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.
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