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Demographics of Yemen

Demographic features of the population of Yemen (Arabic: سكان اليمن) include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Demographics of Yemen
Population pyramid of Yemen in 2020
Population40,583,113 (2024 est.)
Growth rate2.17% (2022 est.)
Birth rate24.64 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate5.62 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy69.21 years
 • male65.19 years
 • female69.94 years
Fertility rate3.01 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate46.54 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-0.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years39.16%
65 and over2.8%
Sex ratio
Total1.02 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Under 151.04 male(s)/female
65 and over0.69 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityYemeni
Major ethnicArabs
Minor ethnic
Language
OfficialArabic
Yemen's tribal areas and Shia/Sunni regions. Shia Muslims predominant in the green area of Yemen's West, with the rest of Yemen being Sunni Muslims.

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
01,001,000—    
5002,150,000+114.8%
10002,250,000+4.7%
15002,250,000+0.0%
17002,250,000+0.0%
19002,490,000+10.7%
19504,316,000+73.3%
19605,116,000+18.5%
19706,145,000+20.1%
19807,945,000+29.3%
199011,948,000+50.4%
200017,723,000+48.3%
201024,053,000+35.7%
202030,932,546+28.6%
Source:[1][2]
2020[3]

The population of Yemen was about 33 million according to 2021 estimates,[4][5] with 46% of the population being under 15 years old and 2.7% above 65 years. In 1950, it was 4.3 million.[6][7] By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to about 60 million.[8]

Yemenis are mainly of Arab ethnicity.[9] When the former states of North and South Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed.[10] Yemen is still a largely tribal society.[11] In the northern, mountainous parts of the country, there are some 400 Zaidi tribes.[12] There are also hereditary caste groups in urban areas such as Al-Akhdam.[13]

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,[14] and Syria.[15]

Ethnic groups

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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.[16]

Languages

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Arabic is the official language; English is also used in official and business circles.[17] In the Mahra area (the extreme east), several others Arabic languages (including Mehri) are spoken.[18] When the former states of North and South Yemen were established, most resident minority groups departed.[18]

Religions

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Main article: Religion in Yemen
Religions of Yemen (2010 )[19]
Religions percent
Islam
 
 99.1%
Other (includes Jewish, Baháʼí Faith, and Christian)
 
 0.9%

Religion in Yemen (2022 estimate)[20]

  Shafi'i Islam (65%)
  Zaydi Islam (34%)
  Ismaili Shia, Twelver Shi'ism, Baháʼí, Hindu, Christian or irreligious (1%)

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.[21][22][17][23][24][25] 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[21][26] and Ismaili Shias.[21]

Zaidis are generally found in the north and northwest and Shafi'is in the south and southeast.[18] There is also a small minority of Christians and Jews.[17]

Literacy

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See also: Education in Yemen

According to composite data compiled by the World Bank, the adult literacy rate for Yemen in 2005 was 35 percent for females and 73 percent for males. The overall literacy rate for the population age 15 and older was 54 percent. By comparison, low-income countries in the aggregate average an adult literacy rate of almost 62 percent.[17]

In 2006 only 75 percent of Yemen's school-age population was enrolled in primary school; enrollment was even lower for the female population—only 65 percent. In that same year, only 37 percent of the school-age population was enrolled in secondary school, including only 26 percent of eligible females.[17]

Diaspora

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Main article: Yemeni diaspora

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.[27] 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.

Demographic statistics from the CIA World Factbook

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Yemen's historical population

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[16]

Population

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Year Population
(July est.) 		Growth rate
(est.)
2004 20,024,867
2005 20,727,063
2006 21,456,188
2007 22,230,531
2008 23,013,376
2009 23,822,783
2010 23,495,361
2011 24,133,492

Source: CIA Factbooks 2000–2010.

Year Birth rate (est.):
births/1000 pop. 		Death rate (est.):
deaths/1000 pop. 		Net migration rate (est.):
migrants/1000 pop.
2004 43.16 8.78 0
2005 43.07 8.53 0
2006 42.89 8.30 0
2007 42.67 8.05 0
2008 42.42 7.83
2009 42.14 7.61 N/A
2010 34.37 7.24 N/A

Age structure

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Population pyramid 2016

estimates for 2010:

0–14 years: 43.5% (male 5,199,954/female 5,013,165)
15–64 years: 53.9% (male 6,438,569/female 6,233,708)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 291,319/female 318,646)

Population growth rate

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3.213% (2010 est.)

