Military personnel in Yemen
Yemen: Military personnel was 40,000 people in 2022. ▼ Falling
Military personnel in Yemen, 1990–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel in Yemen is 40,000 people, measured in 2022.
The figure is down 40.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Yemen peaked at 127,000 people in 1990 and was at its lowest, 20,000 people, in 2016.
That places Yemen 69th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Military personnel in Yemen, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 127,000 people | — |
| 1991 | 127,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 64,000 people | -49.6% |
| 1993 | 64,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 69,000 people | +7.8% |
| 1995 | 68,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 69,000 people | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 69,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 69,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 69,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 66,000 people | -4.3% |
| 2001 | 54,000 people | -18.2% |
| 2002 | 66,000 people | +22.2% |
| 2003 | 67,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 67,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 20,000 people | -70.1% |
| 2017 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 20,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 40,000 people | +100.0% |
| 2020 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 40,000 people | +0.0% |
Yemen compared with similar countries
- Yemen's 40,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 33,000 people, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Yemen's 40,000 people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 91,500 people, 44% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 79,500 people | 64,000 people | 127,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 65,500 people | 54,000 people | 67,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 50,200 people | 20,000 people | 67,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,000 people | 40,000 people | 40,000 people | 3 |
Countries ranked near Yemen
More reference data data for Yemen
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.77 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0827 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.5619 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2189 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.38 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 17.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4503 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel in Yemen?
- Military personnel in Yemen was 40,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Yemen?
- The highest recorded value was 127,000 people in 1990.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Yemen?
- The lowest recorded value was 20,000 people in 2016.
- How does Yemen rank for military personnel?
- Yemen ranks 69th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Yemen?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Yemen data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.