids|Ziyadid dynasty|Imams of Yemen}}

[[File:Great Mosque of Sana'a1.jpg|thumb|The interior of the [[Great Mosque of Sana'a]], the oldest mosque in Yemen]]

[[Muhammad]] sent his cousin [[Ali]] to Sana'a and its surroundings around 630. At the time, Yemen was the most advanced region in Arabia.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sabarr Janneh |title=Learning From the Life of Prophet Muhammad |page=17 |publisher=AuthorHouse |isbn=1-4678-9966-6}}</ref> The [[Banu Hamdan]] confederation was among the first to accept Islam. Muhammad sent [[Muadh ibn Jabal]], as well to Al-Janad, in present-day [[Taiz]], and dispatched letters to various tribal leaders.<ref>Abd al-Muhsin Madʼaj M. Madʼaj ''The Yemen in Early Islam (9–233/630–847): A Political History'' p. 12 Ithaca Press, 1988 {{ISBN|0863721028}}</ref> Major tribes, including Himyar, sent delegations to [[Medina]] during the "year of delegations" around 630–631. Several Yemenis accepted Islam before 630, such as [[Ammar ibn Yasir]], [[Al-Ala'a Al-Hadrami]], [[Miqdad ibn Aswad]], [[Abu Musa Ashaari]], and [[Sharhabeel ibn Hasana]]. A man named [[Aswad Ansi|'Abhala ibn Ka'ab Al-Ansi]] expelled the remaining Persians and claimed he was a prophet of [[Rahman (Islamic term)|Rahman]]. He was assassinated by a Yemeni of Persian origin called [[Fayruz al-Daylami]]. Christians, who were mainly staying in [[Najran]] along with Jews, agreed to pay ''[[jizya]]h'' ({{langx|ar|جِـزْيَـة}}), although some Jews converted to Islam, such as [[Wahb ibn Munabbih]] and [[Ka'ab al-Ahbar]].

Yemen was stable during the [[Rashidun Caliphate]]. Yemeni tribes played a pivotal role in the Islamic expansion into Egypt, Iraq, Persia, the [[Levant]], [[Anatolia]], [[North Africa]], [[History of Islam in Southern Italy|Sicily]], and [[Andalusia]].<ref>Wilferd Madelung ''The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate'' p. 199 Cambridge University Press, 15 October 1998 {{ISBN|0521646960}}</ref><ref>Ṭabarī ''The History of al-Tabari Vol. 12: The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah and the Conquest of Syria and Palestine A.D. 635–637/A.H. 14–15'' pp. 10–11 SUNY Press, 1992 {{ISBN|0791407330}}</ref><ref>Idris El Hareir ''The Spread of Islam Throughout the World'' p. 380 UNESCO, 2011 {{ISBN|9231041533}}</ref> Yemeni tribes who settled in [[Syria]] contributed significantly to the solidification of [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] rule, especially during the reign of [[Marwan I]]. Powerful Yemenite tribes such as Kinda were on his side during the [[Battle of Marj Rahit (684)|Battle of Marj Rahit]].<ref>Nejla M. Abu Izzeddin ''The Druzes: A New Study of Their History, Faith, and Society'' BRILL, 1993 {{ISBN|9004097058}}</ref><ref>Hugh Kennedy ''The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State'' p. 33 Routledge, 17 June 2013 {{ISBN|1134531133}}</ref>

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Ziyad founded the Ziyadid dynasty in [[Tihamah]] around 818. The state stretched from [[Al Qunfudhah|Haly]] (in present-day Saudi Arabia) to Aden. They nominally recognized the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] but ruled independently from [[Zabid]].<ref name="Paul Wheatley">[[Paul Wheatley (geographer)|Paul Wheatley]] ''The Places Where Men Pray Together: Cities in Islamic Lands, Seventh Through the Tenth Centuries'' p. 128 University of Chicago Press, 2001 {{ISBN|0226894282}}</ref> By virtue of its location, they developed a special relationship with [[Ethiopia|Abyssinia]]. The chief of the [[Dahlak Archipelago|Dahlak islands]] exported slaves, as well as amber and leopard hides, to the ruler of Yemen.<ref name="Lunpor">{{cite book |last=Paul Lunde |first=Alexandra Porter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HSdmAAAAMAAJ |title=Trade and travel in the Red Sea Region: proceedings of Red Sea project I held in the British Museum, October 2002 |publisher=Archaeopress |year=2004 |isbn=1-84171-622-7 |page=20 |quote=in 976–77 AD[...] the then ruler of Yemen received slaves, as well as amber and [[African leopard|leopard]] skins from the chief of the Dahlak islands (off the coast from Massawa).}}</ref> They controlled only a small portion of the coastal strip in Tihamah along the Red Sea, and never exercised control over the highlands and Hadhramaut.<ref>Kamal Suleiman Salibi ''A History of Arabia'' p. 108 Caravan Books, 1980 OCLC Number: 164797251</ref> A Himyarite clan called the [[Yufirids]] established their rule over the highlands from [[Saada]] to [[Taiz]], while Hadhramaut was an Ibadi stronghold and rejected all allegiance to the Abbasids in [[Baghdad]].<ref name="Paul Wheatley" />

The first [[Zaidiyyah|Zaidi]] imam, [[Al-Hadi ila'l-Haqq Yahya|Yahya ibn al-Husayn]], arrived in Yemen in 893. He was a religious cleric and judge who was invited to come to Saada from Medina to arbitrate tribal disputes.<ref>Stephen W. Day ''Regionalism and Rebellion in Yemen: A Troubled National Union'' p. 31 Cambridge University Press, 2012 {{ISBN|1107022150}}</ref> Yahya persuaded local tribesmen to follow his teachings. The sect slowly spread across the highlands, as the tribes of [[Hashid]] and [[Bakil]], later known as "the twin wings of the imamate", accepted his authority.<ref>Gerhard Lichtenthäler ''Political Ecology and the Role of Water: Environment, Society and Economy in Northern Yemen'' p. 55 Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2003 {{ISBN|0754609081}}</ref> He founded the [[Rassids|Zaidi imamate]] in 897. Yahya established his influence in Saada and Najran. He also tried to capture Sana'a from the Yufirids in 901 but failed miserably.

==== Sulayhid dynasty (1047–1138) ====
{{multiple image |align=right |direction=vertical |width=220
 |image1=Jibla, Yemen (14262696121).jpg |caption1=[[Jibla, Yemen|Jibla]] became the capital of the dynasty. Featured is the [[Queen Arwa Mosque]].
 |image2=Queen Arwa al- Sulaihi Palace 1.jpg |caption2=[[Palace of Queen Arwa|Queen Arwa al-Sulaihi Palace]]
}}

The [[Sulayhid dynasty]] was founded in the northern highlands around 1040; at the time, Yemen was ruled by different local dynasties. In 1060, [[Ali al-Sulayhi|Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Sulayhi]] conquered Zabid and killed its ruler Al-Najah, founder of the Najahid dynasty. His sons were forced to flee to Dahlak.<ref>J. D. Fage, Roland Anthony Oliver ''The Cambridge History of Africa, Volume 3'' p. 119 Cambridge University Press,1977 {{ISBN|0521209811}}</ref> Hadhramaut fell into Sulayhid hands after their capture of Aden in 1162.<ref>{{citation |author=William Charles Brice |title=An Historical Atlas of Islam [cartographic Material] |page=338 |publisher=[[Brill publishers|BRILL]] |year=1981 |isbn=9004061169}}</ref>

By 1063, Ali had subjugated [[Greater Yemen]].<ref>Farhad Daftary ''Ismailis in Medieval Muslim Societies: A Historical Introduction to an Islamic Community'' p. 92 I. B. Tauris, 2005 {{ISBN|1845110919}}</ref> He then marched toward [[Hejaz]] and occupied [[Makkah]].<ref>Farhad Daftary ''The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines'' p. 199 Cambridge University Press, 2007 {{ISBN|1139465783}}</ref> Ali was married to [[Asma bint Shihab]], who governed Yemen with her husband.<ref name="Fatima Mernissi The Forgotten Queens of Islam p">Fatima Mernissi ''The Forgotten Queens of Islam'' p. 14 U of Minnesota Press, 1997 {{ISBN|0816624399}}</ref> The [[Khutba]] during [[Jumu'ah|Friday prayers]] was proclaimed in both her husband's name and hers. No other Arab woman had this honor since the advent of Islam.<ref name="Fatima Mernissi The Forgotten Queens of Islam p" />

Ali al-Sulayhi was killed by Najah's sons on his way to Mecca in 1084. His son Ahmed Al-Mukarram led an army to Zabid and killed 8,000 of its inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدو المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=237 |language=ar}}</ref> He later installed the Zurayids to govern Aden. al-Mukarram, who had been afflicted with facial paralysis resulting from war injuries, retired in 1087 and handed over power to his wife [[Arwa al-Sulayhi]].<ref>Farhad Daftary ''Ismailis in Medieval Muslim Societies: A Historical Introduction to an Islamic Community'' p. 93 I. B. Tauris, 2005 {{ISBN|1845110919}}</ref> Queen Arwa moved the seat of the Sulayhid dynasty from Sana'a to [[Jibla, Yemen|Jibla]], a small town in central Yemen near [[Ibb]]. She sent Ismaili missionaries to India, where a significant Ismaili community was formed that exists to this day.<ref name="Steven C">Steven C. Caton ''Yemen'' p. 51 ABC-CLIO, 2013 {{ISBN|159884928X}}</ref>

Queen Arwa continued to rule securely until her death in 1138.<ref name="Steven C" /> She is still remembered as a great and much-loved sovereign, as attested in Yemeni historiography, literature, and popular lore, where she is referred to as ''Balqis al-sughra'' ("the junior queen of Sheba").<ref>{{cite book |author=Bonnie G. Smith |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History |year=2008 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-514890-9 |volume=4 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordencycloped0000unse_k2h2/page/163 163] |language=ar |url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordencycloped0000unse_k2h2/page/163 }}</ref> Shortly after Arwa's death, the country was split between five competing petty dynasties along religious lines.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدو المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=303 |language=ar}}</ref> The [[Ayyubid dynasty]] overthrew the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] in Egypt. A few years after their rise to power, [[Saladin]] dispatched his brother [[Turan Shah]] to conquer Yemen in 1174.<ref>{{cite book |author=Alexander Mikaberidze |title=Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia: A Historical Encyclopedia |year=2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-59884-337-8 |page=159 }}</ref>

==== Ayyubid conquest (1171–1260) ====
{{Main|Ayyubid dynasty}}

[[Turan Shah]] conquered Zabid from the [[Mahdids]] in 1174, then marched toward Aden in June and captured it from the Zurayids.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدو المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=311 |language=ar}}</ref> The [[Hamdanid sultans]] of Sana'a resisted the Ayyubid in 1175, and the Ayyubids did not manage to secure Sana'a until 1189.<ref name="Farhad Daftary 2007 260">{{cite book |author=Farhad Daftary |title=The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-46578-6 |page=260 }}</ref> The Ayyubid rule was stable in southern and central Yemen, where they succeeded in eliminating the ministates of that region, while Ismaili and Zaidi tribesmen continued to hold out in several fortresses.<ref name="Farhad Daftary 2007 260" />

The Ayyubids failed to capture the [[Zaydism|Zaydis]] stronghold in northern Yemen.<ref>{{cite book |author=Josef W. Meri |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization |year=2004 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=0-415-96690-6 |page=871 }}</ref> In 1191, Zaydis of [[Shibam Kawkaban District|Shibam Kawkaban]] rebelled and killed 700 Ayyubid soldiers.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدول المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=350 |language=ar}}</ref> Imam [[Al-Mansur Abdallah|Abdullah bin Hamza]] proclaimed the imamate in 1197 and fought al-Mu'izz Ismail, the Ayyubid Sultan of Yemen. Imam Abdullah was defeated at first but was able to conquer Sana'a and [[Dhamar, Yemen|Dhamar]] in 1198,<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدول المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=354 |language=ar}}</ref> and al-Mu'izz Ismail was assassinated in 1202.<ref>{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدول المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=371 |language=ar}}</ref>

[[Al-Mansur Abdallah|Abdullah bin Hamza]] carried on the struggle against the Ayyubid until his death in 1217. After his demise, the Zaidi community was split between two rival imams. The Zaydis were dispersed, and a truce was signed with the Ayyubid in 1219.<ref name="Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi 1987 407">{{cite book |author=Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi |script-title=ar:الحياة السياسية ومظاهر الحضارة في اليمن في عهد الدول المستقلة |trans-title=political life and aspects of civilization in Yemen during the reign of Independent States |year=1987 |publisher=University of Sana'a |page=407 |language=ar}}</ref> The Ayyubid army was defeated in [[Dhamar, Yemen|Dhamar]] in 1226.<ref name="Mohammed Abdo Al-Sururi 1987 407" /> Ayyubid Sultan Mas'ud Yusuf left for Mecca in 1228, never to return.<ref name="Alexander D. Knysh 1999 230">{{cite book |author=Alexander D. Knysh |title=Ibn 'Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval Islam |year=1999 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=1-4384-0942-7 |page=230 }}</ref> Other sources suggest that he was forced to leave for Egypt instead in 1223.<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 84">{{cite book |author=Abdul Ali |title=Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization During the Later Medieval Times |year=1996 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd |isbn=8175330082 |page=84 }}</ref>

==== Rasulid dynasty (1229–1454) ====
[[File:Cairo Castle GardenTaiz,Yemen.jpg|thumb|[[Al-Qahira Castle]]'s Garden in Taiz, the capital of Yemen during the [[Rasulid dynasty|Rasulid's era]]]]

The [[Rasulid dynasty]] was established in 1229 by [[Al-Mansur Umar|Umar ibn Ali]], who was appointed deputy governor by the Ayyubids in 1223. When the last Ayyubid ruler left Yemen in 1229, Umar stayed in the country as caretaker. He subsequently declared himself an independent king by assuming the title "al-Malik Al-Mansur" (the king assisted by [[Allah]]).<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 84" />

Umar first established himself at Zabid, then moved into the mountainous interior, taking the important highland centre Sana'a. However, the Rasulid capitals were Zabid and Taiz. He was assassinated by his nephew in 1249.<ref name="Alexander D. Knysh 1999 230" /> Omar's son [[Al-Muzaffar Yusuf I|Yusuf]] defeated the faction led by his father's assassins and crushed several counterattacks by the Zaydi imams who still held on in the northern highland. Mainly because of the victories he scored over his rivals, he assumed the honorific title "al-Muzaffar" (the victorious).<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 86">{{cite book |author=Abdul Ali |title=Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization During the Later Medieval Times |year=1996 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd |isbn=8175330082 |page=86 }}</ref>

After the [[Siege of Baghdad (1258)|fall of Baghdad]] to the [[Mongols]] in 1258, al-Muzaffar Yusuf I appropriated the title of [[caliph]].<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 86" /> He chose the city of Taiz to become the political capital of the kingdom because of its strategic location and proximity to Aden.<ref name="Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach 2006 669">{{cite book |author1=Josef W. Meri |author2=Jere L. Bacharach |title=Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, index |year=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=0-415-96692-2 |page=669 }}</ref> The Rasulid sultans built numerous [[Madrasa]]s to solidify the [[Shafi'i]] school of thought, which is still the dominant school of [[Fiqh|jurisprudence]] amongst Yemenis today.<ref name="David J Wasserstein, Ami Ayalon 2013 201">{{cite book |author1=David J Wasserstein |author2=Ami Ayalon |title=Mamluks and Ottomans: Studies in Honour of Michael Winter|year=2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-57917-2 |page=201 }}</ref> Under their rule, Taiz and Zabid became major international centres of Islamic learning.<ref name="Alexander D. Knysh 1999 231">{{cite book |author=Alexander D. Knysh |title=Ibn 'Arabi in the Later Islamic Tradition: The Making of a Polemical Image in Medieval Islam |year=1999 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=1-4384-0942-7 |page=231 }}</ref> The kings were educated men in their own right, who not only had important libraries but also wrote treatises on a wide array of subjects, ranging from astrology and medicine to agriculture and genealogy.<ref name="Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach 2006 669" />[[File:Slaves Zadib Yemen 13th century BNF Paris.jpg|thumb|A 13th-century book illustration produced in [[Baghdad]] by [[Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti|al-Wasiti]] showing a slave-market in the town of [[Zabid]] in Yemen]]They had a difficult relationship with the [[Mamluks of Egypt]] because the latter considered them a vassal state.<ref name="Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach 2006 669" /> Their competition centred over the Hejaz and the right to provide ''[[kiswa]]'' of the [[Ka'aba]] in Mecca.<ref name="Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach 2006 669" /> The dynasty became increasingly threatened by disgruntled family members over the problem of succession, combined with periodic tribal revolts, as they were locked in a war of attrition with the Zaydi imams in the northern highlands.<ref name="Alexander D. Knysh 1999 231" /> During the last 12 years of Rasulid rule, the country was torn between several contenders for the kingdom. The weakening of the Rasulid provided an opportunity for the [[Tahirids (Yemen)|Banu Taher]] clan to take over and establish themselves as the new rulers of Yemen in 1454 AD.<ref name="David J Wasserstein, Ami Ayalon 2013 201" />

==== Tahirid dynasty (1454–1517) ====
{{Main articles|Ottoman–Portuguese confrontations|Ottoman–Portuguese conflicts (1538–1560)}}

The [[Tahirids (Yemen)|Tahirids]] were a local clan based in [[Rada' District|Rada'a]]. They built schools, mosques, and irrigation channels, as well as water cisterns and bridges in Zabid, Aden, [[Rada'a]], and Juban. Their best-known monument is the [[Amiriya Madrasa]] in [[Rada' District]], which was built in 1504.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen Tourism Promotion Board – The Mosque and School of Al-Amiryah |url=https://www.yementourism.com/explore-yemen/spiritual-tourism/105-the-mosque-and-school-of-al-amiryah-2 |access-date=16 April 2023 |website=www.yementourism.com |archive-date=16 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230416162801/https://www.yementourism.com/explore-yemen/spiritual-tourism/105-the-mosque-and-school-of-al-amiryah-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Tahirids were too weak either to contain the Zaydi imams or to defend themselves against foreign attacks.