Sex ratio

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(2010 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female
 
Population density of Yemen (2022)

Urbanization

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See also: Yemen § Urban areas
Urban population: 31% of total population (2008)
Rate of urbanization: 4.9% annual rate of change (2005–2010 est.)

AIDS adult prevalence rate

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0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

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12,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS – deaths

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N/A

Life expectancy at birth

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(2010 est.)

total population: 63.36 years
male: 61.35 years
female: 65.47 years

Major infectious diseases

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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2009)

Nationality

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  • noun: Yemeni(s)
  • adjective: Yemeni

Vital statistics

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In 2007 the birthrate and death rate were estimated to be 42.7 per 1,000 and 8.1 per 1,000, respectively (CIA est.). 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.[17]

UN estimates

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Year[28] Population Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1 Life expectancy (years)
1950 4 713 000   248 000   166 000   82 000 52.6 35.1 17.4 7.92 318.3 31.66
1951   4 783 000   252 000   166 000   86 000 52.7 34.7 17.9 7.90 317.6 31.68
1952   4 856 000   257 000   168 000   89 000 52.8 34.5 18.3 7.88 316.2 31.80
1953   4 932 000   262 000   170 000   92 000 53.1 34.3 18.7 7.90 314.8 31.93
1954   5 011 000   267 000   172 000   95 000 53.2 34.3 18.9 7.90 313.4 32.04
1955   5 092 000   272 000   175 000   98 000 53.4 34.2 19.2 7.89 312.0 32.17
1956   5 175 000   278 000   177 000   101 000 53.6 34.2 19.4 7.90 310.6 32.27
1957   5 261 000   283 000   180 000   103 000 53.7 34.2 19.5 7.89 309.2 32.36
1958   5 350 000   289 000   181 000   108 000 53.9 33.8 20.1 7.90 303.4 32.79
1959   5 444 000   295 000   182 000   113 000 54.1 33.4 20.7 7.92 298.1 33.19
1960   5 542 000   302 000   183 000   119 000 54.4 33.0 21.4 7.94 293.0 33.68
1961   5 647 000   309 000   185 000   124 000 54.7 32.7 22.0 7.96 287.8 34.10
1962   5 753 000   316 000   191 000   124 000 54.8 33.2 21.6 7.96 283.8 33.62
1963   5 860 000   323 000   197 000   125 000 54.9 33.6 21.4 7.98 280.0 33.25
1964   5 974 000   331 000   192 000   139 000 55.3 32.1 23.2 8.04 272.0 34.74
1965   6 097 000   339 000   193 000   146 000 55.4 31.5 23.9 8.07 265.0 35.37
1966   6 228 000   347 000   192 000   155 000 55.6 30.8 24.8 8.13 257.1 36.10
1967   6 368 000   355 000   192 000   164 000 55.7 30.1 25.6 8.17 248.9 36.87
1968   6 516 000   362 000   190 000   172 000 55.5 29.2 26.4 8.20 240.3 37.80
1969   6 674 000   369 000   184 000   185 000 55.2 27.5 27.6 8.22 230.3 39.47
1970   6 844 000   378 000   182 000   196 000 55.1 26.5 28.6 8.24 221.3 40.50
1971   7 024 000   387 000   180 000   207 000 55.1 25.6 29.5 8.26 212.9 41.54
1972   7 216 000   398 000   179 000   219 000 55.0 24.7 30.3 8.30 204.8 42.46
1973   7 418 000   406 000   177 000   229 000 54.7 23.9 30.8 8.30 197.1 43.35
1974   7 630 000   416 000   175 000   241 000 54.5 23.0 31.5 8.34 189.5 44.33
1975   7 856 000   430 000   174 000   256 000 54.6 22.1 32.5 8.40 181.5 45.25
1976   8 095 000   442 000   172 000   270 000 54.5 21.2 33.3 8.44 173.2 46.24
