Yemen ranked 124/197 by economy size with a GDP of $21.6B and 192/197 by GDP per capita at $634. Yemen has $18.8B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 71.2%.
In 2025, Yemen made up 0.02% of the world's economy, compared to 0.06% in 1990.
The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.
| Year | GDP | GDP growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current $ | Constant $ | ||
| 1990 | $12,643,821,569 | $23,917,787,986 | - |
| 1991 | $14,665,445,462 | $25,423,052,504 | 16% |
| 1992 | $17,959,367,194 | $27,509,674,488 | 22.5% |
| 1993 | $21,736,802,664 | $28,610,602,412 | 21% |
| 1994 | $28,019,483,764 | $30,533,792,550 | 28.9% |
| 1995 | $12,796,345,679 | $32,264,866,629 | -54.3% |
| 1996 | $6,496,163,616 | $33,760,332,652 | -49.2% |
| 1997 | $6,838,298,531 | $35,526,373,478 | 5.27% |
| 1998 | $6,322,175,566 | $37,660,334,235 | -7.55% |
| 1999 | $7,639,325,296 | $39,082,211,639 | 20.8% |
| 2000 | $9,679,316,770 | $41,498,240,974 | 26.7% |
| 2001 | $9,852,990,693 | $43,076,687,104 | 1.79% |
| 2002 | $10,693,430,511 | $44,771,854,466 | 8.53% |
| 2003 | $11,777,532,662 | $46,449,634,128 | 10.1% |
| 2004 | $13,867,634,371 | $48,294,937,071 | 17.7% |
| 2005 | $16,731,566,717 | $50,995,468,285 | 20.7% |
| 2006 | $19,063,143,370 | $52,612,233,385 | 13.9% |
| 2007 | $21,650,528,674 | $54,368,654,892 | 13.6% |
| 2008 | $26,910,855,807 | $56,351,789,349 | 24.3% |
| 2009 | $25,130,278,213 | $58,530,478,862 | -6.62% |
| 2010 | $30,906,749,533 | $63,038,676,059 | 23% |
| 2011 | $32,726,417,878 | $55,023,373,391 | 5.89% |
| 2012 | $35,401,331,609 | $56,340,077,326 | 8.17% |
| 2013 | $40,415,233,436 | $59,057,651,706 | 14.2% |
| 2014 | $43,228,585,321 | $58,946,215,682 | 6.96% |
| 2015 | $42,444,490,074 | $42,444,490,074 | -1.81% |
| 2016 | $31,317,825,274 | $38,465,266,573 | -26.2% |
| 2017 | $26,842,229,045 | $36,514,386,859 | -14.3% |
| 2018 | $21,606,160,663 | $36,789,138,484 | -19.5% |
Economic Statistics of Yemen
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$21.6B
2018 |
124/197 |
| GDP growth |
-19.5%
2017-2018 |
194/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$634
2018 |
192/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$3,164
2013 |
178/197 |
| Government debt |
$18.8B
2018 |
102/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
71.2%
2025 |
54/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$551
2018 |
164/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,333
2025 |
190/197 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
29.4%
2014 |
71/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
3%
2014 |
65/169 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
9.59%
2025 |
193/195 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
20.4%
2024-2025 |
17/195 |
| Unemployment rate |
13.5%
2014 |
20/196 |
| Population |
42727988
|
38/197 |
Yemen's GDP per capita
Yemen has a GDP per capita of $634, ranking 192/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $3,164, ranking 178/197, and a median annual after tax income of $1,333, ranking 190/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1990 | $910 | $1,742 |
| 1991 | $1,016 | $1,843 |
| 1992 | $1,198 | $1,963 |
| 1993 | $1,397 | $2,013 |
| 1994 | $1,735 | $2,115 |
| 1995 | $764 | $2,201 |
| 1996 | $375 | $2,268 |
| 1997 | $383 | $2,351 |
| 1998 | $343 | $2,442 |
| 1999 | $401 | $2,492 |
| 2000 | $493 | $2,624 |
| 2001 | $487 | $2,702 |
| 2002 | $513 | $2,768 |
| 2003 | $549 | $2,844 |
| 2004 | $628 | $2,949 |
| 2005 | $734 | $3,113 |
| 2006 | $810 | $3,205 |
| 2007 | $890 | $3,294 |
| 2008 | $1,072 | $3,370 |
| 2009 | $969 | $3,411 |
| 2010 | $1,155 | $3,603 |
| 2011 | $1,186 | $3,113 |
| 2012 | $1,245 | $3,005 |
| 2013 | $1,379 | $3,164 |
| 2014 | $1,430 | - |
| 2015 | $1,362 | - |
| 2016 | $975 | - |
| 2017 | $811 | - |
| 2018 | $634 | - |
Yemen's government spending, deficit, and chart
This chart shows Yemen's government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.
