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People
Cultural Demography
Unlike other people of the Arabian peninsula who have historically been nomads or semi-nomads, Yemenis are almost entirely sedentary and live in small villages and towns scattered throughout the highlands and coastal regions.
Yemenis are mainly of Semitic origin, although African strains are present among inhabitants of the coastal region. Yemen's population, totaling over 23 million, is predominantly Arab in its ethnic make-up.* Afro-Arabs are also represented, concentrated in western coastal locations. In addition, South Asians are represented in southern regions, while small European communities can be found in the metropolitan areas. Historically, Yemen was home to a greater number of minority groups. When the former states of north and south Yemen were established, however, most resident minority groups departed.
Yemenis are divided into two principal Islamic religious groups: the Zaidi sect of the Shi'a, found in the north and northwest, and the Shafa'i school of Sunni Muslims, found in the south and southeast. Although Islam is the dominant religion in Yemen, there are also small communities of Jews, Christians and Hindus.*
Arabic is the official language spoken in Yemen, although English is increasingly understood in major cities. In the Mahra area (the extreme east), several non-Arabic languages are also spoken.
*Note that it is difficult to find specific demographic numbers for the ethnic and religious groups in Yemen; the reliable sources used consistently by CountryWatch note that Arabs comprise the majority of the population, and Islam is the major religion.
Human Development
In terms of health and welfare, Yemen's infant mortality rate is high at 65.02 deaths per 1,000 live births. Yemen's almost constant state of civil instability has contributed to its high infant mortality rates, and its lower life expectancy and literacy rates. Life expectancy at birth for the total population is also somewhat lower than other Middle Eastern countries at 60.97 years for the total population-59.16 years for males and 62.87 years for females.
The population growth estimate in recent years was 3.8 percent, mainly due to a high fertility rate of 6.82 children per woman. In July 2002, an annual report of the Ministry of Planning and Development revealed that Yemen's rate of population growth is increasing at a shocking rate. The MOPD report indicated that average annual population growth for the early 2000s reached five percent, an increase from previous statistics indicating Yemen's already alarming growth rate stood around 3.8 percent (as noted here).
Officially, the functional literacy rate was said to be lower than most other Middle Eastern countries at 50 percent. This figure is not gender balanced, however, as approximately 70.5 percent of males are literate while the number for females is only 30 percent, according to latest estimates.
But recently, a report released by the government-controlled Social Fund for Development revealed that education levels in Yemen were the worst in the Middle East and North Africa. According to the report, more than 2 million children receive no education at all in Yemen, where illiteracy is estimated at 55 percent. In rural areas, illiteracy is estimated to be as high as 80 percent -- much higher than the average rate of 50 percent. In Juf, the rate is 88 percent for girls. The report blamed the low level of education on a lack of resources and expertise in exploiting the available means. The high level of illiteracy apparently has resulted from an unequal distribution of educational institutions and the poor quality of teaching.
Complicating matters is the fact that the World Bank reports that growth of Yemen's Gross National Product has been a mere 1.6 percent in recent years, far surpassed by the rate of population growth. This disparity directly correlates to long-term increases in unemployment, lowered average income, and ultimately poverty. The quickened rate of population growth in Yemen means that these already serious problems will be amplified.
Note that access to water and sanitation in this country is regarded to be average, with notable obstacles in rural areas.
A notable measure of human development is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is formulated by the United Nations Development Program. The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Yemen in the low human development category, at 133rd place. Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com . See Bibliography for list of general research sources.
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