Yemen - Poverty and wealth

With a per capita income of US$254 annually, Yemen is by far the poorest country in the region. Living standards in the country have fallen sharply since 1990 as a result of high inflation, which in 1995 peaked at 56.3 percent. Although inflation dropped to 10 percent in 2000, the value of wages also decreased, forcing

Exchange rates: Yemen
Yemeni rials per US$1
Oct 2000	164.590
2000	160.683
1999	155.718
1998	135.882
1997	129.281
1996	94.157
SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2001 [ONLINE].

GDP per Capita (US$)
Country	1975	1980	1985	1990	1998
Yemen	N/A	N/A	N/A	266	254
United States	19,364	21,529	23,200	25,363	29,683
Saudi Arabia	9,658	11,553	7,437	7,100	6,516
Oman	3,516	3,509	5,607	5,581	N/A
SOURCE: United Nations. Human Development Report 2000; Trends in human development and per capita income.

Distribution of Income or Consumption by Percentage Share: Yemen
Lowest 10%	2.3
Lowest 20%	6.1
Second 20%	10.9
Third 20%	15.3
Fourth 20%	21.6
Highest 20%	46.1
Highest 10%	30.8
Survey year: 1992
Note: This information refers to expenditure shares by percentiles of the population and is ranked by per capita expenditure.
SOURCE: 2000 World Development Indicators [CD-ROM].

Yemenis to spend more than half their income on food and beverages and limiting their ability to purchase imported goods. An estimated 25 percent of the population lived below the poverty line in 1997, up from 19 percent in 1992.