Over the past 36 years, Yemen recorded a fiscal deficit in 32 years — average annual deficit equal to -4.76% of GDP. In 2018, government spending reached $3.08B (9.59% of GDP), with a deficit of -3.73%.
The national debt reached $18.8B, ranking 102nd out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 71.2%, ranking 54th.
| Year | % of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | Government debt | Government deficit/surplus | |
| 1990 | 26.6% | 91.6% | -10.3% |
| 1991 | 24.7% | 82.7% | -5.76% |
| 1992 | 24.6% | 78% | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 25.8% | 76.7% | -12.8% |
| 1994 | 25.2% | 73.3% | -14% |
| 1995 | 24.1% | 84.1% | -5.74% |
| 1996 | 30.7% | 114.9% | -0.92% |
| 1997 | 34.2% | 74.2% | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 34.3% | 110.6% | -7.77% |
| 1999 | 28.2% | 96.1% | 0.06% |
| 2000 | 31.7% | 60.8% | 6.09% |
| 2001 | 30.5% | 60.6% | 2.79% |
| 2002 | 30.8% | 57.8% | -0.56% |
| 2003 | 35.3% | 56.8% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 34.2% | 52.1% | -2.15% |
| 2005 | 36.8% | 43.8% | -1.82% |
| 2006 | 37.4% | 40.8% | 1.19% |
| 2007 | 40.3% | 40.4% | -7.18% |
| 2008 | 41.2% | 36.4% | -4.53% |
| 2009 | 35.2% | 49.8% | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 30.2% | 42.4% | -4.06% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | 45.7% | -4.51% |
| 2012 | 36.2% | 47.6% | -6.32% |
| 2013 | 30.8% | 48.4% | -6.9% |
| 2014 | 27.8% | 48.9% | -4.14% |
| 2015 | 19.4% | 57.7% | -8.75% |
| 2016 | 16.1% | 76.5% | -8.51% |
| 2017 | 8.39% | 83.8% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 14.3% | 86.9% | -7.85% |
| 2019 | 13.2% | 91.5% | -5.89% |
| 2020 | 10.6% | 87% | -4.3% |
| 2021 | 8.22% | 75.9% | -0.89% |
| 2022 | 12.2% | 65.3% | -2.15% |
| 2023 | 11.8% | 77.9% | -5.63% |
| 2024 | 8.91% | 70.9% | -2.48% |
| 2025 | 9.59% | 71.2% | -3.73% |
Inflation rate by year
Over the past 20 years, Yemen has had an average annual inflation rate of 18.1%. In 2025, inflation was 20.4%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.9% |
| 1992 | 51.2% |
| 1993 | 61.7% |
| 1994 | 71.3% |
| 1995 | 63.9% |
| 1996 | 38.8% |
| 1997 | 4.6% |
| 1998 | 11.5% |
| 1999 | 7.9% |
| 2000 | 11% |
| 2001 | 11.9% |
| 2002 | 12.2% |
| 2003 | 10.8% |
| 2004 | 12.5% |
| 2005 | 9.9% |
| 2006 | 10.8% |
| 2007 | 7.9% |
| 2008 | 19% |
| 2009 | 3.7% |
| 2010 | 11.2% |
| 2011 | 19.5% |
| 2012 | 9.9% |
| 2013 | 11% |
| 2014 | 8.2% |
| 2015 | 22% |
| 2016 | 21.3% |
| 2017 | 30.4% |
| 2018 | 33.6% |
| 2019 | 15.7% |
| 2020 | 21.7% |
| 2021 | 31.5% |
| 2022 | 29.5% |
| 2023 | 0.9% |
| 2024 | 33.9% |
| 2025 | 20.4% |
Balance of trade
|
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
-$2.42B
2016 |
146/189 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
-7.72%
2016 |
149/189 |
| Goods imports |
$6.8B
2016 |
124/188 |
| Goods exports |
$473M
2016 |
160/188 |
| Service imports |
$1.46B
2016 |
133/188 |
| Service exports |
$466M
2016 |
149/188 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP |
47.3%
2018 |
85/180 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
8.76%
2018 |
183/193 |
Yemen's top 10 trading partners
Yemen's biggest trading partner accounting for 11.6%% of all exports and imports is the United Arab Emirates, with a trade balance between the two of -$731M — Yemen exports $23.7M worth of goods and services to the United Arab Emirates and imports $754M.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of Yemen.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
UAE
|
$778M | 11.6% | $23.7M | $754M | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 2 |
Saudi Arabia
|
$728M | 10.8% | $164M | $564M | Raw agricultural goods | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 3 |
China
|
$715M | 10.6% | $6.92M | $708M | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
| 4 |
Turkey
|
$453M | 6.73% | $256K | $453M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Metals |
| 5 |
India
|
$376M | 5.59% | $2.74M | $373M | Animal & marine products | Raw agricultural goods |
| 6 |
Australia
|
$331M | 4.91% | $60K | $330M | Processed food, beverages & tobacco | Raw agricultural goods |
| 7 |
Brazil
|
$275M | 4.09% | $67K | $275M | Animal & marine products | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 8 |
Oman
|
$262M | 3.89% | $86.7M | $175M | Animal & marine products | Raw materials & minerals |
| 9 |
Japan
|