1977   8 348 000   456 000   170 000   286 000 54.5 20.3 34.2 8.50 164.8 47.29
1978   8 615 000   468 000   167 000   300 000 54.2 19.4 34.8 8.52 156.4 48.39
1979   8 900 000   488 000   166 000   322 000 54.7 18.6 36.2 8.67 147.9 49.39
1980   9 205 000   504 000   162 000   341 000 54.6 17.6 37.0 8.71 139.8 50.65
1981   9 529 000   519 000   160 000   359 000 54.4 16.7 37.6 8.75 132.0 51.71
1982   9 872 000   536 000   159 000   377 000 54.2 16.1 38.1 8.79 125.5 52.41
1983   10 237 000   554 000   154 000   400 000 54.0 15.0 39.0 8.83 118.1 53.92
1984   10 626 000   570 000   151 000   418 000 53.5 14.2 39.3 8.85 112.0 54.93
1985   11 037 000   588 000   150 000   438 000 53.2 13.6 39.7 8.86 106.5 55.69
1986   11 465 000   606 000   161 000   445 000 52.8 14.1 38.8 8.86 102.0 53.82
1987   11 916 000   625 000   149 000   476 000 52.4 12.5 39.9 8.83 97.9 57.10
1988   12 387 000   643 000   149 000   495 000 51.9 12.0 39.9 8.79 94.3 57.76
1989   12 872 000   660 000   149 000   510 000 51.2 11.6 39.6 8.71 91.4 58.22
1990   13 375 000   678 000   150 000   528 000 50.6 11.2 39.4 8.61 88.8 58.70
1991   13 896 000   696 000   151 000   544 000 50.0 10.9 39.1 8.46 86.4 59.05
1992   14 434 000   713 000   153 000   561 000 49.4 10.6 38.8 8.27 84.3 59.43
1993   14 988 000   730 000   154 000   576 000 48.7 10.2 38.4 8.05 82.5 59.86
1994   15 553 000   738 000   157 000   581 000 47.5 10.1 37.3 7.80 80.9 59.71
1995   16 103 000   743 000   156 000   588 000 46.1 9.6 36.4 7.53 79.5 60.45
1996   16 614 000   720 000   156 000   565 000 43.3 9.3 33.9 7.02 78.2 60.57
1997   17 109 000   729 000   153 000   576 000 42.5 8.9 33.6 6.83 76.4 61.12
1998   17 608 000   732 000   153 000   579 000 41.5 8.7 32.8 6.64 74.1 61.38
1999   18 115 000   746 000   151 000   596 000 41.1 8.3 32.8 6.51 71.5 61.98
2000   18 629 000   751 000   148 000   603 000 40.2 7.9 32.3 6.32 68.7 62.59
2001   19 143 000   753 000   145 000   608 000 39.2 7.6 31.7 6.11 65.9 63.22
2002   19 661 000   762 000   142 000   620 000 38.7 7.2 31.5 5.94 62.8 63.91
2003   20 189 000   780 000   140 000   641 000 38.5 6.9 31.6 5.82 59.9 64.54
2004   20 733 000   794 000   139 000   656 000 38.2 6.7 31.6 5.71 57.2 65.01
2005   21 321 000   810 000   137 000   673 000 37.9 6.4 31.5 5.58 54.8 65.54
2006   21 966 000   831 000   136 000   694 000 37.8 6.2 31.6 5.43 52.3 65.99
2007   22 642 000   842 000   135 000   707 000 37.2 6.0 31.2 5.27 50.0 66.57
2008   23 329 000   857 000   135 000   723 000 36.7 5.8 31.0 5.13 47.9 66.96
2009   24 030 000   871 000   136 000   735 000 36.2 5.7 30.5 4.99 46.4 67.20
2010   24 744 000   886 000   139 000   748 000 35.8 5.6 30.2 4.86 45.7 67.28
2011   25 476 000   905 000   142 000   763 000 35.5 5.6 29.9 4.74 45.4 67.42
2012   26 223 000   922 000   146 000   775 000 35.1 5.6 29.5 4.63 45.5 67.34
2013   26 984 000   939 000   149 000   791 000 34.8 5.5 29.3 4.53 45.4 67.55
2014   27 753 000   956 000   155 000   802 000 34.4 5.6 28.9 4.43 45.5 67.38
2015   28 517 000   968 000   175 000   793 000 33.9 6.1 27.8 4.32 46.3 65.87
2016   29 274 000   977 000   177 000   800 000 33.3 6.1 27.3 4.21 46.2 66.06
2017   30 034 000   983 000   183 000   800 000 32.7 6.1 26.6 4.11 46.1 65.96
2018   30 791 000   995 000   204 000   791 000 32.3 6.6 25.7 4.04 46.6 64.58
2019   31 547 000   1 003 000   203 000   801 000 31.8 6.4 25.4 3.96 46.5 65.09
2020   32 284 000   1 010 000   210 000   800 000 31.3 6.5 24.7 3.89 45.9 64.65
2021   32 982 000   1 009 000   226 000   783 000 30.5 6.8 23.7 3.80 46.8 63.75
1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births


