Economy - overview Yemen, one of the poorest countries in the Arab world, reported strong growth in the mid-1990s with the onset of oil production, but has been harmed by periodic declines in oil prices. Yemen has embarked on an IMF-supported structural adjustment program designed to modernize and streamline the economy, which has led to substantial foreign debt relief and restructuring. Aided by higher oil prices in 1999-2000, Yemen worked to maintain tight control over spending and implement additional components of the IMF program. A high population growth rate and internal political dissension complicate the government's task.

GDP purchasing power parity - $14.8 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 4% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $820 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 17%
industry: 40%
services: 43% (1998)

Population below poverty line NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index 33.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10% (2001 est.)

Labor force NA

Labor force - by occupation most people are employed in agriculture and herding; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than one-fourth of the labor force

Unemployment rate 30% (1995 est.)

Budget
revenues: $3 billion
expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate NA%

Electricity - production 3.2 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2000)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption 2.976 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2000)

Agriculture - products grain, fruits, vegetables, pulses, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), poultry; fish

Exports $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities crude oil, coffee, dried and salted fish

Exports - partners Thailand 34%, China 26%, South Korea 14%, Singapore 9%, Japan 3%, Saudi Arabia 3% (1999)

Imports $3 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities food and live animals, machinery and equipment

Imports - partners Saudi Arabia 10%, UAE 8%, France 7%, US 7%, Italy 6% (1999)

Debt - external $4.7 billion (2001)

Economic aid - recipient $176.1 million (1995)

Currency Yemeni rial (YER)

Currency code YER

Exchange rates Yemeni rials per US dollar - 171.860 (December 2001), 168.678 (2001), 161.718 (2000), 155.718 (1999), 135.882 (1998), 129.281 (1997)

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Yemen on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Yemen Economy 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Yemen Economy 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.