# Saudi Arabia and Yemen compared

Saudi Arabia and Yemen side by side: 39 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/sau-vs-yem
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Saudi Arabia: 1744 — The Diriyah pact founds the First Saudi State
- Yemen: 1918 — Imam Yahya declares Yemen independent as the Ottomans withdraw

## Economy

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $1.24 T | 2024 | $22 B | 2018 |
| GDP per capita | $35,122 | 2024 | $634 | 2018 |
| GDP growth | 2.0% | 2024 | 0.8% | 2018 |
| Inflation | 1.7% | 2024 | 8.1% | 2014 |
| Trade openness | 54.7% | 2024 | 56.1% | 2018 |

## Society

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35 m | 2024 | 41 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 79.0 yrs | 2024 | 69.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 84.5% | 2024 | 36.8% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 2.3 | 2024 | 4.5 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 29.8 | 2024 | 27.1 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 65.1 | 2024 | 18.9 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 66.6 | 2024 | 14.9 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 66.1 | 2024 | 29.9 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 60.6 | 2024 | 24.2 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 63.1 | 2024 | 14.7 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 5.7% | 2023 | 9.7% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 3.41 | 2023 | 0.10 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 6.0 | 2024 | 38.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 96.0% | 2024 | 41.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 97.9% | 2024 | — | — |
| Education spending | 4.5% | 2023 | 5.2% | 2008 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.0% | 2024 | 77.0% | 2016 |
| Secondary enrolment | 110.7% | 2024 | 43.7% | 2016 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 83.9% | 2024 | 8.8% | 2011 |

## Technology

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.6% | 2024 | — | — |
| Researchers (per million) | 1,235 | 2024 | — | — |
| Internet users | 100.0% | 2024 | 17.5% | 2019 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 160 | 2024 | 51 | 2023 |
| High-tech exports | 0.5% | 2024 | 4.8% | 2015 |

## Geography

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,149,690 km² | 2023 | 527,970 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 0.5% | 2023 | 1.0% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 80.8% | 2023 | 44.4% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 18.5 | 2024 | 0.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 0.1% | 2021 | 3.7% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 25.6% | 2021 | 4.9% | 2018 |
| Oil rents | 23.7% | 2021 | 4.8% | 2018 |
| Mineral rents | 0.2% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2018 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2018 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 83.6% | 2023 |
| Bauxite | 5.7 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Phosphate rock | 10 Mt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | Saudi Arabia | Observed | Yemen | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 7.3% | 2024 | 4.0% | 2014 |
| Defense spending | $80 B | 2024 | $1.7 B | 2014 |
| Armed forces | 282,000 | 2020 | 40,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/SAU.md and https://terralore.co/country/YEM.md.

## Entangled histories (2 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 26 September 1962: **Revolution founds the Yemen Arab Republic** — Army officers under Abdullah al-Sallal overthrew the imam and proclaimed the Yemen Arab Republic, igniting a civil war that drew in Egyptian and Saudi forces until 1970. (from the Yemen chronicle; sources: Yemen: History (ancient kingdoms, Islam, the imamate, unification and war); A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations, by Country, since 1776: Yemen)
- March 2015: **Saudi-led coalition intervenes** — A coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE began military intervention to restore the recognised government, opening a prolonged war marked by air strikes, ground combat and blockade. (from the Yemen chronicle; sources: Yemeni Civil War (Houthi conflict and Saudi-led intervention))

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/SAU/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/YEM/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Saudi Arabia and Yemen compared", terralore.co/compare/sau-vs-yem, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.