$232M | 3.44% | $27.8M | $204M | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
| 10 |
United States
|
$227M | 3.37% | $12M | $215M | Machinery & equipment | Raw agricultural goods |
Yemen's top 10 exports
|
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Transport & tourism services | $155M | 150/188 |
| Animal & marine products | $154M | 96/192 |
| Machinery & equipment | $153M | 118/193 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $122M | 118/193 |
| IT & IP services | $114M | 107/183 |
| Government & miscellaneous services | $114M | 71/180 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $47.8M | 143/192 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $15.4M | 139/193 |
| Metals | $7.06M | 157/192 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $5.02M | 153/193 |
Yemen's top 10 imports
|
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw agricultural goods | $1.54B | 65/193 |
| Machinery & equipment | $1.11B | 140/193 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $1.09B | 94/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $817M | 127/188 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $794M | 143/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $548M | 130/193 |
| Animal & marine products | $419M | 92/193 |
| Metals | $400M | 131/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $266M | 142/193 |
| IT & IP services | $223M | 89/182 |
Economic freedom indices
|
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 53.7 | 140/197 |
| Property rights | 5.1 | 179/182 |
| Government integrity | 6.1 | 179/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 8.3 | 179/182 |
| Tax burden | 91.5 | 27/181 |
| Government spending | 95.6 | 5/180 |
| Fiscal health | 48.9 | 125/181 |
| Business freedom | 28.4 | 179/182 |
| Labor freedom | 30.7 | 178/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 54.6 | 162/180 |
| Trade freedom | 67.4 | 116/181 |
| Investment freedom | 50 | 128/181 |
| Financial freedom | 30 | 155/181 |
Yemen's economic freedom by year
Yemen is ranked 131/179 for economic freedom with a score of 53.7, compared to 78/100 and a score of 49.8 in 1995.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1995 | 49.8 | - | 78.2 | 73.4 | - |
| 1996 | 49.6 | - | 78.4 | 75.3 | - |
| 1997 | 48.4 | - | 81.4 | 74.8 | - |
| 1998 | 46.1 | - | 81.2 | 80.3 | - |
| 1999 | 43.3 | - | 74.1 | 52.5 | - |
| 2000 | 44.5 | - | 74.8 | 41.9 | - |
| 2001 | 44.3 | - | 74.7 | 33.7 | - |
| 2002 | 48.6 | - | 74.9 | 69.3 | - |
| 2003 | 50.3 | - | 75 | 63.5 | - |
| 2004 | 50.5 | - | 75 | 66.5 | - |
| 2005 | 53.8 | - | 74.9 | 66.5 | - |
| 2006 | 52.6 | - | 75 | 56.2 | - |
| 2007 | 54.1 | - | 83.2 | 56.2 | - |
| 2008 | 53.8 | - | 83.2 | 58.5 | - |
| 2009 | 56.9 | - | 83.2 | 57.1 | - |
| 2010 | 54.4 | - | 83.2 | 51.3 | - |
| 2011 | 54.2 | - | 83.2 | 44.5 | - |
| 2012 | 55.3 | - | 83.1 | 62.8 | - |
| 2013 | 55.9 | - | 91.5 | 72.8 | - |
| 2014 | 55.5 | - | 91.7 | 74.9 | - |
| 2015 | 53.7 | - | 91.5 | 59.9 | - |
| 2016 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2017 | - | 22.6 | - | 77.2 | 10.6 |
| 2018 | - | 16.6 | - | 80.9 | 5.4 |
| 2019 | - | 22.2 | - | 83.7 | 0 |
| 2020 | - | 20.1 | - | 96.5 | 60.1 |
| 2021 | - | 19.7 | - | 95.6 | 48.9 |
| 2022 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2023 | - | 7 | - | - | - |
| 2024 | - | 8.3 | - | - | - |
| 2025 | - | 8.3 | - | - | - |
More economic indicators
|
Yemen
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
41.8%
2018 |
173/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
25.4%
2018 |
84/194 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
28.7%
2018 |
15/193 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$25.3B
2018 |
113/194 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$3,020
2013 |
175/191 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$1.25B
2022 |
139/177 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
$15.4M
2015 |
36/188 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
-$371M
2019 |
179/193 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$3.33M
2019 |
131/187 |
|
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
|
0.53%
2018 |
114/119 |
| Poverty at national poverty lines |
48.6%
2014 |
26/176 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
Relevant pages:
Yemen topic pages:
Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.
Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.