Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Low income

Yemen: the economy in numbers

Per person: $634. Population: 41.8 million (2025).

$21.6B−1.5%real GDP growth, 2024

GDP in 2018, current US dollars. IMF estimate for 2025: −0.5%.

GDP per capita

$634

2018

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,164

2013

Inflation

20.2%

2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 5.0%

Population

41.8M

2025 · #37 of 217

Unemployment

17.3%

2025 · ILO estimate

Life expectancy

69.4 years

2024

GDP

Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $31.2 billion in 1990, $27.7 billion in 2018.

Current US dollars; “In 2025 dollars” removes US inflationSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

GDP per capita

In 2025 dollars: $2,245 per person in 1990, $813 in 2018.

GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)

PPP: purchasing power parity, international dollarsSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Real GDP growth

Average over 2015–2024: −4.7% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1991: 8 of 34.

Shaded: IMF estimates from 2025, forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Inflation

Consumer prices rose 4.6 times from 2000 to 2014. Highest annual inflation: 59.8% in 2021.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Population

1960: 5.53 million · 2025: 41.8 million.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Unemployment rate

1991: 8.4% · 2025: 17.3%.

% of the labor force, ILO modeled estimatesSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Life expectancy at birth

1960: 33.5 years · 2024: 69.4 years.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Exports of goods and services

1990: 11.2% · 2018: 8.8%.

% of GDPSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Data by year

Show the year-by-year table

Year	GDP	GDP per capita	Per capita, PPP	Real growth	Inflation	Population	Unemployment	Life expectancy	Exports, % GDP
2031				2.5%^f	10.0%^f
2030				2.0%^f	11.0%^f
2029				1.5%^f	12.0%^f
2028				1.0%^f	13.0%^f
2027				0.0%^f	17.0%^f
2026				−1.5%^f	5.0%^f
2025				−0.5%^e	20.2%	41.8M	17.3%
2024				−1.5%	26.6%	40.6M	17.0%	69.4
2023				−9.3%	17.6%	39.4M	16.9%	69.3
2022				−0.5%	36.4%	38.2M	17.2%	68.0
2021				6.0%	59.8%	37.1M	18.3%	66.0
2020				0.3%	30.5%	36.1M	18.0%	66.4
2019				4.7%	22.6%	35.1M	17.2%	66.6
2018	$21.6B	$634		0.8%	33.6%	34.1M	17.6%	65.9	8.8%
2017	$26.8B	$811		−5.1%	30.4%	33.1M	18.6%	67.1	9.7%
2016	$31.3B	$975		−9.4%	21.3%	32.1M	18.4%	67.1	4.8%
2015	$42.4B	$1,362		−28.0%	22.0%	31.2M	17.9%	66.8	9.1%
2014	$43.2B	$1,430		−0.2%	8.1%	30.2M	13.5%	68.0	21.5%
2013	$40.4B	$1,379	$3,164	4.8%	11.0%	29.3M	13.7%	68.0	22.4%
2012	$35.4B	$1,245	$3,005	2.4%	9.9%	28.4M	13.5%	67.6	24.9%
2011	$32.7B	$1,186	$3,113	−12.7%	19.5%	27.6M	13.3%	67.4	30.3%
2010	$30.9B	$1,155	$3,603	7.7%	11.2%	26.8M	12.8%	67.2	30.0%
2009	$25.1B	$969	$3,411	3.9%	5.4%	25.9M	12.8%	66.9	28.3%
2008	$26.9B	$1,072	$3,370	3.6%	19.0%	25.1M	12.7%	66.6	37.8%
2007	$21.7B	$890	$3,294	3.3%	7.9%	24.3M	12.5%	66.2	35.9%
2006	$19.1B	$810	$3,205	3.2%	10.8%	23.5M	12.3%	65.8	41.3%
2005	$16.7B	$734	$3,113	5.6%	11.8%	22.8M	12.2%	65.4	40.9%
2004	$13.9B	$628	$2,949	4.0%	12.5%	22.1M	12.1%	64.9	36.4%
2003	$11.8B	$549	$2,844	3.7%	10.8%	21.5M	12.0%	64.4	36.4%
2002	$10.7B	$513	$2,768	3.9%	12.2%	20.8M	11.8%	63.8	37.0%
2001	$9.85B	$487	$2,702	3.8%	11.9%	20.2M	11.7%	63.3	35.9%
2000	$9.68B	$493	$2,624	6.2%	4.6%	19.6M	11.6%	62.8	41.4%
1999	$7.64B	$401	$2,492	3.8%	8.7%	19M	11.5%	62.3	34.8%
1998	$6.32B	$343	$2,442	6.0%	6.0%	18.4M	10.8%	61.8	26.5%
1997	$6.84B	$383	$2,351	5.2%	2.2%	17.9M	10.2%	61.3	36.3%
1996	$6.5B	$375	$2,268	4.6%	30.7%	17.3M	9.6%	60.9	38.5%
1995	$12.8B	$764	$2,201	5.7%	55.1%	16.7M	9.0%	60.5	45.5%
1994	$28B	$1,735	$2,115	6.7%	49.4%	16.1M	8.3%	59.8	39.8%
1993	$21.7B	$1,397	$2,013	4.0%	35.8%	15.6M	8.3%	59.7	19.9%
1992	$18B	$1,198	$1,963	8.2%	29.4%	15M	8.4%	59.3	16.2%
1991	$14.7B	$1,016	$1,843	6.3%	36.0%	14.4M	8.4%	58.8	17.7%
1990	$12.6B	$910	$1,742			13.9M		58.5	11.2%
1989						13.4M		58.0
1988						12.9M		57.4
1987						12.4M		56.8
1986						11.9M		54.0
1985						11.5M		55.4
1984						11M		54.6
1983						10.6M		53.6
1982						10.2M		52.4
1981						9.88M		51.7
1980						9.54M		50.6
1979						9.22M		49.5
1978						8.93M		48.5
1977						8.65M		47.4
1976						8.38M		46.4
1975						8.13M		45.5
1974						7.9M		44.5
1973						7.67M		43.6
1972						7.46M		42.7
1971						7.26M		41.8
1970						7.07M		40.6
1969						6.88M		39.6
1968						6.69M		38.0
1967						6.52M		37.1
1966						6.35M		36.3
1965						6.2M		35.6
1964						6.05M		34.9
1963						5.91M		33.4
1962						5.78M		33.7
1961						5.66M		34.1
1960						5.53M		33.5

e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Real growth: IMF data for 2019–2024, World Bank for the other years. Inflation: IMF data for 2015–2025, World Bank for the other years.

Nearby economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.

Djibouti

$3,906 per person (2025)

Saudi Arabia

$34,537 per person (2025)

Qatar

$72,525 per person (2025)

Bahrain

$30,597 per person (2025)

United Arab Emirates

$50,274 per person (2024)

Kuwait

$32,312 per person (2025)

Oman

$19,947 per person (2025)

Iraq

$5,410 per person (2025)

Afghanistan · Algeria · Bahrain · Djibouti · Egypt · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Jordan · Kuwait · Lebanon · Libya · Malta · Morocco · Oman · Pakistan · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Syria · Tunisia · United Arab Emirates · West Bank and Gaza · Yemen

Rankings

GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country

Data and methods

GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)