Demographics of Yemen

Demographic features of the population of Yemen include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Population

The population of Yemen was about million according to estimates, with 46% of the population being under 15 years old and 2.7% above 65 years. In 1950, it was 4.3 million. By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to about 60 million.
Yemenis are mainly of Arab ethnicity. When the former states of North and South Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed. Yemen is still a largely tribal society. In the northern, mountainous parts of the country, there are some 400 Zaidi tribes. There are also hereditary caste groups in urban areas such as Al-Akhdam.
According to the USCRI, Yemen hosted a population of refugees and asylum seekers numbering approximately 69 in 2017. Refugees and asylum seekers living in Yemen were predominantly from Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Syria.

Age structure

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	12 844 169	12 390 910	25 235 079	100
0–4	2 069 855	1 981 763	4 051 618	16.06
5–9	1 723 755	1 653 391	3 377 146	13.38
10–14	1 539 447	1 467 798	3 007 245	11.92
15–19	1 530 854	1 423 803	2 954 657	11.71
20–24	1 426 490	1 312 083	2 738 574	10.85
25–29	1 146 775	1 080 140	2 226 915	8.82
30–34	851 154	837 094	1 688 248	6.69
35–39	635 492	641 256	1 276 748	5.06
40–44	448 186	468 200	916 385	3.63
45–49	366 733	392 010	758 743	3.01
50–54	310 025	334 665	644 689	2.55
55–59	238 877	249 982	488 859	1.94
60–64	178 041	174 631	352 671	1.40
65-69	135 090	131 812	266 902	1.06
70-74	98 257	97 029	195 287	0.77
75-79	66 656	66 691	133 347	0.53
80+	78 482	78 565	157 047	0.62
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	5 333 057	5 102 952	10 436 009	41.36
15–64	7 132 627	6 913 861	14 046 488	55.66
65+	378 485	374 097	752 582	2.98

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	14 334 126	13 836 282	28 170 408	100
0–4	2 213 674	2 118 177	4 331 851	15.38
5–9	1 992 122	1 901 034	3 893 155	13.82
10–14	1 639 285	1 573 936	3 213 221	11.41
15–19	1 529 732	1 451 328	2 981 060	10.58
20–24	1 509 363	1 398 464	2 907 826	10.32
25–29	1 367 680	1 260 306	2 627 986	9.33
30–34	1 063 494	1 010 846	2 074 340	7.36
35–39	799 595	789 413	1 589 008	5.64
40–44	577 738	587 770	1 165 508	4.14
45–49	415 599	438 461	854 059	3.03
50–54	343 155	371 721	714 875	2.54
55–59	279 808	307 024	586 832	2.08
60–64	206 651	218 537	425 188	1.51
65-69	148 672	150 710	299 382	1.06
70-74	105 257	108 159	213 416	0.76
75-79	69 010	72 586	141 596	0.50
80+	73 292	77 812	151 104	0.54
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	5 845 081	5 593 147	11 438 228	40.60
15–64	8 092 814	7 833 868	15 926 682	56.54
65+	396 231	409 267	805 498	2.86

Vital statistics

In 2007 the birthrate and death rate were estimated to be 42.7 per 1,000 and 8.1 per 1,000, respectively. The infant mortality rate was almost 58 deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate was estimated to be higher for males than for females—more than 62 male deaths per 1,000 live births, as compared with about 53 female deaths per 1,000 live births. Despite an increase of 14 years in the last decade, life expectancy at birth in Yemen has remained low compared with other developing countries—60.6 years for males and 64.5 years for females, or 62.5 years overall. The country's fertility rate was almost 6.5 children per woman in 2007 free.

Demographic and Health Surveys

Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :

Life expectancy

Source: ''UN World Population Prospects''

Ethnic groups

The ethnic makeup of Yemen consists predominantly of Arabs; but also includes minorities from the Horn of Africa, South Asia, and Europe. Yemen was formerly also home to a Jewish diaspora community.

Languages

Arabic is the official language; English is also used in official and business circles. In the Mahra area, several others
Arabic languages are spoken. When the former states of North and South Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed.

Religion

Religion in Yemen consists primarily of two principal Islamic religious groups: by various sources, 53-65% of the Muslim population is Sunni and 30-44.5% is Shia. Sunnis primarily adhere to the Shafi'i school, and there are also significant followers of the Maliki and Hanbali schools. Shias are primarily Zaidi and also have significant minorities of Twelver and Ismaili Shias.
Zaidis are generally found in the north and northwest and Shafi'is in the south and southeast. There is also a small minority of Christians and Jews.

Migration

Emigration

The Yemeni diaspora is largely concentrated in the United Kingdom, where between 70,000 and 80,000 Yemenis live. Over 20,000 Yemenis reside in the United States, and an additional 2,812 live in Italy. Other Yemenis also reside in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, as well as Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and the former USSR. A smaller number of modern-day Pakistanis are of Yemeni descent, their original ancestors having left Yemen for the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia over four centuries ago. 350,000 Yemenite Jews live in Israel. In 2015, due to the conflict in Yemen, many have migrated to the northern coasts of Djibouti and Somalia.