Realizing how rich the Tahirid realm was, the Mamluks decided to conquer it.<ref name="Steven C-2">Steven C. Caton ''Yemen'' p. 59 ABC-CLIO, 2013 {{ISBN|159884928X}}</ref> The Mamluk army, with the support of forces loyal to Zaydi Imam [[Al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din]], conquered the entire Tahirid realm but failed to capture Aden in 1517. The Mamluk victory was short-lived. The [[Ottoman Empire]] conquered Egypt, hanging the last Mamluk Sultan in [[Cairo]].<ref name="Steven C-2" /> The Ottomans had not decided to conquer Yemen until 1538. The Zaydi highland tribes emerged as national heroes<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 94">{{cite book|author=Abdul Ali|title=Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization During the Later Medieval Times|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd|year=1996|isbn=8175330082|page=94}}</ref> by offering stiff, vigorous resistance to the Turkish occupation.<ref>{{cite book |author=Bernard Haykel |title=Revival and Reform in Islam: The Legacy of Muhammad Al-Shawkani |year=2003 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-52890-9 |page=30 }}</ref> The Mamluks tried to attach Yemen to Egypt and the Portuguese led by [[Afonso de Albuquerque]], occupied the island of [[Socotra]] and made an unsuccessful attack on Aden in 1513.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Halil İnalcık |author2=Donald Quataert |title=An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, 1300–1914|year=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0-521-34315-1|page=320 }}</ref>

=== Portuguese (1498–1756) ===
{{Main articles|Battle of Ash-Shihr (1523)|Battle of al-Shihr (1531)|Battle of al-Shihr (1548)|Siege of Aden|Capture of Aden (1548)}}

[[File:Assault on Aden.jpg|thumb|right|Portuguese Viceroy [[Afonso de Albuquerque]] failed twice to [[Siege of Aden|conquer Aden]], though the [[Portuguese Empire]] managed to rule [[Socotra]] until 1511]]
Starting in the 15th century, [[Portugal]] intervened, dominating the port of Aden for about 20 years and maintaining a fortified enclave on the island of Socotra during this period. From the 16th century, the Portuguese posed an immediate threat to Indian Ocean trade. The Mamluks therefore sent an army under Hussein al-Kurdi to fight the intruders <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Zurcher |first=Erik Jan |date=1 January 1996 |title=An Economic and Social History of the Ottoman Empire, 1300–1914. Ed. by Halil Inalcik, with Donald Quataert |url=https://www.academia.edu/5720965 |journal=International Review of Social History |access-date=21 December 2023 |archive-date=27 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227212338/https://www.academia.edu/5720965 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Mamluk sultan went to Zabid in 1515 and entered into diplomatic talks with the Tahiri sultan 'Amir bin Abdulwahab for money that would be needed for the jihad against the Portuguese. Instead of confronting them, the Mamluks, who were running out of food and water, landed on the coast of Yemen and began harassing the villagers of Tihamah to obtain the supplies they needed.

The interest of Portugal on the Red Sea consisted on the one hand of guaranteeing contacts with a Christian ally in Ethiopia and on the other of being able to attack Mecca and the Arab territories from the rear, while still having absolute dominance over trade of spices, the main intention was to dominate the commerce of the cities on the coast of Africa and Arabia.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silva |first=António Dinis da Cruz e |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ULsGAAAAQAAJ&dq=Heitor+da+Silveira+Adem&pg=PA127 |title=Poesias de Antonio Diniz da Cruz e Silva: Segunda parte das Odes pindaricas |date=1817 |publisher=Typografia Lacerdina |language=pt-BR |access-date=26 January 2024 |archive-date=4 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104181025/https://books.google.com/books?dq=Heitor+da+Silveira+Adem&id=ULsGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA127 |url-status=live }}</ref> To this end, Portugal sought to influence and dominate by force or persuasion all the ports and kingdoms that fought among themselves. It was common for Portugal to keep under its influence the Arab allies that were interested in maintaining independence from other Arab states in the region.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barros |first=Joao de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A9VUAAAAcAAJ&dq=Nuno+da+Cunha+Xael&pg=PA551 |title=Asia ... Dos feitos que os Portugueses fezerao no descobrimento e conquista dos mares e terras do Oriente |date=1628 |publisher=Jorge Rodriguez |language=pt-BR}}</ref>

=== Modern history ===
{{See also|Modern history of Yemen}}

==== The Zaydis and Ottomans ====
{{See also|Qasimid State|Yemen Eyalet|Yemeni–Ottoman conflicts}}
[[File:Jemen1988-153 hg.jpg|thumb|[[al-Bakiriyya Mosque|Al Bakiriyya Ottoman Mosque]] in [[Sana'a]] was built in 1597.]]

The Ottomans had two fundamental interests to safeguard in Yemen—the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and the trade route with India for spices and textiles, both threatened, and the latter virtually eclipsed, by the arrival of the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea in the early 16th century.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IiRwGU9pvw4C|last=Nahrawālī|first=Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad|date=6 September 2002|publisher=I. B. Tauris |isbn=978-1-86064-836-6|page=2|translator-last=Smith|translator-first=Clive|script-title=ar:البرق اليماني في الفتح العثماني|trans-title=Lightning Over Yemen: A History of the Ottoman Campaign in Yemen, 1569–71}}</ref> [[Hadım Suleiman Pasha]], the Ottoman governor of [[Eyalet of Egypt|Egypt]], was ordered to command a fleet of 90 ships to conquer Yemen. The country was in a state of incessant anarchy and discord as Pasha described it by saying:<ref>{{cite book |author=Giancarlo Casale|title=The Ottoman Age of Exploration|url=https://archive.org/details/ottomanageexplor00casa|url-access=limited|year=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-979879-7 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ottomanageexplor00casa/page/n63 43] }}</ref>

{{Blockquote|Yemen is a land with no lord, an empty province. It would be not only possible but easy to capture, and should it be captured, it would be master of the lands of [[Indian subcontinent|India]] and send every year a great amount of gold and jewels to [[Constantinople]].}}

Imam [[al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din]] ruled over the northern highlands including Sana'a, while Aden was held by the last Tahiride Sultan 'Amir ibn Dauod. Pasha stormed Aden in 1538, killing its ruler, and extended Ottoman authority to include Zabid in 1539 and eventually Tihamah in its entirety.<ref name="Nahrawālī88">{{harvp|Nahrawālī|2002|p=88}}</ref> Zabid became the administrative headquarters of Yemen Eyalet.<ref name="Nahrawālī88" /> The Ottoman governors did not exercise much control over the highlands. They held sway mainly in the southern coastal region, particularly around Zabid, Mocha, and Aden.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jane Hathaway|title=A Tale of Two Factions: Myth, Memory, and Identity in Ottoman Egypt and Yemen|year=2012 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn=978-0-7914-8610-8 |page=83 }}</ref> Of 80,000 soldiers sent to Yemen from Egypt between 1539 and 1547, only 7,000 survived.<ref name="Robert W. Stookey 1978 134">{{cite book |author=Robert W. Stookey|title=Yemen: the politics of the Yemen Arab Republic|year=1978 |publisher=Westview Press|isbn=0-89158-300-9 |page=134 }}</ref> The Ottoman accountant-general in Egypt remarked:<ref name="Robert W. Stookey 1978 134" />

{{Blockquote|We have seen no foundry like Yemen for our soldiers. Each time we have sent an expeditionary force there, it has melted away like salt dissolved in water.}}

[[File:Group of men in Yemen.tif|thumb|left|Ottoman soldiers and Yemeni locals]]

The Ottomans sent yet another expeditionary force to Zabid in 1547, while Imam al-Mutawakkil Yahya Sharaf ad-Din was ruling the highlands independently. Yahya chose his son Ali to succeed him, a decision that infuriated his other son [[al-Mutahhar]] ibn Yahya.<ref name="Nahrawālī95">{{harvp|Nahrawālī|2002|p=95}}</ref> Al-Mutahhar was lame, so he was not qualified for the imamate.<ref name="Nahrawālī95" /> He urged Oais Pasha, the Ottoman colonial governor in [[Zabid]], to attack his father.<ref>{{cite book |author1=R. B. Serjeant |author2=Ronald Lewcock |title=Sana: An Arabian Islamic City|year=1983 |publisher=World of Islam Festival Pub. Co |isbn= 0-905035-04-6 |page=70 }}</ref> Indeed, Ottoman troops supported by tribal forces loyal to Imam al-Mutahhar stormed Taiz and marched north toward Sana'a in August 1547. The Turks officially made Imam al-Mutahhar a ''[[Sanjak-bey]]'' with authority over [['Amran]]. Imam al-Mutahhar assassinated the Ottoman colonial governor and recaptured Sana'a, but the Ottomans, led by [[Özdemir Pasha]], forced al-Mutahhar to retreat to his fortress in [[Thula]]. Özdemir Pasha effectively put Yemen under Ottoman rule between 1552 and 1560. Özdemir died in Sana'a in 1561 and was succeeded by [[Mahmud Pasha (governor)|Mahmud Pasha]].

Mahmud Pasha was described by other Ottoman officials as a corrupt and unscrupulous governor, and he was displaced by Ridvan Pasha in 1564. By 1565, Yemen was split into two provinces, the highlands under the command of Ridvan Pasha and Tihamah under Murad Pasha. Imam al-Mutahhar launched a propaganda campaign in which he claimed that the prophet Mohammed came to him in a dream and advised him to wage ''jihad'' against the Ottomans.<ref>{{harvp|Nahrawālī|2002|p=134}}</ref> Al-Mutahhar led the tribes to capture Sana'a from Ridvan Pasha in 1567. When Murad tried to relieve Sana'a, highland tribesmen ambushed his unit and slaughtered all of them.<ref name="Nahrawālī180">{{harvp|Nahrawālī|2002|p=180}}</ref> Over 80 battles were fought. The last decisive encounter took place in Dhamar around 1568, in which Murad Pasha was beheaded and his head sent to al-Mutahhar in Sana'a.<ref name="Nahrawālī180" /><ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 103">{{cite book |author=Abdul Ali|title=Islamic Dynasties of the Arab East: State and Civilization During the Later Medieval Times|year=1996 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd |isbn=8175330082|page=103 }}</ref> By 1568, only Zabid remained under the possession of the Turks.<ref name="Abdul Ali 1996 103" />

[[File:Thula fortification2.jpg|upright=2.8|thumb|center|<div style="text-align: center;"> Ruins of Thula fortress in [['Amran]], where [[al-Mutahhar]] ibn Yahya barricaded himself against Ottoman attacks</div>]]

[[File:Mocha1692.jpg|thumb|[[Mokha]] was Yemen's busiest port in the 17th and 18th centuries.]]

In 1632, Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad sent an expeditionary force of 1,000 men to conquer Mecca.<ref name="Faulder">{{cite book|title=Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75|volume=2|page=75|year=1789|publisher=R. Faulder|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=28 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028115444/https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> The army entered the city in triumph and killed its governor.<ref name="Faulder" /> The Ottomans sent an army from Egypt to fight the Yemenites.<ref name="Faulder" /> Seeing that the Turkish army was too numerous to overcome, the Yemeni army retreated to a valley outside Mecca.<ref name="R. Faulder">{{cite book|title=Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75|volume=2|page=76|year=1789|publisher=R. Faulder|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=28 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028115444/https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Ottoman troops attacked the Yemenis by hiding at the wells that supplied them with water. This plan proceeded successfully, causing the Yemenis over 200 casualties, most from thirst.<ref name="R. Faulder" /> The tribesmen eventually surrendered and returned to Yemen.<ref>{{cite book|title=Accounts and Extracts of the Manuscripts in the Library of the King of France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75|volume=2|page=78|year=1789|publisher=R. Faulder|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=28 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028115444/https://books.google.com/books?id=_WJFAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad died in 1644. He was succeeded by [[Al-Mutawakkil Isma'il]], another son of al-Mansur al-Qasim, who conquered Yemen in its entirety.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Kjetil Selvik |author2=Stig Stenslie |year=2011|title=Stability and Change in the Modern Middle East|page=90|publisher=I. B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-84885-589-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Anna Hestler |author2=Jo-Ann Spilling |year=2010|title=Yemen|page=23|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-0-7614-4850-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author= Richard N. Schofield|year=1994|title=Territorial foundations of the Gulf states|page=90|publisher=UCL Press|isbn=1-85728-121-7}}</ref><ref>{{Harvp|Burrowes|2010|p=295}}</ref>

Yemen became the sole [[coffee bean|coffee]] producer in the world.<ref>{{cite book|author=Nelly Hanna|year=2005|title=Society and Economy in Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean, 1600–1900: Essays in Honor of André Raymond|page=124|publisher=American Univ in Cairo Press|isbn=9774249372}}</ref> The country established diplomatic relations with the [[Safavid dynasty]] of Persia, Ottomans of Hejaz, [[Mughal Empire]] in India, and Ethiopia, as well. In the first half of the 18th century, the Europeans broke Yemen's monopoly on coffee by smuggling coffee trees and cultivating them in their own colonies in the East Indies, East Africa, the West Indies, and Latin America.<ref>{{cite book|author=Marta Colburn|year=2002|title=The Republic of Yemen: Development Challenges in the 21st Century|page=15|publisher=CIIR|isbn=1-85287-249-7}}</ref> The imamate did not follow a cohesive mechanism for succession, and family quarrels and tribal insubordination led to the political decline of the Qasimi dynasty in the 18th century.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ari Ariel|year=2013|title=Jewish-Muslim Relations and Migration from Yemen to Palestine in the Late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|page=24|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004265370}}</ref>

==== Great Britain and the nine regions ====
{{See also|Aden Protectorate|Sultanate of Lahej}}
[[File:Yem5.jpg|thumb|The building of the Legislative Council of Aden, built by the English in the 19th century as St. Mary's Church, was converted into the building of the Legislative Council in the 1960s, and is now a museum.]]

The British were looking for a coal depot to service their steamers en route to India. It took 700 tons of coal for a round-trip from [[Suez]] to [[Bombay]]. [[East India Company]] officials decided on [[Aden]]. The [[British Empire]] tried to reach an agreement with the Zaydi imam of Sana'a, permitting them a foothold in Mocha, and when unable to secure their position, they extracted a similar agreement from the [[Sultanate of Lahej|Sultan of Lahej]], enabling them to consolidate a position in Aden.<ref name="Caesar E. Farah 2002 120">{{cite book|author=Caesar E. Farah|year=2002|title=The Sultan's Yemen: 19th-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule|url=https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara/page/n142 120]|publisher=I. B. Tauris|isbn=1-86064-767-7}}</ref> The British managed to occupy Aden and evicted the Sultan of Lahej from Aden and forced him to accept their "protection".<ref name="Caesar E. Farah 2002 120" /> In November 1839, 5,000 tribesmen tried to retake the town but were repulsed and 200 were killed.

With emigrants from India, East Africa, and Southeast Asia, Aden grew into a world city. In 1850, only 980 Arabs were registered as original inhabitants of the city.<ref>{{cite book|author=R. J. Gavin|year=1975|title=Aden Under British Rule, 1839–1967|url=https://archive.org/details/adenunderbritish0000gavi|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/adenunderbritish0000gavi/page/60 60]|publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers|isbn=0-903983-14-1}}</ref> The English presence in Aden put them at odds with the Ottomans. The Turks asserted to the British that they held sovereignty over the whole of Arabia, including Yemen as the successor of Mohammed and the Chief of the Universal Caliphate.<ref>{{cite book|author=Caesar E. Farah|year=2002|title=The Sultan's Yemen: 19th-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule|url=https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara/page/n154 132]|publisher=I. B. Tauris|isbn=1-86064-767-7}}</ref>

==== Ottoman return ====
[[File:Mukhtar Pasha.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Grand Vizier]] and [[Wāli]] of Yemen [[Ahmed Muhtar Pasha]]]]

The Ottomans were concerned about the British expansion from the [[British Raj|British-ruled subcontinent]] to the Red Sea and Arabia. They returned to the Tihamah in 1849 after an absence of two centuries.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |author=Caesar E. Farah|year=2002|title= The Sultan's Yemen: 19th-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule|url=https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara|url-access=limited|publisher= I. B. Tauris|page= [https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara/page/n142 120]|isbn=1-86064-767-7}}</ref> Rivalries and disturbances continued among the Zaydi imams, between them and their deputies, with the [[ulema]], with the heads of tribes, as well as with those who belonged to other sects. Some citizens of Sana'a were desperate to return law and order to Yemen and asked the Ottoman Pasha in Tihamah to pacify the country.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Reeva S. Simon |author2=Michael Menachem Laskier |author3=Sara Reguer |year=2013|title=The Jews of the Middle East and North Africa in Modern Times|page=390|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-50759-2}}</ref> The opening of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1869 strengthened the Ottoman decision to remain in Yemen.<ref name="B. Z. Eraqi Klorman 1993 11">{{cite book |author=B. Z. Eraqi Klorman|year=1993|title=The Jews of Yemen in the Nineteenth Century: A Portrait of a Messianic Community|page=11|publisher=BRILL |isbn=9004096841}}</ref> By 1873, the Ottomans succeeded in conquering the northern highlands. Sana'a became the administrative capital of [[Yemen Vilayet]].

The Ottomans learned from their previous experience and worked on the disempowerment of local lords in the highland regions. They even attempted to secularize the Yemeni society, while [[Yemenite Jews]] came to perceive themselves in Yemeni nationalist terms.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ari Ariel|year=2013|title=Jewish-Muslim Relations and Migration from Yemen to Palestine in the Late Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries|page=37|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004265370}}</ref> The Ottomans appeased the tribes by forgiving their rebellious chiefs and appointing them to administrative posts. They introduced a series of reforms to enhance the country's economic welfare. However, corruption was widespread in the Ottoman administration in Yemen. This was because only the worst of the officials were appointed because those who could avoid serving in Yemen did so.<ref name="Doğan Gürpınar 2013 71">{{cite book |author=Doğan Gürpınar|year=2013|title=Ottoman/Turkish Visions of the Nation, 1860–1950|page=71|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-33421-3}}</ref> The Ottomans had reasserted control over the highlands for a temporary duration.<ref name="ReferenceA" /> The so-called ''[[Tanzimat]]'' reforms were considered heretic by the Zaydi tribes. In 1876, the Hashid and Bakil tribes rebelled against the Ottomans; the Turks had to appease them with gifts to end the uprising.<ref>{{cite book|author=Caesar E. Farah|year=2002|title= The Sultan's Yemen: 19th-Century Challenges to Ottoman Rule|url=https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara|url-access=limited|publisher= I. B. Tauris |page=[https://archive.org/details/sultansyementhce00fara/page/n118 96]|isbn=1-86064-767-7}}</ref>

The tribal chiefs were difficult to appease and an endless cycle of violence curbed Ottoman efforts to pacify the land. [[Ahmed Izzet Pasha]] proposed that the Ottoman army evacuate the highlands and confine itself to Tihamah, and not unnecessarily burden itself with continuing military operation against the Zaydi tribes.<ref name="Doğan Gürpınar 2013 71" /> Imam [[Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din|Yahya Hamidaddin]] led a rebellion against the Turks in 1904; the rebels disrupted the Ottoman ability to govern.<ref>{{cite book|author=B. Z. Eraqi Klorman|year=1993|title=The Jews of Yemen in the Nineteenth Century: A Portrait of a Messianic Community|page=12|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9004096841}}</ref> The revolts between 1904 and 1911 were especially damaging to the Ottomans, costing them as many as 10,000 soldiers and as much as 500,000 [[Pound sterling|pounds]] per year.<ref>{{cite book|author= Eugene L. Rogan|year=2002|title=Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire: Transjordan, 1850–1921|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-89223-6}}</ref> The Ottomans signed a treaty with imam [[Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din|Yahya Hamidaddin]] in 1911. Under the treaty, Imam Yahya was recognized as an autonomous leader of the Zaydi northern highlands. The Ottomans continued to rule [[Shafi'i]] areas in the mid-south until their departure in 1918.

