Population growth in Yemen
Yemen: Population growth was 2.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Yemen, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Yemen stood at 2.9%.
The figure is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Yemen peaked at 3.9% in 1988 and was at its lowest, 2.2%, in 1961.
Yemen ranks 15th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Yemen, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.2% | — |
| 1962 | 2.2% | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 2.2% | -0.7% |
| 1964 | 2.3% | +3.8% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 2.5% | +3.1% |
| 1967 | 2.6% | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 2.6% | +2.8% |
| 1969 | 2.7% | +3.6% |
| 1970 | 2.7% | -0.5% |
| 1971 | 2.7% | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 2.8% | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 2.8% | +2.1% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 3.2% | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 3.3% | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 3.5% | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 3.6% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 3.6% | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 3.7% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 3.8% | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 3.8% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 3.9% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 3.9% | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 3.8% | -0.9% |
| 1990 | 3.8% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 3.8% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 3.8% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 3.7% | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 3.6% | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 3.4% | -6.3% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | -1.2% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 3.0% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | 3.3% | +5.0% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 3.2% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 3.1% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 3.0% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.0% | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 3.0% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 2.7% | -4.5% |
| 2022 | 2.9% | +4.7% |
| 2023 | 3.0% | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 3.0% | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 2.9% | -3.0% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 2.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 2.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.6%, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.7% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.5% | 3.1% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.0% | 3.0% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.7% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More climate change data for Yemen
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 64.14 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 11,632 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 4,282 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 7,350 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 16.16 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 262.5 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 485.83 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 474.06 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 11.77 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 1.79 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Yemen?
- Population growth in Yemen was 2.9% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 3.9% in 1988.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.2% in 1961.
- How does Yemen rank for population growth?
- Yemen ranks 15th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Yemen data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.