Yemen Population
Yemen had an estimated population of 41,773,878 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 37th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.51% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.89% a year.
Yemen at a glance
How Yemen's population is changing
Yemen's population is growing fast: +2.89% a year, which works out to about +1,208,013 people per year, or +3,307 a day. Births (34.4 per 1,000) and deaths (4.7 per 1,000) alone would give +2.96% a year; net migration removes about 16,291 people a year (−0.04%). Roughly one in every 197 people on Earth lives in Yemen.
Population of Yemen since 1960
In 1960, Yemen had 5,532,301 people. By 2025 that was 41,773,878 — 7.6× larger. The fastest growth came between 1983 and 1993, when the population rose by 47%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5,532,301 | — |
| 1970 | 7,065,279 | +27.7% |
| 1980 | 9,543,358 | +35.1% |
| 1990 | 13,887,862 | +45.5% |
| 2000 | 19,624,141 | +41.3% |
| 2010 | 26,754,387 | +36.3% |
| 2020 | 36,134,863 | +35.1% |
| 2025 | 41,773,878 | +15.6% |
Yemen from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Yemen at about 2,593,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 41,773,881 in 2025 (16× 1800) and projects 110,035,631 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 163% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,593,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,738,504 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,967,405 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 4,616,782 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 19,624,139 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 41,773,881 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 70,976,407 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 96,028,898 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 110,035,631 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Yemen
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 41,773,878. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sanaa | 4,018,856 | UN urban centre | 9.62% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Taiz | 940,600 | GeoNames settlement | 2.25% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Ibb | 826,974 | UN urban centre | 1.98% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Al Ḩudaydah | 734,699 | GeoNames settlement | 1.76% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Aden | 530,573 | UN urban centre | 1.27% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Dhamār | 406,929 | UN urban centre | 0.97% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | ‘Amrān | 206,728 | UN urban centre | 0.49% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Sa'dah | 184,613 | UN urban centre | 0.44% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Mukalla | 130,420 | UN urban centre | 0.31% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 10 | Zabīd | 99,423 | UN urban centre | 0.24% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Yemen compares
Yemen has almost the same population as Canada (41,651,653).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Yemen | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #35 |  Argentina | 45,851,378 | +10% | compare → |
| #36 |  Afghanistan | 43,844,111 | +5% | compare → |
| #38 |  Canada | 41,651,653 | −0% | compare → |
| #39 |  Angola | 39,040,039 | −7% | compare → |
Compare Yemen with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Explore around Yemen
Land neighbours (2)
Saudi Arabia 36,973,555 · 1.1× smaller · compare
Oman 5,494,691 · 7.6× smaller · compare
Yemen's 2 neighbours together hold 42,468,246 people — 1.0× Yemen's population. The most populous is Saudi Arabia (36,973,555).
In its region
Yemen is the 7th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 5.0% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings featuring Yemen
- Fastest-growing countries #15
- Highest birth rates #12
- Highest fertility rates #13
- Youngest populations (share aged 0–14) #17
Cities
Sanaa, Taiz, Ibb, Al Ḩudaydah, Aden, Dhamār, ‘Amrān, Sa'dah — all Yemen's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Yemen when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.