Fertility and births

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Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[29]

Year Total Urban Rural
CBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR
1997 39.2 6.48 35.2 5.01 40.6 7.03
2013 33.4 4.4 (3,1) 27.4 3.2 (2,4) 36.2 5.1 (3,5)

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2013) (Data refer to national projections.): [30]

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 (01.VII.2017) (Data refer to national projections.): [31]

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

Life expectancy

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Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 34.7 1985–1990 56.8
1955–1960 34.7 1990–1995 58.5
1960–1965 34.7 1995–2000 59.8
1965–1970 39.1 2000–2005 61.0
1970–1975 43.3 2005–2010 62.8
1975–1980 48.1 2010–2015 64.2
1980–1985 53.0

Source: UN World Population Prospects[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Yemen Population - Our World in Data". www.ourworldindata.org.
  2. ^ World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
  3. ^ "Yemen Population (2022) - Worldometer".
  4. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "The General Census of Population 2004". Sabanews. 29 December 2004 [Updated 13 December 2013]. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  7. ^ "The population explosion on Europe's doorstep". Times (London). London. 18 May 2008. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2013. (subscription required)
  8. ^ "Yemen: Government planning to curb population growth". IRIN Middle East. 14 July 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2013. (for Arabic, read it here: [1].)
  9. ^ "Yemen". Central Intelligence Agency. CIA World Factbook. 6 December 2013.
  10. ^ "U.S. Relations With Yemen". U.S. Department of State. 28 August 2013.
  11. ^ Flamand, Annasofie; Macleod, Hugh (5 December 2009). "The children of Yemen's tribal war". The Herald Scotland. Glasgow. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  12. ^ Pike, John (5 July 2011). "Zaydi Islam". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 22 February 2013. (Requires 3rd-party cookies)
  13. ^ Lehmann, Hermann (1954). "Distribution of the sickle cell trait". Eugenics Review. 46 (2): 101–121. PMC 2973326. PMID 21260667.
  14. ^ "World Refugee Survey 2008". U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Poor and desperate, Syrian refugees beg on Yemen's streets". Reuters. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  16. ^ a b The World Factbook - Yemen
  17. ^ a b c d e f Country profile: Yemen. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (August 2008).   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ a b c Background note: Yemen. US Department of State (December 2007).   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  19. ^ "Middle East :: YEMEN". CIA The World Factbook. 26 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Yemen". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  21. ^ a b c "Yemen: The conflict in Saada Governorate – analysis". UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
  22. ^ "Yemen- Middle East". The World Fact Book. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021.
  23. ^ Merrick, Jane; Sengupta, Kim (20 September 2009). "Yemen: The land with more guns than people". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 March 2010.
  24. ^ Sharma, Hriday (30 June 2011). "The Arab Spring: The Initiating Event for a New Arab World Order". E-international Relations. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020. In Yemen, Zaidists, a Shiite offshoot, constitute 30% of the total population
  25. ^ "Yemen". United States Institute of Peace. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  26. ^ Al-Zaidi, Hassan (22 October 2007). "The Twelve-Imam Shiite Sect". Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007.
  27. ^ Yemenis in the UK
  28. ^ World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ http://www.dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR94/FR94.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  30. ^ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  31. ^ "Demographic Yearbook – 2020". New York: United Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  32. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Retrieved 2017-07-15.
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