01Key Takeaways
- Yemen imported $1.87 billion worth of goods in 2023, the most recent confirmed year in this dataset, though the dataset's coverage of this country is limited to just two confirmed years.
- Cereals led every import category at 16.2% ($302.38 million), the largest single category on this list.
- Mineral fuels ranked second among import categories at 13.7% ($255.41 million).
- China was Yemen's largest import partner, supplying 16.0% of imports, worth $297.96 million.
022-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Value | $4.7B | $1.9B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $298.0M | 16.0% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | $250.4M | 13.4% |
| 3 | India | $203.0M | 10.9% |
| 4 | Saudi Arabia | $186.9M | 10.0% |
| 5 | Brazil | $103.8M | 5.6% |
| 6 | Russia | $97.3M | 5.2% |
| 7 | Turkey | $91.9M | 4.9% |
| 8 | Areas, nes | $55.5M | 3.0% |
| 9 | Australia | $51.9M | 2.8% |
| 10 | Japan | $51.4M | 2.8% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cereals | $302.4M | 16.2% |
| 2 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $255.4M | 13.7% |
| 3 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $138.8M | 7.4% |
| 4 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $96.0M | 5.1% |
| 5 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $82.4M | 4.4% |
| 6 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $81.9M | 4.4% |
| 7 | Pharmaceutical Products | $66.7M | 3.6% |
| 8 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $63.8M | 3.4% |
| 9 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $61.7M | 3.3% |
| 10 | Iron and Steel | $50.2M | 2.7% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Data Spans Only Two Confirmed Years in This Dataset
Yemen imported $1.87 billion worth of goods in 2023. This is the most recent confirmed year in this dataset. As with the export side of trade for this same country, Yemen's import coverage here is not a continuous five-year run. The only other confirmed year on record is 2019, when import value stood at $4.72 billion. No data is available for 2020, 2021 or 2022.
Because three years in between are missing, the change between these two confirmed points reflects a gap of four years rather than a single year-over-year comparison. This dataset does not explain what happened during the missing years or what drove the difference between these two confirmed data points. This snapshot should be read as the most recent confirmed figure for Yemen, not as part of a continuous multi-year trend.
Cereals and Fuel Anchor Yemen's Confirmed 2023 Import List
Cereals led every import category in 2023, worth $302.38 million, or 16.2% of the total, the largest single category on this list. Yemen ranks among the countries most vulnerable to global staple food price shocks, given wheat's outsized share of its population's caloric intake and its status as a heavy net importer of the grain, a vulnerability reflected in cereals topping this import list. Mineral fuels ranked second at 13.7%, worth $255.41 million, and vehicles followed at 7.4%, worth $138.85 million. These first three categories together account for well over a third of total import value.
Plastics contributed 5.1%, worth $95.97 million. Meat and edible meat offal added 4.4% ($82.40 million), essentially tied with dairy produce at 4.4% ($81.86 million).
Pharmaceutical products contributed 3.6%, worth $66.69 million. Machinery and mechanical appliances added 3.4%, worth $63.84 million, and preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk contributed 3.3%, worth $61.65 million. Iron and steel closed out the top ten at 2.7%, worth $50.17 million, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list.
China and the UAE Lead a Moderately Concentrated Partner List
China was Yemen's largest import partner in 2023, taking 16.0% of imports, worth $297.96 million. United Arab Emirates ranked second at 13.4%, worth $250.36 million. India followed at 10.9%, worth $203.00 million. Together, these top three partners accounted for 40.3% of total import value, a far lower concentration than seen on the export side of trade for this country.
Saudi Arabia contributed 10.0% ($186.95 million), and Brazil added 5.6% ($103.85 million). Russia followed at 5.2%, worth $97.26 million.
Turkey contributed 4.9%, worth $91.93 million. A grouping recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes" ranked eighth at 3.0%, worth $55.45 million. This is an aggregated classification covering shipments not assigned to a single specific country. Australia added 2.8% ($51.93 million), essentially tied with Japan at 2.8% ($51.43 million), the smallest share among the ten listed entries here.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile anchored in cereals and fuel. That profile is sourced from a partner base spread more broadly across Asia, the Gulf and beyond than the concentrated Gulf-focused base seen on the export side of trade for this country. Given the gap in this dataset between 2019 and 2023, this snapshot should be read as the most recent confirmed data point for Yemen rather than part of a continuous multi-year trend.