==== Mutawakkilite Kingdom ====
{{Main|Kingdom of Yemen}}

[[File:Dar al hajar.jpg|thumb|upright|Imam [[Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din|Yahya Hamid Ed-Din]]'s house near Sana'a]]

Imam Yahya hamid ed-Din al-Mutawakkil was ruling the northern highlands independently from 1911, from which he began a conquest of the Yemen lands. In 1925 Yahya captured al-Hudaydah from the [[Idrisid dynasty|Idrisids]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Bernard Reich|title=Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary |year=1990|page=509|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=0-313-26213-6}}</ref> In 1927, Yahya's forces were about {{convert|50|km|mi|abbr=on|sigfig=1}} away from Aden, Taiz, and Ibb, and were bombed by the British for five days; the imam had to pull back.<ref>{{cite book |author=Paul Dresch |title=A History of Modern Yemen |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2000 |isbn=0-521-79482-X |page=34}}</ref> Small [[Bedouin]] forces, mainly from the [[Madh'hij]] confederation of [[Marib]], attacked [[Shabwah Governorate|Shabwah]] but were bombed by the British and had to retreat.

The [[Italian Empire]] was the first to recognize Yahya as the king of Yemen in 1926. This created a great deal of anxiety for the British, who interpreted it as recognition of Imam Yahya's claim to sovereignty over Greater Yemen, which included the Aden protectorate and Asir.<ref>{{cite book|author=Massimiliano Fiore|year=2010|title=Anglo-Italian Relations in the Middle East, 1922–1940|url=https://archive.org/details/angloitalianrela00fior|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/angloitalianrela00fior/page/n37 21]|publisher=Ashgate Publishing |isbn=978-0-7546-9747-3}}</ref> The Idrisis turned to [[Ibn Saud]] seeking his protection from Yahya. However, in 1932, the Idrisis broke their accord with Ibn Saud and went back to Yahya seeking help against Ibn Saud, who had begun liquidating their authority and expressed his desire to annex those territories into his own Saudi domain.<ref name="Madawi al-Rasheed 2002 101">{{cite book|author=Madawi al-Rasheed|year=2002|title=A History of Saudi Arabia|page=101|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-64412-7|author-link=Madawi al-Rasheed}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Bernard Reich|date=1990|title=Political Leaders of the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: A Biographical Dictionary|page=509|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-313-26213-5}}</ref> Yahya demanded the return of all Idrisi dominion.<ref name="Madawi al-Rasheed 2002 101" />

Negotiations between Yahya and Ibn Saud proved fruitless. After the 1934 Saudi-Yemeni war, Ibn Saud announced a ceasefire in May 1934.<ref name="Madawi al-Rasheed 97">{{cite book |author=Madawi al-Rasheed |title=A History of Saudi Arabia |date=April 2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-76128-4 |page=97}}</ref> Imam Yahya agreed to release Saudi hostages and the surrender of the Idrisis to Saudi custody. Imam Yahya ceded the three provinces of Najran, Asir, and [[Jizan Region|Jazan]] for 20 years.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Raymond A. Hinnebusch |author2=Anoushiravan Ehteshami |title=The Foreign Policies of Middle East States |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781588260208 |url-access=registration |year=2002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781588260208/page/262 262] |publisher=Lynne Rienner Publishers |isbn=1-58826-020-8}}</ref> and signed another treaty with the British government in 1934. The imam recognized the British sovereignty over Aden protectorate for 40 years.<ref>{{cite book|author=Glen Balfour-Paul|title=The End of Empire in the Middle East: Britain's Relinquishment of Power in Her Last Three Arab Dependencies|page=60|year=1994 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-46636-9}}</ref> Out of fear for [[Al Hudaydah|Hudaydah]], Yahya did submit to these demands.

==== Colonial Aden ====
[[File:Queen Elizabeth in Aden 1954.jpg|thumb|upright|Queen [[Elizabeth II]] holding a sword, prepared to [[knight]] subjects in [[Aden]] as part of a [[1954 royal visit to Aden by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|1954 visit]]. [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] is at right.]]

Starting in 1890, hundreds of Yemeni people from Hajz, Al-Baetha, and Taiz migrated to Aden to work at ports, and as labourers. This helped the population of Aden once again become predominantly Arab after, having been declared a free zone, it had become mostly foreigners. During World War II, Aden had increasing economic growth and became the second-busiest port in the world after [[New York City]].<ref name="Wealth p.117">Kiren Aziz Chaudhry The Price of Wealth: Economies and Institutions in the Middle East p. 117</ref> After the rise of labour unions, a rift was apparent between the sectors of workers and the first signs of resistance to the occupation started in 1943.<ref name="Wealth p.117" /> [[Muhammad Ali Luqman]] founded the first Arabic club and school in Aden, and was the first to start working towards a union.<ref>Ulrike Freitag Indian Ocean Migrants and State Formation in Hadhramaut: Reform</ref>

The [[Colony of Aden]] was divided into an eastern colony and a western colony. Those were further divided into 23 sultanates and emirates, and several independent tribes that had no relationships with the sultanates. The deal between the sultanates and Britain detailed protection and complete control of foreign relations by the British. The Sultanate of Lahej was the only one in which the sultan was referred to as ''His Highness''.<ref>Don Peretz The Middle East Today p. 490</ref> The [[Federation of South Arabia]] was created by the British to counter [[Arab nationalism]] by giving more freedom to the rulers of the nations.<ref>The Middle East Today By Don Peretz p. 491</ref>

The [[North Yemen Civil War]] inspired many in the south to rise against the British rule. The [[National Liberation Front (Yemen)|National Liberation Front]] (NLF) of Yemen was formed with the leadership of [[Qahtan Muhammad al-Shaabi|Qahtan Muhammad Al-Shaabi]]. The NLF hoped to destroy all the sultanates and eventually unite with the [[Yemen Arab Republic]]. Most of the support for the NLF came from [[Radfan]] and Yafa, so the British launched [[Radfan Campaign|Operation Nutcracker]], which completely burned Radfan in January 1964.<ref>Human Rights Human Wrongs By M. S. Gill p. 48</ref>

==== Two states ====
{{Main|Yemen Arab Republic|South Yemen}}

Arab nationalism had an influence in some circles who opposed the lack of modernization efforts in the Mutawakkilite monarchy. This became apparent when Imam [[Ahmad bin Yahya]] died in 1962. He was succeeded by his son, but army officers attempted to seize power, sparking the [[North Yemen Civil War]].<ref>{{cite book |author=F. Gregory Gause |title=Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence |year=1990 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-07044-7 |page=60 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0yUzV-g2X2QC |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref><ref>Burrowes, Robert, Wenner, Manfred W. [https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen "Yemen"]; {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510051432/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/652831/Yemen/45258/Agriculture-forestry-and-fishingAgriculture,forestry, |date=10 May 2020 }}. ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 2 April 2025. Accessed 3 April 2025</ref> The Hamidaddin royalists were supported by Saudi Arabia, Britain, and Jordan (mostly with weapons and financial aid, but also with small military forces), whilst the military rebels were backed by Egypt. Egypt provided the rebels with weapons and financial assistance, but also sent a large military force to participate in the fighting. Israel covertly supplied weapons to the royalists to keep the Egyptian military busy in Yemen and make Nasser less likely to initiate a conflict in the Sinai. After six years of civil war, the military rebels formed the [[Yemen Arab Republic]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Dresch |first=Paul |title=A History of Modern Yemen |year=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-79482-4 |page=115 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jxR2q-F3o4C&pg=PA115 |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref>

The revolution in the north coincided with the [[Aden Emergency]], which hastened the end of British rule in the south.<ref name="Britannica">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Yemeni Civil War". ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 18 January 2024, https://www.britannica.com/event/Yemeni-Civil-War {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250827065259/https://www.britannica.com/event/Yemeni-Civil-War |date=27 August 2025 }}. Accessed 3 April 2025</ref> On 30 November 1967, the state of South Yemen was formed, comprising Aden and the former Protectorate of South Arabia. This socialist state was later officially known as the [[People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] and a programme of nationalisation was begun.<ref>Schmitthoff, Clive Macmillan, ''Clive M. Schmitthoff's select essays on international trade law'', p. 390</ref>

Relations between the two Yemeni states fluctuated between peaceful and hostile. The South was supported by the Eastern bloc. The North, however, was not able to get the same connections. In 1972, the two states fought a war. The war was resolved with a ceasefire and negotiations brokered by the [[Arab League]], where it was declared that unification would eventually occur. In 1978, [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] was named as president of the Yemen Arab Republic.<ref name="BBC Timeline">{{cite web |title=Yemen profile (timeline) |date=26 October 2013 |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14704951 |access-date=14 December 2013 |quote=1978 – Ali Abdullah Saleh named as president of YAR. |archive-date=15 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115164559/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14704951 |url-status=live }}</ref> After the war, the North complained about the South's help from foreign countries. This included Saudi Arabia.<ref>{{cite book|last=Dresch|first=Paul|title=A History of Modern Yemen|year=2000|publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=120–124}}</ref>

In 1979, fresh fighting between the two states resumed and efforts were renewed to bring about unification.<ref name="BBC Timeline" /> Thousands were killed in 1986 in the [[South Yemen Civil War]].<ref name="Britannica" /> President [[Ali Nasser Muhammad]] fled to the north and was later sentenced to death for treason. A new government formed.<ref name="BBC Timeline" />

<gallery widths=200 heights=155>
File:Egyptian army in sanaa 1962.jpg|[[North Yemen Civil War|Egyptian military intervention]] in North Yemen, 1962
File:Aden7-1967.jpg|[[British Forces Aden|British Army]]'s counter-insurgency campaign in the British-controlled territories of [[Federation of South Arabia|South Arabia]], 1967
File:The Freedom Statue.jpg|People celebrating the victory of the [[14th October Revolution]] in [[Democratic Yemen]] by waving [[Red flag (politics)|red flags]] next to the Freedom Statue
</gallery>

==== Unification and civil war ====
{{Main|Yemeni unification|Yemeni Civil War (1994)}}

[[File:Divided Yemen.svg|thumb|right|[[Yemen Arab Republic]] (in orange) and the [[South Yemen|People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] (in blue) before 1990. Land gained after unification is in grey.]]

In 1990, the two governments reached a full agreement on the joint governing of Yemen, and the countries were merged on 22 May 1990, with Saleh as president.<ref name="BBC Timeline" /> The president of South Yemen, [[Ali Salim al-Beidh]], became vice president.<ref name="BBC Timeline" /> A unified [[Assembly of Representatives of Yemen|parliament]] was formed and a unity constitution was agreed upon.<ref name="BBC Timeline" /> In the [[Yemeni parliamentary election, 1993|1993 parliamentary election]], the first held after unification, the [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People's Congress]] won 122 of 301 seats.<ref name=elections>{{cite book |title=Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I |editor1-last=Nohlen |editor1-first=Dieter |editor2-last=Grotz |editor2-first=Florian |editor3-last=Hartmann |editor3-first=Christof |year=2001 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-924958-9 |pages=309–310 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BVFBXa69tWMC&pg=PA309 |access-date=7 April 2011 |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215135117/https://books.google.com/books?id=BVFBXa69tWMC&pg=PA309 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|309}}

After the [[Gulf War|invasion of Kuwait]] crisis in 1990, Yemen's president opposed military intervention from non-Arab states.<ref>{{cite web |title=Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm – War with Iraqi |url= http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/desertstorm.html|access-date=22 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040122111532/http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/desertstorm.html |archive-date=22 January 2004 |publisher=Laughtergenealogy.com}}</ref> As a member of the [[United Nations Security Council]] for 1990 and 1991, Yemen abstained on a number of [[United Nations Security Council|UNSC]] resolutions concerning Iraq and Kuwait<ref name=YemenProfile2008>{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf |title=Country Profile: Yemen |publisher=Library of Congress – Federal Research Division |date=August 2008 |access-date=7 April 2010 |archive-date=15 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515010519/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Yemen.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> and voted against the "...use of force resolution." The vote outraged the U.S.,<ref>{{cite web|title=Fighting al-Qaeda: The Role of Yemen's President Saleh |url=http://www.realclearworld.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2010/01/08/fighting_al-qaeda_the_role_of_yemens_president_saleh_97472.html |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20100209233322/http://www.realclearworld.com/printpage/?url=http://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2010/01/08/fighting_al-qaeda_the_role_of_yemens_president_saleh_97472.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 February 2010 |work=Realclearworld.com |date=17 December 2009 |access-date=22 February 2013 }}</ref> and Saudi Arabia expelled 800,000 Yemenis in 1990 and 1991 to punish Yemen for its opposition to the intervention.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/01/yemen-guantanamo-al-qaida |title=Yemen's point of no return |author=Ginny Hill |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=1 April 2009 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=7 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907213633/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/apr/01/yemen-guantanamo-al-qaida |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Saleh and Beidh 1989.jpg|left|thumb|North Yemeni president, [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]], with the [[Secretary-General of the Yemeni Socialist Party|Secretary-General]] of the [[Yemeni Socialist Party]], [[Ali Salem al Beidh|Ali Salem Al-Beidh]], signing the unity agreement on 30 November 1989.]]
In the absence of strong state institutions, [[Elite theory|elite politics]] in Yemen constituted a ''de facto'' form of [[collaborative governance]], where competing tribal, regional, religious, and political interests agreed to hold themselves in check through tacit acceptance of the balance it produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/194239|author1=Ginny Hill|author2=Peter Salisbury|author3=Léonie Northedge|author4=Jane Kinninmont|title=Yemen: Corruption, Capital Flight and Global Drivers of Conflict|date=2013|website=Chatham House|access-date=17 October 2014|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330050836/http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/194239|url-status=live}}</ref> The informal political settlement was held together by a power-sharing deal among three men: President Saleh, who controlled the state; major general [[Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar]], who controlled the largest share of the [[Yemeni Armed Forces]]; and [[Abdullah ibn Husayn al-Ahmar]], figurehead of the Islamist [[Al-Islah (Yemen)|al-Islah party]] and Saudi Arabia's chosen broker of transnational [[clientelism|patronage payments]] to various political players,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Islah Party |url=http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/yemen/political-landscape/islah-party|date=13 December 2012|website=[[Islamopedia Online]]|access-date=19 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407021704/http://www.islamopediaonline.org/country-profile/yemen/political-landscape/islah-party|archive-date=7 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> including tribal [[sheikh]]s.<ref>{{cite book |author=Peter W. Wilson|title=Saudi Arabia:The Coming Storm|date=1994|page=129|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|isbn=978-0-7656-3347-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/194239 |author1=Ginny Hill |author2=Peter Salisbury |author3=Léonie Northedge |author4=Jane Kinninmont |title=Yemen: Corruption, Capital Flight and Global Drivers of Conflict |date=2013 |website=Chatham House |access-date=17 October 2014 |archive-date=30 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330050836/http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/194239 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=John R. Bradley |title=After the Arab Spring: How Islamists Hijacked The Middle East Revolts |date=2012 |page=113 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-39366-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67892/bernard-haykel/saudi-arabias-yemen-dilemma |author=Bernard Haykel |author-link=Bernard Haykel |title=Saudi Arabia's Yemen Dilemma:How to Manage an Unruly Client State |date=14 June 2011 |website=Foreign Affairs |access-date=24 October 2014 |archive-date=28 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728020636/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67892/bernard-haykel/saudi-arabias-yemen-dilemma |url-status=live }}</ref> The Saudi payments have been intended to facilitate the tribes' autonomy from the Yemeni government and to give the Saudi government a mechanism with which to weigh in on Yemen's political decision-making.<ref>{{cite book |author=Sarah Phillips |date=2008 |title=Yemen's Democracy Experiment in Regional Perspective |url=https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil |url-access=limited |page=[https://archive.org/details/yemensdemocracye00phil/page/n107 99] |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-61648-6}}</ref>

Following food riots in major towns in 1992, a new coalition government made up of the ruling parties from both the former Yemeni states was formed in 1993. However, Vice President al-Beidh withdrew to Aden in August 1993 and said he would not return to the government until his grievances were addressed. These included northern violence against his [[Yemeni Socialist Party]], as well as the economic marginalization of the south.<ref name=war>{{cite web |url=http://www.yca-sandwell.org.uk/history_7.htm |title=Civil war |publisher=Yemeni Community Association in Sandwell |work=Yca-sandwell.org.uk |access-date=23 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616022328/http://www.yca-sandwell.org.uk/history_7.htm |archive-date=16 June 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Negotiations to end the political deadlock dragged on into 1994. The government of Prime Minister [[Haydar Abu Bakr Al-Attas]] became ineffective due to political infighting.<ref>{{cite book |author=U.S. Department of State |title=Background Notes: Mideast, March 2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bLRoWtwJnZQC&pg=PT262 |publisher=InfoStrategist.com |isbn=978-1-59243-126-7 }}</ref>

An accord between northern and southern leaders was signed in [[Amman]], [[Jordan]] on 20 February 1994, but this could not stop the civil war.<ref>{{Citation |title=News |date=1 March 2010 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8542905.stm |work=Policemen killed in south Yemen in clash with rebels |place=UK |publisher=BBC |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=7 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207121120/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8542905.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> During these tensions, both the northern and southern armies (which had never integrated) gathered on their respective frontiers.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14704951 |title=Yemen timeline |publisher=BBC |date=28 November 2012 |access-date=23 February 2013}}</ref>

=== Contemporary Yemen ===
[[File:President Ali Abdullah Saleh-cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Ali Abdullah Saleh]]]]
{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = Prayers - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg
| caption1          = Prayers during [[Ramadan]] in Sana'a
| width1            = 220
| image2            = Sana.jpg
| caption2          = In 2012, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported that "Sana'a risks becoming the first capital in the world to [[Water supply and sanitation in Yemen|run out of a viable water supply]] as Yemen's streams and natural aquifers run dry".<ref>{{cite web |title=Time running out for solution to Yemen's water crisis |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2012/aug/27/solution-yemen-water-crisis |publisher=The Guardian, IRIN, quoting Jerry Farrell, country director of Save the Children in Yemen, and Ghassan Madieh, a water specialist for [[UNICEF]] in Yemen |date=26 August 2012}}</ref>
| width2            = 220
}}

[[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] became Yemen's first directly elected president in [[Yemeni presidential election, 1999|the 1999 presidential election]], winning 96% of the vote.<ref name=elections />{{rp|310}} The only other candidate, [[Najeeb Qahtan Al-Sha'abi]], was the son of Qahtan Muhammad al-Sha'abi, a former president of South Yemen. Though a member of Saleh's [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People's Congress]] (GPC) party, Najeeb ran as an independent.<ref name=REVERSAL>{{cite web |title=In eleventh-hour reversal, President Saleh announces candidacy |url=http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=27058 |publisher=[[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]] |date=25 June 2006 |access-date=14 December 2010 |archive-date=5 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080105080112/http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=27058 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2000, 17 U.S. personnel died after an al-Qaeda [[USS Cole bombing|suicide attack on the U.S. naval vessel USS ''Cole'']] in [[Aden]]. After the [[September 11 attacks]] on the United States, President Saleh assured U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] that Yemen was a partner in his [[war on terror]]. In 2001, violence surrounded [[Yemeni constitutional referendum, 2001|a referendum]], which apparently supported extending Saleh's rule and powers.

