Facts and Figures

IOM Member State since 1999 Capital: Sana'a Population (2011): 24.8 million Area: 536,869 sq km Major Language: Arabic Currency: Yemeni Riyal (YER) GDP per Capita PPP (2009): USD 2,507 HDI Rank (2011): 154 of 187 Remittances (2011 estimate): USD 1,323 million Net Migration Rate (2010-2015): -1 migrants /1,000 population Immigrants (2010): 2.1% Women as a Percentage of Immigrants (2010): 38.3% Population under 15 (2011): 44% Adult HIV Prevalence (2009): not available

Sources and Definitions

Latest News

• Italian Medical Aid for Stranded Migrants Arrives in Haradh, Yemen
• UN Backs New IOM Health, Nutrition and Water Projects in Yemen's Abyan Governorate
• With No Way Home, Ethiopian Migrants in Yemen Face Growing Health Challenges
• IOM Supports Yemen Measles Immunization Campaign
• Evacuation of Stranded Migrants from Yemen Will End Unless New Funding Found: IOM

Overview

Yemen historically has been characterized by a large outflow of labour and permanent migrants. According to the 2004 census, approximately 1.7 million Yemenis live abroad, 800,000 in Saudi Arabia. The country is still striving to integrate a vast number of its migrant workers who returned from the Gulf after the 1990-1991 war. During recent years, Yemen has also been facing the phenomena of child trafficking and smuggling across the border with Saudi Arabia. Reported figures of 10,000 children deported from the border in the first quarter of 2004 alarmed the Yemeni government and international organizations. The government has been very proactive in tackling the problem and, together with IOM and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), participated actively in comprehensive capacity-building interventions and prevention efforts.

Yemen is one the few countries in the region to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and it is also the only country in the peninsula that gives all Somalis refugee status on a prima facie basis. For at least three years, thousands of Somalis and Ethiopians have arrived annually in Yemen fleeing either hunger and poverty or persecution and war. Most of them transit from the Bosasso area in eastern Somalia, crossing the Gulf of Aden in smugglers’ tiny fishing boats.

IOM is establishing a presence in Sana’a to reinforce and consolidate assistance to the Yemeni government in key migration issues such as preventing child trafficking, assisting the voluntary return of Ethiopian migrants stranded in Somalia en route to Yemen and Saudi Arabia, combating irregular migration from the transit country perspective, strengthening migration and development initiatives, and reinforcing the existing capacity of local authorities in migration management.

Regulating Migration

Yemen represents an origin, transit and destination country. Irregular migrants come from several countries in search of work opportunities, mainly as economic migrants from the Horn of Africa, particularly from Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea. The geographical location of Yemen, its permeable borders as well as its generous immigration policy, makes the country attractive and vulnerable to irregular transit migration towards the Gulf. In parallel to the ongoing UNICEF-IOM efforts in combating and preventing child trafficking from Yemen into the region, IOM is contributing to combating trafficking of children in Yemen by increasing the knowledge and capacity of government and non-governmental organizations, officials and social workers to deal with actual and potential child trafficking victims, including shelter management, awareness raising of the general public on the risks an consequences of child trafficking, policy-making on counter trafficking, and a feasibility study on return and reintegration of child victims of trafficking. This intervention is funded by UNICEF and implemented by IOM in close coordination with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.

Main Project

• National Capacity Building Program to Counter Child Trafficking in Yemen

Migration Research

In line with recommendations of the Cairo Regional Conference on “Arab Migration in a Globalized World” organized in 2003 by IOM and the League of Arab States, the Republic of Yemen will host a Dialogue on Migration aimed to discuss with concerned countries the challenges posed by the increasing trend of irregular transit migration from the Horn of Africa across Yemen. The Dialogue will shed light on the advantages of regional consultative processes and will bring to the attention of the participants successful examples on how other regions deal with irregular migration. The event will gather government representatives from Yemen and concerned countries of the Horn of Africa, namely Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Sudan. This intervention is funded by the 1035 Facility managed by IOM and will be implemented in close coordination with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Immigrant Affairs.

Main Project

• Dialogue on Migration in Yemen and the Horn of Africa

Migration, Climate Change and Environmental Degradation

Post-tropical Storm Humanitarian Aid in Yemen. After a tropical storm soaked Yemen with heavy rains on 24-25 October 2008, widespread flooding swept through the eastern Governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahra causing major damage and prompted the Government of Yemen to declare them as disaster areas. Preliminary assessment by UNCT estimated that as many as 700,000 people may have been affected by the floods resulting in forced displacement. Livelihoods were seriously damaged after surging waters caused extensive destruction to local agriculture, fishing and honey production while infrastructure were considerably affected with at least 3,300 mud-brick houses totally destroyed and hundreds of others uninhabitable.

IOM intervention was designed to support the national and international community's efforts to address the urgent humanitarian needs of populations affected by flooding and induced displacement in the governorates of Hadramount. The project facilitated and contributed to the targeted and timely delivery of emergency and temporary shelter to IDPs in the various collective centres and temporary housing facilities and included technical and logistical support as well as camp management.

As Disaster Risk Reduction can already start during the emergency phase, IOM is also distributing solar cookers and training a thousand of IDP families on how to use them. While directly addressing the immediate livelihood needs of IDPs, such measures not only add to environment conservation but also help to prevent desertification and possible disputes over scarce resources resulting from large groups of displaced populations in a region already depleted. By targeting in priority women, it also contributes to their protection as they often face abuses while searching for fuels.

Last updated:
Main text: March 2007
Facts and figures: April 2012