Yemen on OneWorld
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| © New Internationalist |
Yemen is the poorest nation in the Arab region, due partly to its government’s predilection for military spending over health and education. The country’s most pressing development problems – poverty, water scarcity and population growth - compete for government attention with internal tensions, many of which are inflamed by the strategic partnership with the United States in the fight against terrorism. Equitable distribution of the benefits of an oil-dependent economy has proved elusive and may be further tested by the country's dependence on food imports.
updated May 2008
Poverty in Yemen
The Yemen Poverty Assessment published towards the end of 2007 concludes that, although overall poverty is declining, the rate of change and its characteristics are far behind the requirements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There has been virtually no improvement in rural areas since 1998 (the baseline year for Yemen); indeed in 3 out of 7 rural provinces poverty has significantly increased. The Assessment observes that the country’s oil-based economy benefits only an urban elite whilst 75% of the population lives outside of the cities.
This conclusion is reinforced by figures which show that the proportion of the population below the $1 per day MDG benchmark for extreme poverty has increased rather than reduced – from 10.7% in 1998 to 15.7% in 2005. Over 40% of the rural population remains below the higher non-food poverty line.
Poverty is linked to Yemen’s high adult illiteracy rate of 45% which in turn stems from the fact that 46% of primary age children are not in school. Furthermore, this average figure conceals the vastly lower enrolment rate for girls, which sinks to 30 per cent in rural areas. In an effort to reverse this trend, the Ministry of Education announced its decision to waive primary school tuition fees for female students. The Goal of education for all by 2015 is the only MDG predicted to be achieved in Yemen.
Inappropriate allocation of public funds is considered the primary reason for the lack of human development. In 2006, combined social spending was only 7% of GDP, less than the figure for defence, and also less than the figure for fuel subsidies which benefit the rich more than the poor. The government however draws attention to the low level of foreign aid compared with other countries of Least Developed Country (LDC) status, A 2006 donor conference brought pledges of $5 billion for the period 2007-2010, an big improvement but still a fraction of the vast sum of $48 billion estimated as the cost of attaining the MDGs in the Needs Assessment report for Yemen published in 2005.
Food Security in Yemen
The country was in the midst of its own food crisis before global food prices became headline news. Almost 13% of Yemenis exist below the food poverty line and the World Food Programme (WFP) is actively assisting 1.6 million people. 46% of children under-five are underweight compared with 30% in 1992.
The source of the problem is a long term decline in Yemen’s grain production brought about by inadequate attention to environmental sustainability, in particular depletion of groundwater and degradation of soil resources in a region highly prone to desertification. An investigation by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) warns that water basins may be depleted “in the very near future” unless Yemen introduces painful measures to halve both agricultural water consumption and the wastage in urban use. Furthermore, farmers have reported unusual delays in the onset of rains, a reminder that potential climate change creates additional uncertainty. Food security in Yemen is also seriously undermined by the use of good land for the cultivation of qat (a mild narcotic with amphetamine-like properties) which by contrast to grain production is increasing at over 10% pa and relies on traditional inefficient groundwater irrigation.
The consequence is that Yemen imports as much as 75% of its food requirements. Although protected by the parallel rise in the value of oil exports, the country is vulnerable to shortages in world stocks and its poorest households may have no mechanism to cope with astronomical prices. The WFP says that higher prices have already forced 6% of the population below the poverty line. In the longer term, economic vulnerability caused by the food deficit will rise as Yemen’s hydrocarbon reserves continue to diminish.
Health in Yemen
The water crisis has implications for health as well as agriculture. Per capita drinking water consumption in Yemen is just 2% of the global average - and sanitation in rural areas is almost entirely primitive. Malaria is a further threat to rural communities with over 800,000 cases reported annually.
A financially starved public health sector provides services only to about 50% of the population; the lack of reproductive health guidance in particular jeopardising maternal and child health. The 2005 Arab Human Development Report cites poverty and cultural attitudes to women, such as early marriage and segregation between the sexes, for the population growth rate of over 3% which is one of the highest in the world. With an average fertility rate of over 6 and only 16% of births assisted by a trained health worker, Yemen has a high maternal mortality rate.
The OneWorld Yemen Guide was first published in this format in December 2005 with a text written by Volunteer Editor Merium Kazmi.
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| Women vendors in Yemen © United Nations' Integrated Regional Information Network |
This conclusion is reinforced by figures which show that the proportion of the population below the $1 per day MDG benchmark for extreme poverty has increased rather than reduced – from 10.7% in 1998 to 15.7% in 2005. Over 40% of the rural population remains below the higher non-food poverty line.
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| A school in Yemen © Mohammad al-Jabri / IRIN News |
Inappropriate allocation of public funds is considered the primary reason for the lack of human development. In 2006, combined social spending was only 7% of GDP, less than the figure for defence, and also less than the figure for fuel subsidies which benefit the rich more than the poor. The government however draws attention to the low level of foreign aid compared with other countries of Least Developed Country (LDC) status, A 2006 donor conference brought pledges of $5 billion for the period 2007-2010, an big improvement but still a fraction of the vast sum of $48 billion estimated as the cost of attaining the MDGs in the Needs Assessment report for Yemen published in 2005.
Food Security in Yemen
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| Malnutrition in Yemen © Mohammad al-Jabri / IRIN News |
The source of the problem is a long term decline in Yemen’s grain production brought about by inadequate attention to environmental sustainability, in particular depletion of groundwater and degradation of soil resources in a region highly prone to desertification. An investigation by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) warns that water basins may be depleted “in the very near future” unless Yemen introduces painful measures to halve both agricultural water consumption and the wastage in urban use. Furthermore, farmers have reported unusual delays in the onset of rains, a reminder that potential climate change creates additional uncertainty. Food security in Yemen is also seriously undermined by the use of good land for the cultivation of qat (a mild narcotic with amphetamine-like properties) which by contrast to grain production is increasing at over 10% pa and relies on traditional inefficient groundwater irrigation.
The consequence is that Yemen imports as much as 75% of its food requirements. Although protected by the parallel rise in the value of oil exports, the country is vulnerable to shortages in world stocks and its poorest households may have no mechanism to cope with astronomical prices. The WFP says that higher prices have already forced 6% of the population below the poverty line. In the longer term, economic vulnerability caused by the food deficit will rise as Yemen’s hydrocarbon reserves continue to diminish.
Health in Yemen
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| Child health in Yemen © Mohammad al-Jabri / IRIN News |
A financially starved public health sector provides services only to about 50% of the population; the lack of reproductive health guidance in particular jeopardising maternal and child health. The 2005 Arab Human Development Report cites poverty and cultural attitudes to women, such as early marriage and segregation between the sexes, for the population growth rate of over 3% which is one of the highest in the world. With an average fertility rate of over 6 and only 16% of births assisted by a trained health worker, Yemen has a high maternal mortality rate.
The OneWorld Yemen Guide was first published in this format in December 2005 with a text written by Volunteer Editor Merium Kazmi.
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