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Economy
Unemployment
Yemen has an official unemployment rate of almost 40%;
Natural Resources
Oil, the main natural resource, is far less plentiful than in Yemen’s northern Gulf Cooperation Council neighbours; oil is forecast to run out in less than a decade. Although other natural resources, such as liquefied natural gas, have been identified as potentially significant sources of income, they are unlikely to replace oil in the extent of the remittances they generate.
Corruption
Yemen’s economy and society has been marred by corruption, with Yemen being listed as the 18th most corrupt country in the world.
Agriculture
Agriculture provides the mainstay for employment in Yemen, which remains a mainly agrarian society. For centuries, Yemeni farmers produced, and indeed exported, crops as diverse as coffee and mangoes. However, the increasing cultivation of qat (a mildly narcotic leaf that is chewed for its stimulating effect) has posed a variety of challenges to Yemen
01 Education
Education continues to be a factor in Yemen’s slow economic growth. However, the growth in school enrolment in primary
Education has been significant, increasing to 87% in 2004 from 73% in 1994 (from 28% to 63% for girls), which is higher other among low-income countries. Low uptake of education leads to lower levels of health awareness and perpetuates negative health outcomes.
02 Food and nutrition
Approximately 46% of children under five years remain undernourished (and about one third of the population as a whole). As a result, inadequate growth remains a huge concern: over half of children under five years of age suffer from stunting, over 15% are severely underweight and over 12% suffer from wasting; these figures are even worse for children living in rural areas. The consequent health effects of poor nutrition have life-long effects
03 Environmental health
Yemen faces on-going water scarcity; the per capita supply of water is about 2% of the world average, and even then only 43% of the population can claim access to safe drinking water. The problems of water shortage are exacerbated by the widespread cultivation of qat, which consumes huge amounts of water and diverts water usage away from households and other farming activities. Water scarcity is projected to become worse as the population grows, demand per capita grows, and effects of climate change take hold.