The [[Houthi insurgency in Yemen]] began in June 2004 when dissident cleric [[Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi]], head of the Zaidi Shia sect, launched an uprising against the Yemeni government. The Yemeni government alleged that the [[Houthis]] were seeking to overthrow it and to implement ''Shī'ite'' [[religious law]]. The rebels countered that they were "defending their community against discrimination" and government aggression.<ref name="Deadly blast">{{cite news |title=Deadly blast strikes Yemen mosque |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7379929.stm |work=BBC News |date=2 May 2008 |access-date=23 May 2008 |archive-date=1 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201160808/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7379929.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2005, at least 36 people were killed in clashes across the country between police and protesters over rising fuel prices. In the [[Yemeni presidential election, 2006|2006 presidential election]], Saleh won with 77% of the vote. His main rival, [[Faisal bin Shamlan]], received 22%.<ref name="presidentsaleh.gov.ye">{{cite web |url=http://www.presidentsaleh.gov.ye/shownews.php?lng=en&_newsctgry=2 |title=President Ali Abdullah Saleh Web Site |work=Presidentsaleh.gov.ye |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101219213256/http://presidentsaleh.gov.ye/shownews.php?lng=en&_newsctgry=2 |archive-date=19 December 2010 |access-date=18 November 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Saleh re-elected president of Yemen |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/archive/2006/09/200841013335763406.html |work=Al Jazeera |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=23 September 2006 |access-date=14 December 2010 |archive-date=20 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220084749/http://english.aljazeera.net/archive/2006/09/200841013335763406.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Saleh was sworn in for another term on 27 September.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemeni president takes constitutional oath for his new term |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/27/content_5146302.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107102318/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-09/27/content_5146302.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 November 2012 |publisher=Xinhua |work=News.xinhaunet.com |date=27 September 2006 |access-date=14 December 2010}}</ref>

A suicide bomber killed eight Spanish tourists and two Yemenis in the [[Marib Governorate]] in July 2007. A series of bomb attacks occurred on police, official, diplomatic, foreign business, and tourism targets in 2008. Car bombings outside the U.S. embassy in Sana'a killed 18 people, including six of the assailants in September 2008. In 2008, an opposition rally in Sana'a demanding electoral reform was met with police gunfire.<ref>{{Cite news |date=17 September 2008 |title=Car bombs at U.S. embassy in Yemen kill 16 |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/news-yemen-usa-blast-col-idCAREE77062120080917 |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509111722/https://www.reuters.com/article/news-yemen-usa-blast-col-idCAREE77062120080917 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Revolution and aftermath ===
{{Main|Houthi takeover in Yemen|Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|Famine in Yemen|}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = vertical
| image1            = 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution (from Al Jazeera) - 20110301-04.jpg
| caption1          = Tens of thousands of protesters marching to [[Sana'a University]], joined for the first time by opposition parties, during the [[2011–2012 Yemeni revolution]]
| width1            = 220
| image3            = Destroyed house in the south of Sanaa 12-6-2015-3.jpg
| caption3          = [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|Saudi-led air strike]] on Sana'a, 12 June 2015
| width3            = 220
}}

The 2011 [[Yemeni Revolution|Yemeni revolution]] followed other [[Arab Spring]] mass protests in early 2011. The uprising was initially against unemployment, economic conditions, and corruption, as well as against the government's proposals to modify the [[constitution of Yemen]] so that Saleh's son could inherit the presidency.

In March 2011, police snipers opened fire on a pro-democracy camp in Sana'a, killing more than 50 people. In May, dozens were killed in clashes between troops and tribal fighters in Sana'a. By this point, Saleh began to lose international support. In October 2011, Yemeni human rights activist [[Tawakul Karman]] won the [[Nobel Peace Prize]], and the [[UN Security Council]] condemned the violence and called for a transfer of power. On 23 November 2011, Saleh flew to [[Riyadh]], in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, to sign the [[Gulf Co-operation Council]] plan for political transition, which he had previously spurned. Upon signing the document, he agreed to legally transfer the office and powers of the presidency to his deputy, Vice President [[Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen's Ali Abdullah Saleh resigns – but it changes little {{!}} Brian Whitaker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/nov/24/yemen-ali-abdullah-saleh-resigns |work=the Guardian |date=24 November 2011 |language=en}}</ref>

Hadi took office for a two-year term upon winning the uncontested presidential elections in February 2012.<ref name="Lewis 2012">{{cite journal |last=Lewis |first=Alexandra |title=Changing Seasons: The Arab Spring's Position Within the Political Evolution of the Yemeni State |journal=Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit Working Paper Series |date=May 2012 |series=3 |url=http://www.york.ac.uk/media/politics/prdu/documents/publications/PRDU%20Working%20Paper%203%20May%5B1%5D.pdf}}{{dead link|date=December 2013}}</ref> A unity government—including a prime minister from the opposition—was formed. Al-Hadi would oversee the drafting of a new constitution, followed by parliamentary and presidential elections in 2014. Saleh returned in February 2012. In the face of objections from thousands of street protesters, parliament granted him full immunity from prosecution. Saleh's son, General [[Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh]], continues to exercise a strong hold on sections of the military and security forces.

[[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|AQAP]] claimed responsibility for a February 2012 suicide attack on the presidential palace that killed 26 Republican Guards on the day that President Hadi was sworn in. AQAP was also behind a suicide bombing that killed 96 soldiers in Sana'a three months later. In September 2012, a car bomb attack in Sana'a killed 11 people, a day after a local al-Qaeda leader [[Said al-Shihri]] was reported killed in the south.

By 2012, there was a "small contingent of U.S. special-operations troops"—in addition to CIA and "unofficially acknowledged" U.S. military presence—in response to increasing terror attacks by AQAP on Yemeni citizens.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2123810,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906231921/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2123810,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 September 2012 |title=The End of Al-Qaeda? |first=Bobby |last=Ghosh |magazine=Time |location=New York |date=17 September 2012 |access-date=24 September 2012}}</ref> Many analysts have pointed out the former Yemeni government role in cultivating terrorist activity in the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=Whose Side Is Yemen On? |date=29 August 2012 |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/29/whose_side_is_yemen_on?page=0,1 |work=Foreign Policy |location=Washington, D.C. |access-date=22 February 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530044140/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/08/29/whose_side_is_yemen_on?page=0,1 |archive-date=30 May 2013}}</ref> Following the election of President [[Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi]], the Yemeni military was able to push [[Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)|Ansar al-Sharia]] back and recapture the [[Shabwah Governorate]].

[[File:Yemeni Civil War.svg|thumb|left|Current (December 2025) political and military control in ongoing [[Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|Yemeni Civil War]]:<br>
{{legend|#f98787|Controlled by the [[Cabinet of Yemen|Government of Yemen]] (under the [[Presidential Leadership Council]] since April 2022) and [[Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen|allies]]}}
{{legend|#cae7c4|Controlled by [[Houthi movement|Houthis]]-led [[Supreme Political Council]]}}
{{legend|#e3d975|Controlled by the [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]]-backed [[Southern Transitional Council]]}}
{{legend|#ffffff|Controlled by [[Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula|Al-Qaeda (AQAP)]] and [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]]-affiliated [[Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)|Ansar al-Sharia]]}}
{{legend|#f7c875|Controlled by [[Hadrami Elite Forces]].}}
{{legend|#757de3|Controlled by Tareq Saleh's National Resistance Forces}}]]
The central government in Sana'a remained weak, staving off challenges from [[South Yemen Movement|southern separatists]] and Houthis as well as AQAP. The [[Houthi insurgency]] intensified after Hadi took power, escalating in September 2014 as anti-government forces led by [[Abdul-Malik al-Houthi]] [[Battle of Sana'a (2014)|swept into the capital]] and forced Hadi to agree to a "unity" government.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/fighting-continues-in-yemen-before-un-peace-deal/2457211.html|agency=Voice of America|title=Yemeni Parties, Houthi Rebels Form Unity Government|date=21 September 2014|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-date=9 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109021322/http://www.voanews.com/content/fighting-continues-in-yemen-before-un-peace-deal/2457211.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Houthis then refused to participate in the government,<ref>{{cite news|agency=The Huffington Post|title=Yemen Swears In New Government Amid Crisis |date=9 November 2014 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/09/yemen-government-crisis_n_6128974.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123053739/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/09/yemen-government-crisis_n_6128974.html|archive-date=23 January 2015 |access-date=22 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> although they continued to apply pressure on Hadi and his ministers, even shelling the president's private residence and placing him under house arrest,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/yemen-president-abed-rabbo-mansour-hadi-s-home-shelled-by-shiite-rebels-palace-taken-over-1.9826611|agency=Newsday|title=Shiite rebels shell Yemen president's home, take over palace|date=20 January 2015|access-date=22 January 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123052802/http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/yemen-president-abed-rabbo-mansour-hadi-s-home-shelled-by-shiite-rebels-palace-taken-over-1.9826611|archive-date=23 January 2015}}</ref> until the government's mass resignation in January 2015.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/20/whats-happening-in-yemens-potential-coup/|agency=The Washington Post|title=Here is what's happening in Yemen|date=22 January 2015|access-date=22 January 2015|archive-date=22 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122151313/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/20/whats-happening-in-yemens-potential-coup/|url-status=live}}</ref> The following month, the Houthis dissolved parliament and [[2014–15 Yemeni coup d'état|declared]] that a [[Revolutionary Committee (Yemen)|Revolutionary Committee]] under [[Mohammed Ali al-Houthi]] was the interim authority in Yemen. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, a cousin of the acting president, called the takeover a "glorious revolution". However, the "constitutional declaration" of 6 February 2015 was widely rejected by opposition politicians and foreign governments, including the [[United Nations]].<ref name="glorious" />

Hadi managed to flee from Sana'a to Aden, his hometown and stronghold in the south, on 21 February 2015. He promptly gave a televised speech rescinding his resignation, condemning the coup, and calling for recognition as the constitutional president of Yemen.<ref name="withdraw">{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/02/22/hadi-once-quiet-leader-of-yemen-strikes-newly-defiant-pose |title=Hadi, a once-quiet leader of a fractious Yemen, strikes defiant pose by reclaiming presidency |work=U.S. News & World Report |first=Brian |last=Rohan |date=22 February 2015 |access-date=22 February 2015 |archive-date=22 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222225056/http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/02/22/hadi-once-quiet-leader-of-yemen-strikes-newly-defiant-pose |url-status=live }}</ref> The following month, Hadi declared Aden Yemen's "temporary" capital.<ref name="aden_dw">{{cite news|url=http://www.dw.de/yemens-president-hadi-declares-new-temporary-capital/a-18332197|agency=Deutsche Welle|title=Yemen's President Hadi declares new 'temporary capital'|date=21 March 2015|access-date=21 March 2015|archive-date=5 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605210805/http://www.dw.de/yemens-president-hadi-declares-new-temporary-capital/a-18332197|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/07/President-Hadi-says-Aden-is-Yemen-s-capital-.html|agency=Al Arabiya|title=President Hadi says Aden is Yemen's 'capital'|date=7 March 2015|access-date=11 March 2015|archive-date=9 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309113248/http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/07/President-Hadi-says-Aden-is-Yemen-s-capital-.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The Houthis, however, rebuffed an initiative by the [[Gulf Cooperation Council]] and continued to move south toward Aden. All U.S. personnel were evacuated, and President Hadi was forced to flee the country to Saudi Arabia. On 26 March 2015, Saudi Arabia announced [[Operation Decisive Storm]] and began airstrikes and announced its intentions to lead a military coalition against the Houthis, who they claimed were being aided by Iran and began a force buildup along the Yemeni border. The coalition included the [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Kuwait]], [[Qatar]], [[Bahrain]], [[Jordan]], [[Morocco]], [[Sudan]], [[Egypt]], and [[Pakistan]]. The United States announced that it was assisting with intelligence, targeting, and logistics. After Hadi troops took control of Aden from Houthis, jihadist groups became active in the city, and some terrorist incidents were linked to them such as [[Missionaries of Charity attack in Aden]] on 4 March 2016. In February 2018, Aden was [[Battle of Aden (2018)|seized]] by the UAE-backed separatist [[Southern Transitional Council]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://time.com/5124508/yemen-separatists-storm-government/|title=Yemen's Prime Minister Is Preparing to Flee as Separatists Reach Gates of the Presidential Palace|date=30 January 2018|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=25 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202160535/http://time.com/5124508/yemen-separatists-storm-government/|archive-date=2 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Yemen has been suffering from a [[Famine in Yemen (2016–present)|famine since 2016]] as a result of the civil war. More than 50,000 children in Yemen died from starvation in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|author=Patrick Wintour|date=16 November 2017|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/16/lift-yemen-blockade-to-save-children-un-agencies-tell-saudis|title=Saudis must lift Yemen blockade or "untold" thousands will die, UN agencies warn|work=The Guardian|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-date=23 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223122733/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/nov/16/lift-yemen-blockade-to-save-children-un-agencies-tell-saudis|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|work=Chicago Tribune|date=16 November 2017|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-save-the-children-yemen-20171116-story.html|title=50,000 children in Yemen have died of starvation and disease so far this year, monitoring group says|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-date=1 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181101121003/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-save-the-children-yemen-20171116-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Numerous commentators have condemned the Saudi-led coalition's military campaign, including its [[blockade of Yemen]], as [[genocide]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-air-strike-bomb-kills-140-saudi-arabia-usa-white-house-a7352386.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-air-strike-bomb-kills-140-saudi-arabia-usa-white-house-a7352386.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=[[The Independent]] |title=Saudi-led coalition in Yemen accused of "genocide" after airstrike on funeral hall kills 140 |date=9 October 2016|first=Benjamin |last=Kentish |access-date=6 August 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=US complicity in the Saudi-led genocide in Yemen spans Obama, Trump administrations |url=https://theconversation.com/us-complicity-in-the-saudi-led-genocide-in-yemen-spans-obama-trump-administrations-106896 |last=Bachman |first=Jeff |date=26 November 2018 |website=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |access-date=13 January 2020 |quote=As a scholar of genocide and human rights, I believe the destruction brought about by these attacks combined with the blockade amounts to genocide. |archive-date=13 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113152455/https://theconversation.com/us-complicity-in-the-saudi-led-genocide-in-yemen-spans-obama-trump-administrations-106896 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite report|type=Essay|last=Taves|first=Harold|date=23 February 2019 |title=Genocide in Yemen-Is the West Complicit?|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331306103 |quote=Is there a genocide in Yemen? Based on the definition of genocide: The deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. The answer is an unequivocal YES.}}</ref> The famine is being compounded by an outbreak of [[cholera]] that has affected more than one million people.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/12/640331-suspected-cholera-cases-yemen-surpass-one-million-reports-un-health-agency|title=Suspected cholera cases in Yemen surpass one million, reports UN health agency|publisher=UN|date=22 December 2017|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404201120/https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/12/640331-suspected-cholera-cases-yemen-surpass-one-million-reports-un-health-agency|url-status=live}}</ref> The Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and blockade of Yemen have contributed to the famine and cholera epidemic.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas|date=31 August 2017|title=The Photos the U.S. and Saudi Arabia Don't Want You to See|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/31/opinion/columnists/yemen-famine-cholera.html|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-date=17 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517015710/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/31/opinion/columnists/yemen-famine-cholera.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Reuters|date=11 October 2017|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-saudi-blockade/|title=Saudi de facto blockade starves Yemen of food and medicine|access-date=10 June 2018|archive-date=11 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011101505/http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-saudi-blockade/|url-status=live}}</ref> The UN estimated that by the end of 2021, the war in Yemen would have caused over 377,000 deaths, and roughly 70% of deaths were children under age 5.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen war will have killed 377,000 by year's end: UN |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211123-yemen-war-will-have-killed-377-000-by-year-s-end-un |work=France 24 |date=23 November 2021 |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209140921/https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211123-yemen-war-will-have-killed-377-000-by-year-s-end-un |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen war deaths will reach 377,000 by end of the year: UN |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now |work=Al Jazeera |date=23 November 2021 |access-date=30 May 2022 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201125144/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 4 December 2017, deposed strongman and former president [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]], accused of treason, was assassinated by Houthis whilst attempting to flee clashes near rebel-held Sana'a between Houthi and pro-Saleh forces.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's former leader, killed in Sanaa |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42225574 |work=BBC News |date=4 December 2017 |access-date=6 October 2022 |archive-date=8 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408044810/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42225574 |url-status=live }}</ref> After losing the support of the Saudi-led coalition, Yemen's President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resigned, and the Presidential Leadership Council took power in April 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen's President Hadi has effectively been sacked by Saudi Arabia |url=https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220420-yemens-president-hadi-has-effectively-been-sacked-by-saudi-arabia/ |work=Middle East Monitor |date=20 April 2022 |access-date=6 October 2022 |archive-date=9 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009072559/https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20220420-yemens-president-hadi-has-effectively-been-sacked-by-saudi-arabia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the outbreak of the [[Gaza war]], the Houthis began to [[Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war|fire missiles at Israel]] and [[Houthi involvement in the Israel–Hamas war#Attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean (2023–2024)|attack ships]] off Yemen's coast in the Red Sea, which they say is in solidarity with the Palestinians and aiming to facilitate entry of humanitarian aid into the [[Gaza Strip]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 October 2023 |title=US warship intercepts missiles fired from Yemen 'potentially towards Israel' |language=en-GB |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67166863 |access-date=13 January 2024 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031090010/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67166863 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/12/12/who-are-the-houthis-the-group-attacking-ships-in-the-red-sea|title=Who are the Houthis, the group attacking ships in the Red Sea?|date=12 December 2023|newspaper=The Economist|quote=Since the bombardment of Gaza began, the Houthis, a Yemeni rebel group, have launched a series of attacks on cargo ships. The insurgents, who are backed by Iran, say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians. They have threatened to attack any ship bound for or leaving Israel without delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.|access-date=13 January 2024|archive-date=12 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112235054/https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2023/12/12/who-are-the-houthis-the-group-attacking-ships-in-the-red-sea|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2024, the UAE-backed STC were putting pressure to lease the [[Port of Aden|Aden International Port]] to [[Abu Dhabi Ports]]. The move was opposed by the Parliament and the public. A joint statement by 24 members of Shura Council expressed categorical rejection of the lease agreement. Economists said the Emirates was attempting to control the Aden Port and limit its activities, in order to keep its own ports active. Governor of Aden, Tariq Salam also said the lease attempt aims to devalue the Aden Port and take its international maritime status.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yemenmonitor.com/en/Details/ArtMID/908/ArticleID/115123 |title = UAE's Return to Aden Port Sparks Anger among Yemeni Officials| date=21 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://emiratesleaks.com/uaes-bid-to-acquire-aden-port-faces-backlash-from-public-and-parliament/?lang=en |title =  UAE's Bid to Acquire Aden Port Faces Backlash from Public and Parliament| date=24 June 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.saba.ye/en/news3342178.htm |title = Aden Governor warns of UAE occupation's efforts to destroy Aden port |date = 22 June 2024 }}</ref> Aden International Port had ended its agreement to manage two container terminals with Dubai Ports World in 2012, due to economic decline and failure to fulfill commitments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/legal/government/yemens-aden-port-to-cancel-dp-world-deal-official-idUSL5E8JQ2ZX/ |title = Yemen's Aden port to cancel DP World deal -official| website=[[Reuters]] | date=26 August 2012 }}</ref>

On 2 December 2025, the STC launched an [[2025 Hadhramaut offensive|offensive across southern Yemen]] and by 8 December, had captured most of the territory comprising the governorates of the former South Yemen.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Naar |first=Ismaeel |date=10 December 2025 |title=Yemeni Separatists Set Sights on Houthi-Controlled Capital |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/world/middleeast/yemen-separatists.html |access-date=16 December 2025 |work=The New York Times}}</ref>

== Geography ==
{{Main|Geography of Yemen}}

[[File:Haraz Mountains, Yemen (12633745063).jpg|thumb|right|Agricultural [[Terrace (earthworks)|terraces]] in the [[Jabal Haraz|Haraz]]-[[Sarawat Mountains|Sarat Mountains]]]]

Yemen covers {{convert|455,000|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="area"/> and is located at the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula.<ref name="Burrows2010">{{cite book |author=Robert D. Burrowes |title=Historical Dictionary of Yemen |pages=5–340 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |year=2010 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjXRfqBv_0UC |isbn=978-0-8108-5528-1}}</ref> It is bordered by [[Saudi Arabia]] to [[Saudi Arabia–Yemen border|the north]], the [[Red Sea]] to the west, the [[Gulf of Aden]] and [[Guardafui Channel]] to the south, and [[Oman]] to [[Oman–Yemen border|the east]].

Several Red Sea islands, including the [[Hanish Islands]], [[Kamaran]], and [[Perim]], as well as [[Socotra]] in the [[Arabian Sea]], belong to Yemen; the largest of these is Socotra. Many of the islands are volcanic; [[Jabal al-Tair Island]] had volcanic eruptions in 1883 and 2007. Although mainland Yemen is in the southern Arabian Peninsula and thus part of Asia, and its Hanish Islands and Perim in the Red Sea are associated with Asia, the [[archipelago]] of Socotra, which lies east of the [[Horn of Africa]] and is much closer to Africa than to Asia, is geographically and bio-geographically associated with Africa.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1318|work=WorldWildlife.org|publisher=World Wildlife Fund|title=Islands east of the Horn of Africa and south of Yemen|access-date=4 February 2019|archive-date=5 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190205044118/https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1318|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Regions and climate ===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map YEM present.svg|thumb| Yemen's [[Köppen climate classification]] map<ref name="Peel">{{cite journal |author1=Peel, M. C. |author2=Finlayson, B. L. |author3=McMahon, T. A. |year=2007 |title=Updated world map of the Köppen–Geiger climate classification |journal=Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. |volume=11 |issue=5 |pages=1633–1644 |doi=10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007 |bibcode=2007HESS...11.1633P |issn=1027-5606 |doi-access=free |url=http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html |access-date=22 May 2020 |archive-date=10 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210144308/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.html |url-status=live }} ''(direct: [http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf Final Revised Paper] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203170339/http://www.hydrol-earth-syst-sci.net/11/1633/2007/hess-11-1633-2007.pdf |date=3 February 2012 }})''</ref> is based on temperature, precipitation and their seasonality.
{|
|- valign=top |
|
{{legend|#FE0000|[[hot desert climate|BWh Hot desert]]}}
{{legend|#FE9695|[[cold desert climate|BWk Cold desert]]}}
{{legend|#F5A301|[[hot semi-arid climate|BSh Hot semi-arid]]}}
{{legend|#FFDB63|[[cold semi-arid climate|BSk Cold semi-arid]]}}
{{legend|#63C764|[[subtropical highland climate|CWb Subtropical highland]]}}
| width=5 |
|
|}
]]
[[File:Water_Stress,_Top_Countries_(2020).svg|thumb|Yemen is the sixth most water stressed country in the world.]]

Yemen can be divided geographically into four main regions: the coastal plains in the west, the western highlands, the eastern highlands, and the [[Rub' al Khali]] in the east. The [[Tihamah]] ("hot lands" or "hot earth") form a very arid and flat coastal plain along Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline. Despite the aridity, the presence of many lagoons makes this region very marshy and a suitable breeding ground for [[malaria]]-borne mosquitos. Extensive crescent-shaped sand dunes are present. The evaporation in the Tihamah is so great that streams from the highlands never reach the sea, but they do contribute to extensive [[groundwater]] reserves. Today, these are heavily exploited for agricultural use.

Near the village of [[Madar, Yemen|Madar]] about {{convert|50|km|mi|-1|abbr=on}} north of Sana'a, dinosaur footprints were found, indicating that the area was once a muddy flat. The Tihamah ends abruptly at the [[escarpment]] of the western highlands. This area, now heavily [[Terrace (earthworks)|terraced]] to meet the demand for food, receives the highest rainfall in Arabia, rapidly increasing from {{convert|100|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} per year to about {{convert|760|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in Taiz and over {{convert|1000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} in Ibb. Temperatures are warm in the day but fall dramatically at night.

The central highlands are an extensive high plateau over {{convert|2000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} in elevation. This area is drier than the western highlands because of rain-shadow influences, but still receives sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping. Water storage allows for [[irrigation]] and the growing of [[wheat]] and [[barley]]. Sana'a is in this region. The highest point in Yemen and Arabia is [[Jabal An-Nabi Shu'ayb]], at about {{convert|3666|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Burrows2010" />{{sfnp|McLaughlin|2008|p=3}} Yemen's portion of the Rub al Khali desert in the east is much lower, generally below {{convert|1000|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, and receives almost no rain. It is populated only by [[Bedouin]] herders of [[dromedary|camels]].
{{Excerpt|Geography of Yemen|Climate change}}

=== Biodiversity ===
{{Main|Wildlife of Yemen}}

Yemen contains six terrestrial ecoregions: [[Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert]], [[Socotra Island xeric shrublands]], [[Southwestern Arabian foothills savanna]], [[Southwestern Arabian montane woodlands]], [[Arabian Desert]], and [[Red Sea Nubo-Sindian tropical desert and semi-desert]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287|doi-access=free}}</ref> The flora is a mixture of the tropical African, Sudanian plant geographical region and the Saharo-Arabian region. The Sudanian element—characterized by relatively high rainfall—dominates the western mountains and parts of the highland plains. The Saharo-Arabian element dominates in the coastal plains, eastern mountain, and the eastern and northern desert plains.

A high percentage of Yemen plants belong to tropical African plants of Sudanian regions. Among the Sudanian element species, the following may be mentioned: ''[[Ficus]]'' spp., ''[[Acacia mellifera]], [[Grewia villosa]], [[Commiphora]]'' spp., ''[[Rose|Rosa]] abyssinica'', ''[[Cadaba]] farinosa'' and others.<ref>Abdul Wali A. al-Khulaidi, ''Flora of Yemen'', Sustainable Environmental Management Program (YEM/97/100), Republic of Yemen, June 2000, p. 7</ref> Among the Saharo-Arabian species, these may be mentioned: ''[[Panicum turgidum]], [[Aerva javanica]], [[Zygophyllum]] simplex, [[Fagonia]] indica, [[Salsola]]'' spp., ''[[Acacia tortilis]], A. hamulos, [[Acacia ehrenbergiana|A. ehrenbergiana]], [[Phoenix dactylifera]], [[Hyphaene thebaica]], [[Capparis decidua]], [[Salvadora persica]], [[Balanites aegyptiaca]]'', and many others. Many of the Saharo-Arabian species are endemic to the extensive sandy coastal plain (the Tihamah).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hepper |first=F.N. |title=Were There Forests in the Yemen? |journal=Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies |volume=9 |issue=1979 |pages=65–71 |jstor=41223217 |date=July 1978 }}</ref>

Among the fauna, the [[Arabian leopard]], which would inhabit the mountains, is considered rare here.<ref name="SpaltonHikmani2006">{{cite journal |last1=Spalton |first1=J. A. |last2=Al Hikmani |first2=H. M. |year=2006 |title=The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status |journal=Cat News |issue=Special Issue 1 |pages=4–8 |url=http://www.yemenileopard.org/files/cms/reports/Cat_News_Special_Issue_1_-_Arabian_leopard.pdf |access-date=18 April 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216011835/http://www.yemenileopard.org/files/cms/reports/Cat_News_Special_Issue_1_-_Arabian_leopard.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

<gallery widths=280 heights=150>
File:Dragon's Blood Trees, Socotra Island (12455632274) (cropped).jpg|[[Dracaena cinnabari|Dragon blood trees]] at the edge of a gorge in [[Socotra Island]]
File:South Arabian - A Lion and a Leopard Attacking Animals - Walters 2171.jpg|A [[South Arabia]]n relief from the fifth century BC, in [[Walters Art Museum]]. On the left side of this relief, a [[Asiatic lion|lion]] attacks a [[gazelle]], while a [[rabbit]] tries to jump away from the gazelle's forelegs. On the right, a [[Arabian leopard|leopard]] jumps down from rocks onto the back of an [[ibex]]; a small [[rodent]] flees the hoofs of the ibex. Birds in the branches of ''[[acacia]]'' trees observe the two scenes.
</gallery>

== Government and politics ==
{{Main|Politics of Yemen}}

{{multiple image
| align             = right
| direction         = horizontal
| caption_align     = center
| image1            = Rashad al-Alimi - 2023 (cropped).jpg
| width1            = 152
| caption1          = [[Rashad al-Alimi]]<br /><small>[[President of Yemen|President]]</small><br />since 7 April 2022
| image2            = Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak of Yemen in 2023 - (53018827612) (cropped).jpg
| width2            = 170
| caption2          = [[Ahmad Awad bin Mubarak]]<br /><small>[[Prime Minister of Yemen|Prime Minister]]</small><br /> 5 February 2024 – 3 May 2025, succeeded by [[Salem Saleh bin Braik]]
}}

Yemen is a republic with a [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] legislature. Under the 1991 constitution, an elected president, an elected 301-seat [[House of Representatives (Yemen)|Assembly of Representatives]], and an appointed 111-member [[Shura]] Council share power. The [[President of Yemen|president]] is the [[head of state]], and the [[Prime Minister of Yemen|prime minister]] is the [[head of government]]. In Sana'a, a [[Supreme Political Council]] (not recognized internationally) forms a government for [[Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen]].

The 1991 constitution provides that the president be elected by popular vote from at least two candidates endorsed by at least 15 members of the Parliament. The prime minister, in turn, is appointed by the president and must be approved by two-thirds of the Parliament. The presidential term of office is seven years, and the parliamentary term of elected office is six years. [[Suffrage]] is universal for people aged 18 and older, but only Muslims may hold elected office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51614.htm |title=Yemen |work=State.gov |date=8 November 2005 |access-date=17 October 2010 |archive-date=16 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216152644/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51614.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

President [[Ali Abdullah Saleh]] became the first elected president in reunified Yemen in 1999 (though he had been president of unified Yemen since 1990 and president of North Yemen since 1978). He was re-elected to office in September 2006. Saleh's victory was marked by an election that international observers judged was "partly free", though the election was accompanied by violence, violations of press freedoms, and allegations of fraud.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2007/yemen |title=Freedom in the World – Yemen (2007) |publisher=Freedomhouse.org |year=2007 |access-date=17 October 2010 |archive-date=11 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311113508/https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2007/yemen |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Parliamentary elections were held in April 2003, and the [[General People's Congress (Yemen)|General People's Congress]] maintained an absolute majority. Saleh remained almost uncontested in his seat of power until 2011, when local frustration at his refusal to hold another round of elections, as combined with the consequences of the 2011 Arab Spring, resulted in mass protests.<ref name="Lewis 2012" /> In 2012, he was forced to resign from power, though he remained an important factor in Yemeni politics, allying with the Houthis during their takeover in the mid-2010s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/cloneofcloneofcloneofstrikes-yemen-saada-breach--150510143647004.html|title=Yemen's Saleh declares alliance with Houthis|agency=Al Jazeera|date=10 May 2015|access-date=5 January 2016|archive-date=28 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150528014027/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/cloneofcloneofcloneofstrikes-yemen-saada-breach--150510143647004.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The constitution calls for an independent judiciary. The former northern and southern legal codes have been unified. The legal system includes separate commercial courts and a Supreme Court based in Sana'a. [[Sharia]] is the main source of laws, with many court cases being debated according to the religious basis of law and many judges being religious scholars as well as legal authorities. The Prison Authority Organization Act, Republican decree no. 48 (1981), and Prison Act regulations, provide the legal framework for management of the country's prison system.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Mangan|first1=Fiona|title=Prisons in Yemen|date=March 2015|publisher=United States Institute of Peace|location=Washington, DC|page=9|url=https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo58370|access-date=21 June 2015}}</ref>

According to [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]’s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Yemen performs in the low range on overall democratic measures, with particular weaknesses in political representation, including elected government and effective parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/yemen |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=29 September 2025 |website=www.idea.int}}</ref>

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{Main|Governorates of Yemen|Federalization of Yemen}}

Yemen is divided into twenty-one governorates (''[[muhafazat]]'') plus one municipality called "Amanat Al-Asemah" (the latter containing the constitutional capital, Sana'a).<ref>Ministry of Public Health & Population, Yemen.</ref> An additional governorate ([[Soqatra Governorate]]) was created in December 2013 comprising Socotra Island, previously part of Hadramaut Governorate.<ref name="Presidenthadi-gov-ye.info">{{cite web |url=https://presidenthadi-gov-ye.info/en/archives/law-establishing-province-of-socotra-archipelago-issued/ |title=Law establishing province of Socotra Archipelago issued |publisher=Presidenthadi-gov-ye.info |date=18 December 2013 |access-date=15 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222005055/https://presidenthadi-gov-ye.info/en/archives/law-establishing-province-of-socotra-archipelago-issued/ |archive-date=22 February 2014}}</ref> The governorates are subdivided into 333 [[districts of Yemen|districts]] (''muderiah''), which are subdivided into 2,210 sub-districts, and then into 38,284 villages (as of 2001).

In 2014, a constitutional panel decided to divide the country into six regions—four in the north, two in the south, and capital Sana'a outside of any region—creating a federalist model of governance.<ref name="ajsix">{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/yemen-become-six-region-federation-2014210124731726931.html |title=Yemen to Become Six-Region Federation |publisher=[[Al Jazeera Arabic|Al-Jazeera]] |date=10 February 2014 |access-date=10 February 2014 |archive-date=27 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180527090110/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/02/yemen-become-six-region-federation-2014210124731726931.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This federal proposal was a contributing factor toward the Houthis' subsequent coup d'état against the government.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemens-shiite-rebels-reject-federal-plan/2015/01/03/3b095132-9387-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html|agency=The Washington Post|title=Yemen's Shiite rebels reject plan for federal system|first=Ahmed|last=Al-Haj|date=3 January 2015|access-date=21 March 2015|archive-date=3 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203075543/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/yemens-shiite-rebels-reject-federal-plan/2015/01/03/3b095132-9387-11e4-a900-9960214d4cd7_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/22/yemeni-government-quits-houthi-rebellion|agency=The Guardian|title=Yemeni government quits in protest at Houthi rebellion|date=22 January 2015|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30941514|agency=BBC News|title=Yemen crisis: A coup in all but name|first=Danya|last=Greenfield|date=22 January 2015|access-date=21 March 2015|archive-date=31 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230131101317/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30941514|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{div col|colwidth=13em}}
# [['Amran Governorate|'Amran]]
# [[Abyan Governorate|Abyan]]
# [[Aden Governorate|Aden]]
# [[Al Bayda Governorate|Al Bayda]]
# [[Al Hudaydah Governorate|Al Hudaydah]]
# [[Al Jawf Governorate|Al Jawf]]
# [[Al Mahrah Governorate|Al Mahrah]]
# [[Al Mahwit Governorate|Al Mahwit]]
# [[Dhale Governorate|Dhale]]
# [[Dhamar Governorate|Dhamar]]
# [[Hadhramaut Governorate|Hadhramaut]]
# [[Hajjah Governorate|Hajjah]]
# [[Ibb Governorate|Ibb]]
# [[Lahij Governorate|Lahij]]
# [[Ma'rib Governorate|Ma'rib]]
# [[Raymah Governorate|Raymah]]
# [[Saada Governorate|Saada]]
# [[Sana'a Governorate]]
# [[Sanaa Municipality]]
# [[Shabwah Governorate|Shabwah]]
# [[Socotra Governorate|Socotra]]
# [[Taiz Governorate|Taiz]]
{{Div col end}}

<gallery widths=300 heights=195>
File:Yemen, administrative divisions - Nmbrs - colored.svg|Governorates of Yemen
File:Regions of Yemen map.svg|Map of the proposed Federal Regions of Yemen
</gallery>

=== Foreign relations ===
{{Main|Foreign relations of Yemen}}

Yemen is a member of the United Nations, the [[Arab League]], and the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], and also participates in the [[nonaligned movement]]. Yemen has acceded to the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]].
[[File:019 Rally (39025071401).jpg|thumb|Protest against Saudi [[blockade of Yemen]], New York City, 2017]]

Since the end of the 1994 civil war, tangible progress has been made on the diplomatic front in restoring normal relations with Yemen's neighbors. In the summer of 2000, Yemen and Saudi Arabia signed an International Border Treaty settling a 50-year-old dispute over the location of the border between the two countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theestimate.com/public/063000.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010415211150/http://theestimate.com/public/063000.html |archive-date=15 April 2001 |title=The Yemeni-Saudi Border Treaty |work=Theestimate.com |date=June 2000 |access-date=22 February 2013}}</ref> Yemen's northern border had been undefined; the [[Arabian Desert]] prevented any human habitation there. The [[Saudi – Yemen barrier]] was constructed by Saudi Arabia against an influx of [[illegal immigrant]]s and against the smuggling of drugs and weapons.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 January 2008 |title=Saudi authorities erect barriers on Yemeni border |url=http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013538.html |access-date=26 February 2022 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120230115/http://www.yobserver.com/front-page/10013538.html |archive-date=20 January 2008 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> ''The Independent'' headed an article with "Saudi Arabia, one of the most vocal critics in the Arab world of Israel's "security fence" in the [[West Bank]], is quietly emulating the Israeli example by erecting a barrier along its porous border with Yemen."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/IslamicNewsUpdates/conversations/topics/4148|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131013122024/http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/IslamicNewsUpdates/conversations/topics/4148|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 October 2013| title = Saudi Arabia enrages Yemen with fence| access-date = 23 March 2007| last = Bradley| first = John| work = The Independent| location = London| date = 11 February 2004}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=December 2013}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin meeting Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of the Republic of Yemen Rashad Mohammad al-Alimi (2025).jpg|thumb|President [[Rashad al-Alimi]] with Russian president [[Vladimir Putin]] on 28 May 2025]]
In March 2020, the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]] and key U.S. allies, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, cut off tens of millions of dollars for health care programs and other aid to the United Nations' appeal for Yemen. As a result of funding cuts, the [[United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs]] stated that the UN agencies were forced to either close or reduce more than 75 per cent of its programs that year alone, affecting more than 8 million people. Saudi Arabia had been leading a Western-backed military coalition, including the United Arab Emirates as a key member, which intervened in Yemen in 2015, in a bid to restore the government ousted from power by the Houthi movement. The United Nations described the situation in Yemen, where the war killed tens of thousands of people and left millions on the brink of famine, as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/15/middleeast/yemen-funding-crisis-intl/index.html|title=The hardest part is when we lose a child|access-date=15 September 2020|website=CNN|date=15 September 2020|archive-date=5 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205103106/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/15/middleeast/yemen-funding-crisis-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2024, President Joe Biden announced that the United States, Britain and allies Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands had launched a military assault on Houthi militant targets in Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/01/11/1223238786/us-strikes-houthis-yemen|title=U.S. and U.K. strike Houthi targets in Yemen|access-date=11 January 2024|website=NPR|date=11 January 2024|archive-date=1 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301074611/https://www.npr.org/2024/01/11/1223238786/us-strikes-houthis-yemen|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Military ===
{{Main|Republic of Yemen Armed Forces}}

{{No sources|section|date=April 2025}}
[[File:Soldiers - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|thumb|Soldiers of the [[Yemeni Army]] in 2011]]

The [[Republic of Yemen Armed Forces|armed forces of Yemen]] include the [[Yemen Army]] (includes [[Republican Guard (Yemen)|Republican Guard]]), Navy (includes Marines), [[Yemeni Air Force]] (Al Quwwat al Jawwiya al Yamaniya; includes Air Defense Force). A major reorganization of the armed forces continues. The unified air forces and air defenses are now under one command. The navy has concentration in Aden. Total armed forces manning numbers about 401,000 active personnel, including moreover especially conscripts.

The number of military personnel is relatively high; in sum, Yemen has the second largest military force on the Arabian Peninsula after Saudi Arabia. In 2012, total active troops were estimated as follows: army, 390,000; navy, 7,000; and air force, 5,000. In September 2007, the government announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service. Yemen's defense budget, which in 2006 represented approximately 40 percent of the total government budget, is expected to remain high for the near term, as the military draft takes effect and internal security threats continue to escalate. By 2012, Yemen had 401,000 active personnel.

=== Human rights ===
{{Main|Human rights in Yemen}}

[[Corruption in Yemen]] is such that it ranked 176 out of 180 countries in the 2022 [[Corruption Perceptions Index]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lewis |first=Alexandra |title=Violence in Yemen: Thinking About Violence in Fragile States Beyond the Confines of Conflict and Terrorism |journal=Stability: International Journal of Security and Development |date=14 May 2013 |volume=2 |issue=1 |page=13 }}</ref> The government and its security forces have been responsible for torture, inhumane treatment, and extrajudicial executions. There are arbitrary arrests of citizens, especially in the south, as well as arbitrary searches of homes. Prolonged pretrial detention is a serious problem, and judicial corruption, inefficiency, and executive interference undermine due process. Freedom of speech, the press, and religion are all restricted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/mena/yemen/ |title=Human Rights in Yemen |publisher=Derechos – Human Rights |date=January 2001 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=9 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809083441/http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/mena/yemen/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Journalists critical of the government are often harassed and threatened by the police.<ref name=YemenProfile2008 /> [[LGBT rights in Yemen|Homosexuality]] is illegal, punishable by death.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/24/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death/ |title=Here are the 10 countries where homosexuality may be punished by death |date=24 February 2014 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=3 September 2017 |archive-date=29 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629212705/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/24/here-are-the-10-countries-where-homosexuality-may-be-punished-by-death/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Yemen is ranked last of 135 countries in the 2012 [[Global Gender Gap Report]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |title=The Global Gender Gap Report 2012 |publisher=World Economic Forum |year=2012 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=8 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908170755/http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2012.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Human Rights Watch]] reported on discrimination and [[violence against women]] as well as on the abolition of the minimum marriage age of 15 for women. The onset of [[puberty]] (interpreted by some to be as low as the age of nine) was set as a requirement for marriage instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hrw.org/wr2k1/mideast/yemen.html |title=World Report 2001 on Yemen |publisher=Human Rights Watch |year=2001 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=15 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615214816/http://www.hrw.org/wr2k1/mideast/yemen.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Publicity about the case of ten-year-old Yemeni divorcee [[Nujood Ali]] brought the child marriage issue to the forefront worldwide.<ref name=Daragahi2008>{{cite news |last=Daragahi |first=Borzou |title=Yemeni bride, 10, says I won't |work=Los Angeles Times |date=11 June 2008 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-jun-11-fg-childbride11-story.html |access-date=16 February 2010 |archive-date=18 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218062844/http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/11/world/fg-childbride11 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Walt2009>{{cite news |last=Walt |first=Vivienne |title=A 10-Year-Old Divorcée Takes Paris |work=Time/CNN |date=3 February 2009 |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1876652,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205112432/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1876652,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 February 2009 |access-date=16 February 2010}}</ref><ref name=Madabish2009>{{cite news|last=Madabish |first=Arafat |title=Sanaa's first woman lawyer |work=Asharq Alawsat English edition |date=28 March 2009 |url=http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?id=16210 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130407181022/http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?id=16210 |url-status=dead |archive-date=7 April 2013 |access-date=16 February 2010 }}</ref>

In 2017, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council|UN Human Rights Council]] voted to create a team of experts to investigate suspected breaches of humanitarian law and human rights in Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|title=Refworld {{!}} UN: Breakthrough resolution establishes expert group to investigate violations in Yemen|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/59d1f0de4.html|access-date=1 December 2021|website=Refworld|language=en|archive-date=14 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914124153/https://www.refworld.org/docid/59d1f0de4.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2021, [[The Guardian]] revealed, Saudi Arabia used "incentives and threats" as part of a pressure campaign to end a UN inquiry into human rights infringements in Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|date=1 December 2021|title=Saudis used "incentives and threats" to shut down UN investigation in Yemen|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/saudi-arabia-yemen-un-human-rights-investigation-incentives-and-therats|access-date=1 December 2021|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In June 2020, a human rights group revealed the scale of torture and deaths in Yemen's unofficial detention centres. UAE and Saudi forces were responsible for some of the most shocking treatment of prisoners, including being hung upside down for hours and sexual torture such as the burning of genitals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/scale-of-torture-and-deaths-in-yemens-unofficial-prisons-revealed|title=Scale of torture and deaths in Yemen's unofficial prisons revealed|access-date=30 June 2020|website=The Guardian|date=30 June 2020}}</ref>

According to 2020 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates, 6.1 million girls and women were in need of gender-based violence services. The UNFPA also reported a rise in gender-based violence cases amid COVID-19 pandemic, increase in rate of child marriages, most acutely among internally displaced persons (IDPs). One in five girls aged 10 to 19 were married in IDP camps, compared to 1 in 8 in host communities.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Yemen |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/yemen/ |journal=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405042942/https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/yemen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[United States Department of State]] 2013 ''Trafficking in Persons'' report classified Yemen as a Tier 3 country,<ref name=trafficking-in-persons-2013>{{cite web |title=Trafficking in Persons Report: Country Narratives T – Z and Special Case |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf |publisher=U.S. Department of State |year=2013 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-date=26 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526201501/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/210742.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> meaning that its government does not fully comply with the minimum standards against [[Human trafficking in Yemen|human trafficking]] and is not making significant efforts to do so.<ref name=tiers-2013>{{cite web |title=Tiers: Placement, Guide, and Penalties for Tier 3 Countries |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164221.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of State |year=2011 |access-date=19 August 2013 |archive-date=10 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510073501/https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2011/164221.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Yemen officially abolished [[slavery in Yemen]] in 1962,<ref name="thedailystar2004">{{cite news |author=Mohaiemen, N. |newspaper=[[The Daily Star (Bangladesh)|The Daily Star]] |title=Slaves in Saudi |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/07/27/d40727150297.htm |date=27 July 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040811225821/http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/07/27/d40727150297.htm |archive-date=11 August 2004}}</ref> but it is still being practiced.<ref name="Al-Arabiya 2010">{{cite news |publisher=[[Al Arabiya]] |title=Slaves in impoverished Yemen dream of freedom |url=http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/21/114451.html |date=21 July 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112103701/http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/07/21/114451.html |archive-date=12 January 2012}}</ref> On 22 June 2020, [[Human Rights Watch]] wrote an open letter to the [[Secretary-General of the United Nations|UN Secretary-General]] on "Children and Armed Conflict" report to improve the protection of children in Yemen and in [[Myanmar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/23/open-letter-un-secretary-general-children-and-armed-conflict|title=Open Letter to the UN Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict|access-date=22 June 2020|website=HRW|archive-date=23 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723002845/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/06/23/open-letter-un-secretary-general-children-and-armed-conflict|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Amnesty]] said, [[United Nations Security Council]] must urgently fix its monitoring and reporting mechanism for children affected by armed conflict.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/un-children-in-war-must-never-be-a-political-bargaining-chip/|title=UN: Children in war must never be a political bargaining chip|access-date=23 June 2020|website=Amnesty|date=23 June 2020|archive-date=23 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623121205/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/06/un-children-in-war-must-never-be-a-political-bargaining-chip/|url-status=live}}</ref> On 14 September 2020, Human Rights Watch demanded an end to the interference caused by Houthi rebels and other authorities in Yemen aid operations, as millions of lives dependent on the aid operations were being put at risk.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/09/14/deadly-consequences/obstruction-aid-yemen-during-covid-19|title=Deadly Consequences Obstruction of Aid in Yemen During Covid-19|access-date=14 September 2020|website=Human Rights Watch|date=14 September 2020|archive-date=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922100417/https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/09/14/deadly-consequences/obstruction-aid-yemen-during-covid-19|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Economy ==
{{Main|Economy of Yemen}}

{{Further|Telecommunications in Yemen|Transportation in Yemen|Internet usage in Yemen}}
[[File:GDP per capita development of Yemen.svg|thumb|right|Historical GDP per capita development]]

Since its unification in 1990, Yemen has been one of the poorest countries in the Middle East.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Tharoor |first=Ishaan |date=1 November 2010 |title=A Brief History of Yemen: Rich Past, Impoverished Present |url=https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2028740,00.html |access-date=25 February 2024 |magazine=Time |language=en-US |issn=0040-781X |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225231732/https://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2028740,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> {{As of|2013}} Yemen had a GDP (PPP) of US$61.63 billion, with an income per capita of $2,500. Services are the largest economic sector (61.4% of GDP), followed by the industrial sector (30.9%), and agriculture (7.7%). Of these, petroleum production represents around 25% of GDP and 63% of the government's revenue.<ref name="CIA"/> After the start of the civil war in 2014, its GDP dropped rapidly by over 50%,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Basic Data Selection - amaWebClient |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/Basic |access-date=25 February 2024 |website=unstats.un.org |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920212835/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/Basic |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Yemen Overview |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview |access-date=25 February 2024 |website=World Bank |language=en |archive-date=26 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240426131826/https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/yemen/overview |url-status=live }}</ref> thanks to the blockade led by Saudi Arabia and an effective embargo on oil exports imposed by the Houthis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Houthis' embargo on Yemen's oil exports |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-embargo-yemens-oil-exports |access-date=25 February 2024 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225231730/https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-embargo-yemens-oil-exports |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Agriculture ===
[[File:Coffee Plantation 1.jpg|thumb|A coffee plantation in Yemen]]

Principal agricultural commodities produced include grain, vegetables, fruits, [[Pulse (legume)|pulses]], [[Khat|qat]], [[coffee]], cotton, dairy products, fish, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), and poultry.<ref name="CIA" /> Most Yemenis are employed in agriculture. However, the role of [[agricultural sector]] is limited by the relatively low share of the sector in GDP and the large share of net food-buying households (97%).<ref>Breisinger, C., Diao, X., Collion, M. H., & Rondot, P. (2011). Impacts of the triple global crisis on growth and poverty: The case of Yemen. Development Policy Review, 29(2), 155–184</ref> [[Sorghum]] is the most common crop. Cotton and many fruit trees are also grown, with [[mango]]es being the most valuable.

A big problem in Yemen is the cultivation of [[Khat]] (or qat), a psychoactive plant that releases a [[stimulant]] when chewed, and accounts for up to 40 percent of the water drawn from the Sana'a Basin each year, and that figure is rising. Some agricultural practices are drying the Sana'a Basin and displaced vital crops, which has resulted in increasing [[food prices]]. Rising food prices, in turn, pushed an additional six percent of the country into poverty in 2008 alone,<ref name=QatProduction>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139596/adam-heffez/how-yemen-chewed-itself-dry?cid=soc-facebook-in-snapshots-how_yemen_chewed_itself_dry-122713|title=Water Problem due to cultivation of Qat|magazine=Foreign Affairs|author=Adam Heffez|date=23 July 2013|access-date=27 December 2013|archive-date=28 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228055334/http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/139596/adam-heffez/how-yemen-chewed-itself-dry?cid=soc-facebook-in-snapshots-how_yemen_chewed_itself_dry-122713|url-status=live}}</ref> and led to food riots starting in 2008 in poorer cities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Conflict in Yemen: From Ethnic Fighting to Food Riots |url=https://necsi.edu/conflict-in-yemen-from-ethnic-fighting-to-food-riots |access-date=25 February 2024 |website=New England Complex Systems Institute |language=en-US |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225231731/https://necsi.edu/conflict-in-yemen-from-ethnic-fighting-to-food-riots |url-status=live }}</ref> Efforts are being made by the government and [[Dawoodi Bohra]] community at northern governorates to replace qat with coffee plantations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1027/Entrepreneur-tries-to-get-Yemenis-buzzing-about-coffee-not-qat |title=Entrepreneur tries to get Yemenis buzzing about coffee, not qat |publisher=CSMonitor.com |date=27 October 2012 |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=6 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106014133/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1027/Entrepreneur-tries-to-get-Yemenis-buzzing-about-coffee-not-qat |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Industry ===
The industrial sector is centred on crude oil production and petroleum refining, food processing, handicrafts, small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods, aluminum products, commercial ship repair, cement, and natural gas production. In 2013, Yemen had an industrial production growth rate of 4.8%.<ref name="CIA" /> It also has large proven reserves of natural gas.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/652831/Yemen |title=Yemen |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |date=23 April 2013 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425103336/https://www.britannica.com/place/Yemen |url-status=live }}</ref> Yemen's [[Yemen LNG|first liquified natural gas plant]] began production in October 2009.

=== Export and import ===
In 2013, exports totaled $6.694 billion. The main export commodities are crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish, liquefied natural gas. These products were mainly sent to China (41%), Thailand (19.2%), India (11.4%), and South Korea (4.4%). Imports totaled $10.97 billion. The main imported commodities are machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, livestock, and chemicals. These products were mainly imported from the EU (48.8%), UAE (9.8%), Switzerland (8.8%), China (7.4%), and India (5.8%).<ref name="CIA" />

=== State budget ===
[[File:Yemen 06.jpg|thumb|Drilling for oil using a [[Drilling rig|land rig]]]]

{{As of|2013}}, the government's budget consisted of $7.769 billion in revenues and $12.31 billion in expenditures. Taxes and other revenues constituted roughly 17.7% of the GDP, with a budget deficit of 10.3%. The public debt was 47.1% of GDP. Yemen had reserves of foreign exchange and gold of around $5.538 billion in 2013. Its inflation rate over the same period based on consumer prices was 11.8%. The external debt totaled $7.806 billion.<ref name="CIA" /> Yemen is missing some international support because, as of 2024, it is one of three countries which have not ratified the [[Paris Agreement]] to limit [[Climate change in the Middle East and North Africa|climate change]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=3 October 2024 |title=Climate Change: A New Battlefield in Yemen's Ongoing Conflict |url=https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/climate-change-a-new-battlefield-in-yemens-ongoing-conflict/ |access-date=29 October 2024 |website=Arab Center Washington DC |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Water supply and sanitation ===
{{Main|Water supply and sanitation in Yemen}}

A key challenge is severe [[Environmental impacts of the Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|water scarcity]], especially in the Highlands, prompting ''[[The Times]]'', in 2009, to write "Yemen could become first nation to run out of water."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/environment/article/yemen-could-become-first-nation-to-run-out-of-water-6jvzddjrl0v|title=Yemen could become first nation to run out of water|last=Evans|first=Judith|date=21 October 2009|work=The Times|access-date=11 March 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20170311100235/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/yemen-could-become-first-nation-to-run-out-of-water-6jvzddjrl0v|archive-date=11 March 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A second key challenge is a high level of poverty, making it difficult to recover the costs of service provision. Access to water supply sanitation is low. Yemen is both the poorest country and the most water-scarce country in the [[Arab world]]. Third, the capacity of sector institutions to plan, build, operate and maintain infrastructure remains limited. Last but not least the security situation makes it even more difficult to improve or even maintain existing levels of service.

The average Yemeni has access to only 140 cubic meters of water per year (101 gallons per day) for all uses, while the Middle Eastern average is 1,000&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/yr, and the internationally defined threshold for water stress is 1,700 cubic meters per year.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/180.htm|title = Climate Change 2001: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability|access-date = 25 June 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150626113733/http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg2/180.htm|archive-date = 26 June 2015|df = dmy-all}}</ref> Groundwater is the main source of water in the country, but the water tables have dropped severely leaving Yemen without a viable source of water. For example, in Sana'a, the water table was {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=off}} below surface in the 1970s but had dropped to {{convert|1200|m|ft|abbr=off}} below the surface by 2012. The groundwater has not been regulated by Yemen's governments.<ref name="IRIN">{{cite news|title = YEMEN: Time running out for solution to water crisis|url = http://www.irinnews.org/report/96093/yemen-time-running-out-for-solution-to-water-crisis|access-date = 17 April 2015|agency = [[The New Humanitarian|IRIN]]|date = 13 August 2012|archive-date = 18 April 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150418044740/http://www.irinnews.org/report/96093/yemen-time-running-out-for-solution-to-water-crisis|url-status = live}}</ref>

Even before the revolution, Yemen's water situation had been described as increasingly dire by experts who worried that Yemen would be the first country to run out of water.<ref name="Time Ecocentric">{{cite news|last1 = Mahr|first1 = Krista|title = What If Yemen Is the First Country to Run Out of Water?|url = https://science.time.com/2010/12/14/what-if-yemen-is-first-country-to-run-out-of-water/|access-date = 17 April 2015|agency = [[TIME Magazine]]|date = 14 December 2010|archive-date = 18 April 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150418033807/http://science.time.com/2010/12/14/what-if-yemen-is-first-country-to-run-out-of-water/|url-status = live}}</ref> In part due to the 2015 Yemeni civil war, the infrastructure required to build better [[Desalination|access to water]] has been delayed in construction. It is estimated that as many as 80% of the population struggles to access water to drink and bathe. Bombing has forced many Yemenis to leave their homes for other areas, leaving wells in the new areas under increasing demands.<ref name="WaPo">{{cite news|last1 = al-Mujahed|first1 = Ali|last2 = Naylor|first2 = Hugh|title = In Yemen's grinding war, if the bombs don't get you, the water shortages will|url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-yemens-grinding-war-if-the-bombs-dont-get-you-the-water-shortages-will/2015/07/22/a0f60118-299e-11e5-960f-22c4ba982ed4_story.html|access-date = 20 September 2015|newspaper = [[Washington Post]]|date = 23 July 2015|archive-date = 18 October 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151018121953/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/in-yemens-grinding-war-if-the-bombs-dont-get-you-the-water-shortages-will/2015/07/22/a0f60118-299e-11e5-960f-22c4ba982ed4_story.html|url-status = live}}</ref>

Together with partners, [[UNICEF]] has advanced its efforts and provided access to safe and sustained drinking water to 8.8 million people (5.3 million children). It scaled up its emergency [[WASH]] assistance in Yemen to ensure sustainable WASH services through capacity building of local WASH authorities, solarisation of water systems and rainwater harvesting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Water, Sanitation and Hygiene |url=https://www.unicef.org/yemen/water-sanitation-and-hygiene |access-date=25 April 2022 |website=www.unicef.org |language=en |archive-date=27 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127151032/https://www.unicef.org/yemen/water-sanitation-and-hygiene |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Demographics ==
{{Main|Demographics of Yemen}}

{{further|List of cities in Yemen}}
[[File:Human population density Yemen.png|thumb|Population density (2022)]]
Yemen's population is {{#expr:{{replace|{{UN Population|Yemen}}|,||}}/1e6 round 0}} million by {{UN Population|Year}} estimates,{{UN Population|ref}} with 46% of the population being under 15 years old and 2.7% above 65 years. In 1950, it was 4.3 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=The General Census of Population 2004 |url=http://www.sabanews.net/en/news85385.htm |publisher=Sabanews |date=29 December 2004 |orig-year=Updated 13 December 2013 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=6 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206105130/http://www.sabanews.net/en/news85385.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3952775.ece |title=The population explosion on Europe's doorstep |work=Times (London) |location=London |date=18 May 2008 |access-date=22 February 2013 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=24 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624112144/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3952775.ece |url-status=dead }}</ref> By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to about 60&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79232 |title=Yemen: Government planning to curb population growth |publisher=IRIN Middle East |date=14 July 2008 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=28 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928034809/http://irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=79232 |url-status=dead }} {{link note|note=for Arabic, read it here: [http://arabic.irinnews.org/reportarabic.aspx?sid=866].}}</ref> Yemen has a high [[total fertility rate]], at 4.45 children per woman.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |title=Country Comparison: Total fertility rate |publisher=CIA World Factbook |work=Central Intelligence Agency |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |access-date=23 February 2013 |archive-date=28 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028133713/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sana'a's population has increased rapidly, from roughly 55,000 in 1978<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200601/sana.a.rising.htm |title=Sana'a Rising |author=Eric Hansen |magazine=[[Saudi Aramco World]] |date=January 2006 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131127165256/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200601/sana.a.rising.htm |archive-date=27 November 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> to nearly 1 million in the early 21st century.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Sanaa | title=Sanaa {{pipe}} History, Population, & Facts {{pipe}} Britannica | date=17 June 2023 | access-date=27 September 2022 | archive-date=27 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230227191038/https://www.britannica.com/place/Sanaa | url-status=live }}</ref>

=== People ===
{{main|Yemenis}}

[[File:Yemen ethno 2002.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Yemen's [[:Category:Yemeni tribes|tribal areas]] and Shia/Sunni regions. [[Shia Muslims]] predominant in the green area of Yemen's West, with the rest of Yemen being [[Sunni Muslim]]s]]

When the states of North and South Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Relations With Yemen |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35836.htm |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=28 August 2013 |access-date=21 May 2019 |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604193812/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35836.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Yemen is a largely [[Tribes of Arabia|tribal]] society.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Flamand, Annasofie |author2=Macleod, Hugh |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/world-news/the-children-of-yemen-s-tribal-war-1.990167 |title=The children of Yemen's tribal war |work=The Herald Scotland |location=Glasgow |date=5 December 2009 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=25 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125213614/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/world-news/the-children-of-yemen-s-tribal-war-1.990167 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are also hereditary caste groups in urban areas such as [[Al-Akhdam]].<ref name="Lehmann">{{cite journal |last=Lehmann |first=Hermann |title=Distribution of the sickle cell trait |journal=Eugenics Review |year=1954 |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=101–121 |pmc=2973326 |pmid=21260667}}</ref> There are also [[Yemenis]] of [[Persian people|Persian origin]]. According to [[Muqaddasi]], Persians formed the majority of Aden's population in the 10th century.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Persian Gulf in History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncfIAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA7|author=Lawrence G. Potter|date=2009|page=7| publisher=Springer |isbn=978-0-230-61845-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EUL8AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|author= Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh|date=2013|page=64| publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-81717-5}}</ref>

[[Yemenite Jews]] once formed a sizable minority with a distinct culture from other Jewish communities in the world.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Yemen.html |title=Yemen |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |encyclopedia=Jewish Virtual Library |date=22 May 2012 |access-date=22 February 2013 |archive-date=23 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220523112106/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Yemen.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most emigrated to Israel in the mid-20th century, following the [[Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries]] and [[Operation Magic Carpet (Yemen)|Operation Magic Carpet]]. An estimated 100,000 people of Indian origin are concentrated in the southern part of the country, around Aden, Mukalla, Shihr, Lahaj, Mokha and Hodeidah.<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Diaspora in Yemen |url=http://www.eoisanaa.org/NRI.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110312120804/http://www.eoisanaa.org/NRI.html |archive-date=12 March 2011 |publisher=Indian Embassy in Sanaa |access-date=24 February 2013}}</ref>

Most of the prominent [[Ethnic groups in Indonesia|Indonesians]], [[Malaysians]], and [[Singaporeans]] of [[Arab]] descent are [[Hadhrami people]] with origins in southern Yemen in the [[Hadhramaut]] coastal region.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/648273/ |title=The world's successful diasporas |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |work=Management Today |location=London |date=3 April 2007 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=15 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115173048/http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/648273/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Today there are almost 10,000 Hadramis in Singapore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/talib95.htm |title=Hadramis in Singapore |author=Ameen Ali Talib |work=Al-bab.com |date=November 1995 |access-date=13 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212053809/http://www.al-bab.com/bys/articles/talib95.htm |archive-date=12 December 2013}}</ref> The Hadramis migrated to Southeast Asia, East Africa and the [[Indian subcontinent]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/27769248/AFRICAN-CONNECTIONS-IN-YEMENI-MUSIC |title=African connections in Yemeni music |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica |access-date=22 February 2013}} {{dead link|date=February 2013}}</ref>

The [[Maqil]] were a collection of Arab Bedouin tribes of Yemeni origin who migrated westwards via Egypt. Several groups of Yemeni Arabs turned south to [[Mauritania]], and by the end of the 17th century, they dominated the entire country. They can also be found throughout Morocco and in Algeria as well as in other North African countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://countrystudies.us/mauritania/8.htm |title=Mauritania – Arab invasions |work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=23 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623125418/http://countrystudies.us/mauritania/8.htm |url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Yemen is the birthplace of the Arabs and the [[Arabic|language]]; [[Qahtanite]] Arabs — the original Arabs — originated in Yemen. According to Arab tradition, [[Ishmael]] son of [[Abraham]] married a woman from the [[Jurhum]] tribe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alim.org/history/prophet-stories/7/5/ |title=Story of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmael) – Ishmael's Wives {{pipe}} Islamic History |publisher=Alim.org |date= |accessdate=29 September 2022}}</ref>

Yemen is the only country in the Arabian Peninsula that is signatory to two international accords dating back to 1951 and 1967 governing the protection of refugees.<ref name="Jonathan Fowler">{{cite web|url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/red-sea-drownings-of-yemenbound-migrants-hit-new-high_27334|author=Jonathan Fowler|title=Red Sea drownings of Yemen-bound migrants hit new high|date=18 October 2014|website=Your Middle East|access-date=19 October 2014|archive-date=18 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018175000/http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/red-sea-drownings-of-yemenbound-migrants-hit-new-high_27334|url-status=dead}}</ref> Yemen hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 124,600 in 2007. Refugees and asylum seekers were predominantly from [[Somalia]] (110,600), [[Iraq]] (11,000), [[Ethiopia]] (2,000),<ref name="World Refugee Survey 2008">{{cite web|title=World Refugee Survey 2008 |url=http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2008-world-refugee-survey.html |publisher=U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants |date=19 June 2008 |access-date=13 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019224639/http://www.refugees.org/resources/refugee-warehousing/archived-world-refugee-surveys/2008-world-refugee-survey.html}}</ref> and [[Refugees of the Syrian civil war|Syria]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-yemen-idUSBRE98P0FC20130926 |title=Poor and desperate, Syrian refugees beg on Yemen's streets |work=Reuters |date=26 September 2013 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=20 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220132417/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-yemen-idUSBRE98P0FC20130926 |url-status=live }}</ref> Additionally, more than 334,000 Yemenis have been internally displaced by conflict.<ref name="Jonathan Fowler" /> The [[Yemeni diaspora]] is largely concentrated in neighbouring Saudi Arabia, where between 800,000 and 1 million Yemenis reside,<ref>{{cite news |author=Black, Ian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/02/saudi-arabia-expels-yemeni-workers |title=Saudi Arabia expels thousands of Yemeni workers |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=2 April 2013 |access-date=13 October 2013}}</ref> and the United Kingdom, home to between [[Yemenis in the United Kingdom|70,000 and 80,000]] Yemenis.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/uk_1.shtml |title=History of Islam in the UK |publisher=BBC |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=4 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204092958/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/uk_1.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Languages ===
[[Modern Standard Arabic]] is the official language, while [[Yemeni Arabic]] is used as the vernacular. In [[al Mahrah Governorate]] in the far east and the island of [[Socotra]], [[Modern South Arabian languages|several non-Arabic languages]] are spoken.<ref>{{cite book |author=Woodard, Roger D. |title=The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQpAuNIP4oIC&pg=PA228 |access-date=23 June 2013 |date=10 April 2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-68494-1 |page=228}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=2144-16 |title=Ethnologue entry for South Arabian languages |publisher=Ethnologue.com |access-date=21 March 2010 |archive-date=18 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018125423/http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=2144-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Yemeni Sign Language]] is used by the deaf community.

Yemen is part of the homeland of the [[South Semitic languages]]. [[Mehri language|Mehri]] is the largest South Semitic language spoken in the nation, with more than 70,000 speakers. The ethnic group is called Mahra. [[Soqotri language|Soqotri]] is another South Semitic language, with speakers on the island of Socotra isolated from the pressures of Arabic on the Yemeni mainland. According to the 1990 census, the number of speakers was 57,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/country/YE/languages |title=Yemen – Languages |publisher=Ethnologue |date=19 February 1999 |access-date=23 December 2015 |archive-date=28 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150328164216/http://www.ethnologue.com/country/YE/languages |url-status=live }}</ref> Yemen was home of the [[Old South Arabian]] languages. The [[Razihi language]] appears to be the only remaining Old South Arabian language.

English is the most important foreign language, being widely taught and spoken mostly in the south, a former British protectorate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://stats.wikimedia.org/archive/squid_reports/2013-09/SquidReportPageViewsPerCountryBreakdownHuge.htm|title=Wikimedia Traffic Analysis Report – Wikipedia Page Views Per Country – Breakdown|website=stats.wikimedia.org|access-date=22 July 2016|archive-date=23 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323164820/https://stats.wikimedia.org/archive/squid_reports/2013-09/SquidReportPageViewsPerCountryBreakdownHuge.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
{{Main|Religion in Yemen}}

{{Bar box
| title=Religion in Yemen<ref>{{cite web |title=Yemen Ethno Religious summary |url=http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Yemen_Ethno_Religious_summary_lg.png |website=www.gulf2000.columbia.edu |access-date=6 January 2017 |archive-date=22 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222184013/http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/images/maps/Yemen_Ethno_Religious_summary_lg.png |url-status=live }}</ref>
| titlebar=#ddd
| float=right
| bars=
{{Bar percent|[[Sunni Islam]]|green|56.36}}
{{Bar percent|[[Zaydi Islam]]|lime|42.1}}
{{Bar percent|Others|red|1.54}}
}}
Islam is the [[state religion]]. [[Religion in Yemen]] consists primarily of two Islamic religious groups. According to a UNHCR report, the [[Shia Islam|Shia]] "Zaydis make up about 45 percent of the population, Sunnis 53 percent and there are also tiny minorities of other Shia groups—the Ismaili and Twelver communities."<ref>{{cite web|title=Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,45a5199f2,45a5f8b22,488f180d1e,0.html|publisher=UNHCR|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120171316/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,45a5199f2,45a5f8b22,488f180d1e,0.html|archive-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> Sunnis are primarily [[Shafi'i]] but also include significant groups of [[Maliki]]s and [[Hanbali]]s. Shias are primarily [[Zaydiyyah|Zaydi]] and also have significant minorities of [[Ismaili]]<ref name=UNHRC /> and [[Twelver]]<ref name=UNHRC>{{cite web |title=Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis |url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,45a5199f2,45a5f8b22,488f180d1e,0.html |publisher=UN High Commissioner for Refugees |date=24 July 2008 |access-date=2 January 2014 |archive-date=20 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120171316/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,45a5199f2,45a5f8b22,488f180d1e,0.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022055452/http://www.yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=768&p=community&a=2 |url=http://www.yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=768&p=community&a=2 |archive-date=22 October 2007 |title=The Twelve-Imam Shiite Sect |work=Yemen Times |date=22 October 2007 |author=Al-Zaidi, Hassan}}</ref> Shias.

The Sunnis are predominantly in the south and southeast which traditionally have less population. The Zaidis/Shias are predominantly in the north and northwest where the vast majority of the Yemeni population traditionally lives whilst the Ismailis are in the main centres such as Sana'a and Ma'rib. There are mixed communities in the larger cities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/208632.pdf|title=Yemen 2012 International Religious Freedom Report|publisher=United States Secretary of State|access-date=2 February 2017|archive-date=9 October 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://2009-2017.state.gov/documents/organization/208632.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.medea.be/en/countries/yemen/yemen/ |title=Yemen |publisher={{Not a typo|Institut}} MEDEA |access-date=14 December 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206102826/http://www.medea.be/en/countries/yemen/yemen/ |archive-date=6 December 2013}}</ref> According to WIN/Gallup International polls, Yemen has the highest share of the population identifying as religious among Arab countries, and one of the highest in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/most-religious-countries-in-the-world/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/most-religious-countries-in-the-world/ |archive-date=10 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Mapped: The world's most (and least) religious countries|last=Smith|first=Oliver |publisher=Digital Travel Editor |website=The Telegraph|date=15 April 2017|access-date=21 February 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

About .05 percent of Yemenis are non-Muslim—adhering to Christianity, [[Yemenite Jews|Judaism]], or [[Hinduism in Arab states|Hinduism]] or having no religious affiliation. Yemen is number five on Open Doors' 2022 World Watch List, an annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/yemen/?ref=wwmap |title=Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide – Yemen – Open Doors UK & Ireland |publisher=Opendoorsuk.org |date= |accessdate=24 June 2022 |archive-date=3 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603210057/https://www.opendoorsuk.org/persecution/world-watch-list/yemen/?ref=wwmap |url-status=live }}</ref> Estimates of the number of [[Christianity in Yemen|Christians in Yemen]] range from 25,000<ref name="us">{{cite web|last=Department Of State. The Office of Electronic Information|first=Bureau of Public Affairs|date=19 September 2008|title=Yemen|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108496.htm|access-date=26 February 2022|website=2001-2009.state.gov|language=en|archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525131017/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108496.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> to 41,000.<ref name="Guide: Christians in the Middle East">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15239529|title=Guide: Christians in the Middle East|work=BBC News|date=11 October 2011|archive-date=11 October 2011|access-date=21 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011141003/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2015 study estimates 400 Christians from a Muslim background reside in the country.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Johnstone|first1=Patrick|last2=Miller|first2=Duane Alexander|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=IJRR|date=2015|volume=11|page=17|url=https://www.academia.edu/16338087|access-date=28 October 2015|archive-date=13 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313222442/https://www.academia.edu/16338087/Believers_in_Christ_from_a_Muslim_Background_A_Global_Census|url-status=live}}</ref> There are approximately 50 or fewer [[Yemenite Jews|Jews left in Yemen]]. Some 200 Yemeni Jews were brought to Israel by the [[Jewish Agency]] {{Circa|2016}}.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ben Zion|first1=Ilan|title=17 Yemenite Jews secretly airlifted to Israel in end to 'historic mission'|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/17-yemenite-jews-secretly-airlifted-to-israel/|access-date=21 March 2016|work=[[Times of Israel]]|date=21 March 2016|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202210718/https://www.timesofisrael.com/17-yemenite-jews-secretly-airlifted-to-israel/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2020 estimate, as few as 26 Jews remain in Yemen.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/yemen-jews-sephardim|title=A Final Push to Free Yemen's Remaining Jews|date=6 November 2020|website=Tablet Magazine|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=31 August 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250831193422/https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/israel-middle-east/articles/yemen-jews-sephardim|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in 2022 it was estimated that only one Yemeni Jew remained according to a United Nations report about the treatment of religious minorities in conflict zones. Despite this, there are reportedly several [[crypto-Jews]] that still remain in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://aish.com/history-of-the-jews-of-yemen/|title=History of the Jews of Yemen|date=10 May 2022|access-date=27 September 2022|archive-date=5 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705025111/https://aish.com/history-of-the-jews-of-yemen/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Education ===
{{Main|Education in Yemen}}

[[File:UIS Literacy Rate Yemen population plus15 1995-2015.png|thumb|right|Literacy rate of the population aged 15 or older (1995–2015) by [[UNESCO]] Institute of Statistics]]

The adult literacy rate in 2010 was 64%.<ref name=unescolit>{{cite web|title=National adult literacy rates (15+), youth literacy rates (15–24) and elderly literacy rates (65+)|url=http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|publisher=UNESCO Institute for Statistics|access-date=13 December 2013|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029183908/http://stats.uis.unesco.org/unesco/TableViewer/tableView.aspx?ReportId=210|url-status=dead}}</ref> The government has committed to reduce illiteracy to less than 10% by 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/yemen_NR08.pdf|title=Republic of Yemen, Ministry of Education Report 2008. "The Development of Education in the Republic of Yemen."|page=3|year=2008|access-date=13 December 2013|archive-date=12 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012091421/http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/yemen_NR08.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the government provides for universal, compulsory, free education for children ages six through 15, the U.S. Department of State reports that compulsory attendance is not enforced. The government developed the National Basic Education Development Strategy in 2003 that aimed at providing education to 95% of children between the ages of six and 14 years and also at decreasing the gap between males and females in urban and rural areas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/yemen_NR08.pdf |title=Republic of Yemen, Ministry of Education Report 2008." The Development of Education in the Republic of Yemen." |page=5 |year=2008 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-date=12 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012091421/http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2008/yemen_NR08.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

A seven-year project to improve gender equity and the quality and efficiency of secondary education, focusing on girls in rural areas, was approved by the World Bank in March 2008. Following this, Yemen has increased its education spending from 5% of GDP in 1995 to 10% in 2005.<ref name=YemenProfile2008 />

According to the [[Webometrics Ranking of World Universities]], the top-ranking universities in the country are the [[Yemeni University of Science & Technology]] (6532nd worldwide), Al Ahgaff University (8930th) and [[Sanaa University]] (11043rd).<ref>{{cite web|title=Yemen |url=http://www.webometrics.info/en/aw/Yemen |publisher=Ranking Web of Universities |access-date=26 February 2013}}</ref> Yemen was ranked 131st in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2021, down from 129th in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2021|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2021/|work=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]]|publisher=[[United Nations]]|access-date=5 March 2022|language=en|archive-date=20 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120103718/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2021/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2019|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|access-date=2 September 2021|website=www.wipo.int|language=en|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101818/https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=RTD – Item|url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898|access-date=2 September 2021|website=ec.europa.eu|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902140715/https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=28 October 2013|title=Global Innovation Index|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|access-date=2 September 2021|website=INSEAD Knowledge|language=en|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{Main|Health in Yemen}}

{{See also|Famine in Yemen|2016–17 Yemen cholera outbreak}}
[[File:Yemeni doctor.jpg|thumb|A Yemeni doctor examines an infant in a USAID-sponsored health care clinic.]]
Despite the significant progress the government has made to expand and improve its health care system over the past decade, the system remains severely underdeveloped. Total expenditures on health care in 2002 constituted 3.7 percent of GDP.<ref name=cp/> In that same year, the per capita expenditure for health care was very low, as compared with other [[Middle East]]ern countries—US$58 according to United Nations statistics and US$23 according to the [[World Health Organization]].

According to the [[World Bank]], the number of doctors rose by an average of more than 7 percent between 1995 and 2000, but as of 2004, there were still only three doctors per 10,000 persons. In 2003, Yemen had only 0.6 hospital beds available per 1,000 persons.<ref name=cp>{{cite web|title=About this Collection {{pipe}} Country Studies {{pipe}} Digital Collections {{pipe}} Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/country-studies/about-this-collection/|access-date=26 February 2022|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=22 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722041913/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/sdtoc.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Health care services are particularly scarce in rural areas. Only 25 percent of rural areas are covered by health services, as compared with 80 percent of urban areas. [[Emergency services]], such as [[ambulance]] service and [[blood banks]], are non-existent.<ref name="cp" />

== Culture ==
{{Main|Culture of Yemen}}

=== Architecture ===
{{excerpt|Architecture of Yemen#Overview}}

=== World Heritage sites ===
{{Main|List of World Heritage sites in Yemen}}

Among its natural and cultural attractions are four [[World Heritage]] sites.<ref name="UNESCO WHC 2015">{{cite web |work=[[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]] |title=List of World Heritage in Danger: The 54 properties which the World Heritage Committee has decided to include on the List of World Heritage in danger in accordance with Article 11 (4) of the Convention |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ |year=2015 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930173032/https://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="UNESCO WHC 2015 B">{{cite web |last=Bokova |first=Irina |title=UNESCO Director-General calls on all parties to protect Yemen's cultural heritage |publisher=[[UNESCO World Heritage Centre]] |quote=In addition to causing terrible human suffering, these attacks are destroying Yemen's unique cultural heritage, which is the repository of people's identity, history and memory and an exceptional testimony to the achievements of the Islamic Civilization. |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1278/ |date=12 May 2015 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-date=21 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240121115252/https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1278/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Old Walled City of [[Shibam]] in Wadi Hadhramaut, inscribed by [[UNESCO]] in 1982, two years after Yemen joined the World Heritage Committee, is nicknamed "Manhattan of the Desert" because of its skyscrapers. Surrounded by a fortified wall made of mud and straw, the 16th-century city is one of the oldest examples of urban planning based on the principle of vertical construction.<ref>{{Cite web|last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|title=Old Walled City of Shibam|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192/|access-date=4 December 2022|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=23 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221023160405/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/192|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Old City of Sana'a]], at an altitude of more than {{convert|7000|ft|m|order=flip}}, has been inhabited for over two and a half millennia and was inscribed in 1986. Sana'a became a major Islamic center in the seventh century, and the 103 mosques, 14 [[hammam]]s (traditional bathhouses), and more than 6,000 houses that survive all date from before the 11th century.<ref>{{Cite web|last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|title=Old City of Sana'a|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/385/|access-date=4 December 2022|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=2 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102194733/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/385/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Close to the Red Sea coast, the historic town of [[Zabid]], inscribed in 1993, was Yemen's capital from the 13th to the 15th century and is an archaeological and historical site. It played an important role for many centuries because of its university, which was a centre of learning for the whole Arab and Islamic world.<ref>{{Cite web|last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|title=Historic Town of Zabid|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/611/|access-date=4 December 2022|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=2 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102194833/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/611/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The latest addition to Yemen's list of World Heritage Sites is the Socotra Archipelago. Mentioned by [[Marco Polo]] in the 13th century, this remote and isolated archipelago consists of four islands and two rocky islets delineating the southern limit of the Gulf of Aden. The site has a rich biodiversity. Nowhere else in the world do 37% of Socotra's 825 plants, 90% of its reptiles and 95% of its snails occur. It is home to 192 bird species, 253 species of coral, 730 species of coastal fish, and 300 species of crab and lobster,<ref>{{Cite web|last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|title=Socotra Archipelago|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1263/|access-date=4 December 2022|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|language=en|archive-date=2 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102194733/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1263/|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as the Dragon's Blood Tree (''[[Dracaena cinnabari]]'').<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 November 2022|title=Saving the dragon's blood: how an island refused to let a legendary tree die out|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/12/saving-dragons-blood-island-refused-let-tree-die-out-socotra-yemen|access-date=4 December 2022|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The cultural heritage of Socotra includes the unique [[Soqotri language]].

[[File:Bab-ul-Yemen, Sana'a (2286002741).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|center|The [[Old City of Sanaa]] and [[Bab al-Yemen]] decorated by patterns made in brick and white gypsum]]

=== Theatre ===
{{Main|Theatre of Yemen}}

[[File:Yemeni House 1.jpg|thumb|Typical house in [[Al Hajjarah]]]]
[[Theatre of Yemen|Yemeni theatre]] dates to the early 20th century. Both amateur and professional (government-sponsored) theatre troupes perform in the country's major urban centres. Many significant poets and authors, like Ali Ahmed Ba Kathir, Muhammad al-Sharafi, and [[Wajdi al-Ahdal]], have written dramatic works; poems, novels, and short stories by Yemeni authors like [[Mohammad Abdul-Wali]] and [[Abdulaziz Al-Maqaleh]] have also been adapted for the stage.

There have been Yemeni productions of plays by Arab authors such as [[Tawfiq al-Hakim]] and [[Saadallah Wannous]] and by Western authors, including [[Shakespeare]], [[Luigi Pirandello|Pirandello]], [[Brecht]], and [[Tennessee Williams]]. Historically speaking, Aden is the cradle of Yemeni theatre; in recent decades Sana'a has hosted numerous theatre festivals, often in conjunction with [[World Theatre Day]].

=== Media ===
{{Main|Media of Yemen}}

[[File:National Museum of Yemen.jpg|thumb|The [[National Museum of Yemen]] in [[Sanaa|Sana'a]]]]
[[Radio in Yemen|Radio broadcasting in Yemen]] began in the 1940s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-bab.com/yemen/media/med.htm#Broadcasting |title=The media in Yemen, short introduction to media in Yemen including broadcasting. Last revised on 21 February 2006 |publisher=Al-bab.com |access-date=15 February 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327001747/http://al-bab.com/yemen/media/med.htm |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> After unification in 1990, the government reformed its corporations and founded some additional radio stations that broadcast locally. However, it drew back after 1994, due to destroyed infrastructure resulting from the 1994 civil war.

[[Television in Yemen|Television]] is the most significant media platform. Given the low literacy rate in the country, television is the main source of news. There are six free-to-air channels currently headquartered in Yemen, of which four are state-owned.<ref name=amo12>{{cite web |title=Arab Media Outlook 2011–2015 |url=http://www.arabmediaforum.ae/userfiles/EnglishAMO.pdf |page=217 |year=2012 |access-date=13 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193429/http://www.arabmediaforum.ae/userfiles/EnglishAMO.pdf |archive-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Cinema of Yemen|Yemeni film industry]] is in its early stages; only eight Yemeni films have been released {{As of|2023|lc=y}}.

=== Sport ===
[[Association football|Football]] is the most popular sport. The [[Yemen Football Association]] is a member of [[FIFA]] and [[Asian Football Confederation|AFC]]. The [[Yemen national football team|Yemeni national football team]] participates internationally. The country also hosts many football clubs. They compete in the national and international leagues.

Yemen's mountains provide many opportunities for outdoor sports, such as [[Mountain biking|biking]], [[rock climbing]], [[trekking]], [[hiking]], and other more challenging sports, including [[mountain climbing]]. Mountain climbing and hiking tours to the [[Sarawat Mountains]], including peaks of {{convert|3000|m|ft|abbr=on}} and above, particularly that of An-Nabi Shu'ayb,<ref name="Burrows2010" />{{sfnp|McLaughlin|2008|p=3}} are seasonally organized by local and international alpine agencies. The coastal areas and Socotra provide many opportunities for water sports, such as [[surfing]], [[bodyboarding]], [[Sailing (sport)|sailing]], [[Swimming (sport)|swimming]], and [[scuba diving]]. Socotra is home to some of the best surfing destinations in the world.

[[File:Sa'dah 05.jpg|thumb|Dance in [[Sa'dah]], northwestern Yemen]]
Camel jumping is a traditional sport that is becoming increasingly popular among the Zaraniq tribe on the west coast. Camels are placed side to side and victory goes to the competitor who leaps, from a running start, over the most camels. Tribesmen (women may not compete) tuck their robes around their waists for freedom of movement while running and leaping.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/The-Sport-of-Camel-Jumping.html |title=The Sport of Camel Jumping |publisher=Smithsonianmag.com |date=September 2010 |access-date=7 February 2015 |archive-date=25 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625091835/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/The-Sport-of-Camel-Jumping.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Yemen's biggest sports event was hosting the [[20th Arabian Gulf Cup]] in Aden and Abyan in 2010. Yemen was defeated in the first three matches of the tournament.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yemen-today.com/go/special_reports/8199.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510042005/http://www.yemen-today.com/go/special_reports/8199.html|archive-date=10 May 2011 |title=Yemenis open up about the Gulf Cup |publisher=Yemen Today |date=7 January 2011 |access-date=8 February 2011}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

== See also ==
* [[List of Yemen-related topics]]
* [[Outline of Yemen]]

== Notes ==
=== Language notes ===
{{notelist}}

=== General notes ===
{{reflist|group=n}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{Cite book |last1=Arbach |first1=Mounir |title=The city-states of the Jawf at the dawn of Ancient South Arabian history (8th–6th centuries BCE) |last2=Rossi |first2=Irene |date=2022 |publisher=L'Erma Di Bretschneider}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Jonathan M. |last2=Blair |first2=Sheila |year=2009 |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC |archive-date=27 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250427044455/https://books.google.com/books?id=un4WcfEASZwC |url-status=live |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-530991-1 |access-date=16 March 2025 }}

== External links ==
{{Library resources box}}
* [https://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?Country=YE Key Development Forecasts for Yemen] from [[International Futures]] 

=== Government ===
* [https://yemen-nic.info National Information Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025200719/https://yemen-nic.info/ |date=25 October 2020 }} – Official Yemen Information Portal
* [https://presidentalalimi.net/en Presidential Leadership Council] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250829062156/https://presidentalalimi.net/en/ |date=29 August 2025 }} – official website of the president of Yemen
* [https://pmo-ye.net/ Prime Minister] – official website of the prime minister of Yemen
* [https://shoora.gov.ye Shura Council] – official website of the Yemeni Shura Council
* [https://yemenparliament.gov.ye/ House of Representatives] – official website of the Yemeni House of Representatives
* [https://cso-ye.org/en/ Statistics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250901180409/https://cso-ye.org/en/ |date=1 September 2025 }} – official website of Central Statistical Organization 

=== History ===
* [https://yemen-nic.info/yemen/history/ "History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250905182537/http://www.yemen-nic.info/yemen/history/ |date=5 September 2025 }} – Yemeni History at National Information Center

=== Tourism ===
* [https://www.yementourism.com/explore-yemen Explore Yemen] – Yemen's official tourism portal 

=== Maps ===
* {{Wikiatlas}}
* {{Osmrelation-inline|305092}}

{{Yemen topics}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Related articles
|list =
 {{Middle East}}
 {{Countries of Asia}}
 {{Countries bordering the Red Sea}}
 {{Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean}}
 {{Countries and regions in the Arabian Plate}}
 {{Countries bordering the Arabian Sea}}
 {{Arab League}}
 {{Organisation of Islamic Cooperation}}
}}
{{Subject bar|Yemen|Asia|Middle East|Countries|auto=yes|voy=Yemen}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Yemen| ]]
[[Category:Arabian Peninsula]]
[[Category:Countries in Asia]]
[[Category:Countries and territories where Arabic is an official language]]
[[Category:Member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]
[[Category:Least developed countries]]
[[Category:1990 establishments in Yemen]]
[[Category:Member states of the Arab League]]
[[Category:Member states of the United Nations]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1990]]
[[Category:Countries in West Asia]]