Arabic:يمنيون | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| Yemen : 31,461,438[1] Yemeni diaspora : 7,000,000 Total : 38,461,438 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Saudi Arabia | 2,000,000[2] |
 Egypt | 700,000[3] |
 Israel | 435,000 (Ancestry) |
 India | 300,000 (Ancestry)[4] |
 United States | 200,000 |
 United Arab Emirates | 100,000 |
 United Kingdom | 80,000 |
 Eritrea | 71,000[citation needed] |
 Madagascar | 60,000[citation needed] |
 Turkey | 40,000[citation needed] |
 Ethiopia | 37,500[citation needed] |
 Jordan | 32,000[5] |
 Malaysia | 20,000[6] |
 Canada | 8,115 |
 Pakistan | 5,000 |
 Djibouti | 5,000[citation needed] |
 Netherlands | 3,777[7] |
 Oman | ? |
 Bahrain | ? |
 Hungary | ? |
 Iraq | ? (likely over 100) |
| Languages | |
| Arabic: Yemeni Arabic (majority) · Standard Arabic · Judeo-Yemeni (historically) | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyIslam · significant minorities ofJudaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| OtherArabs | |
Yemenis orYemenites (Arabic:يمنيون) are thenationals ofYemen.
There is a system of social stratification in Yemen that was officially abolished at the creation of the Republic of Yemen in 1962 but, in practice, this system has not disappeared and Yemeni society is still organized around hierarchical ranks. The difference between ranks is manifested by descent and occupation and is consolidated by marriages between people of the same ranks.
There are five status groups. At the top of hierarchy, there are the religious elites, also calledsada. These are then followed by the strata of judges (quad). The third hierarchical status is theqaba’il, who are the peasants who belong to tribes and who live mainly from agriculture and trading. The fourth group is called themazayanah. This group is composed of people who had no land and provide different kinds of services such as butchers and craftsmen. Finally, at the bottom of the hierarchy are the slaves (a’bid) and even further below themAl-Akhdam, which means servants.[8]
The Yemenidiaspora is largely concentrated in the United Kingdom, where between70,000 and 80,000 Yemenis live. Over20,000 Yemenis reside in the United States, and an additional 2,812 live in Italy. Other Yemenis also reside inSaudi Arabia, theUnited Arab Emirates,Qatar andBahrain, as well asIndia,Indonesia,Malaysia,Brunei, Madagascar and the formerUSSR. A smaller number of modern-day Pakistanis are of Yemeni descent, their original ancestors having left Yemen for the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia over four centuries ago.[9] 350,000Yemenite Jews live in Israel. In 2015, due to the conflict in Yemen, many have migrated to the northern coasts of Djibouti, Madagascar and Somalia.
Yemen, located in the southwestern corner of theArabian Peninsula, serves as a crossroads betweenAfrica andEurasia. Thegenomes of present-day Yemenis provide insights into the region's complex history, asDNA can reveal patterns of human migration and interaction over millennia. Despite its historical significance, Yemeni populations have been underrepresented ingenetic studies until recent years. Researchers have posed several questions about Yemen's genetic history, including whether its populations retain genetic traces of the firstOut-of-Africa migrations, how subsequent population movements have influenced itsgene pool, and the relative contributions of ancient (Pleistocene) versus recent (Holocene) population events. Additionally, Yemen's unique geographic position raises questions about its influence on thegenetic structure of its inhabitants.[10]
When talking about levant dna in Yemen.It is about Natufian dna,who make about 50-60% of Yemeni autosomal dna.While current levantines are a mixture of Anatolian, Zagrosian, Caucasian and natufian dna.Current levantines didn't shape nor affect Yemeni dna.As Natufian dna migrated to Arabian peninsula thousands of years ago.Also,Closest population to Natufians are yemenis and other arabian peninsula population.[11]
Studies have begun to shed light on these questions. A 2008 investigation examined regional differences inmitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) across Yemen. This study revealed varying distributions of minimalsub-Saharan, and majority West Eurasian mtDNA lineages, with majorty of Yemeni populations showing closer genetic ties toMiddle Eastern andNorth African groups. Notably, Yemenis display the highest frequency of the West Eurasian R0ahaplogroup detected to date, suggesting thatsouthern Arabia might have been a site of its initial expansion. Sub-Saharan haplogroup M1 was primarily found in southwestern Yemen near theBab el-Mandeb Strait, whereas non-African M haplotypes occurred at low frequencies in western Yemen and were more common in Hadramawt. These findings highlight the stratification and diverse origins of the Yemeni gene pool, shaped by gene flow from West Eurasia.
In their 2017 paper, Ranajit Das, Paul Wexler, Mehdi Pirooznia and Eran Elhaik analyzed the Lazaridis et al. (2016) study concluding that the Natufians, together with one Neolithic Levantine sample, clustered in the proximity to modern Palestinians and Bedouins, and also "marginally overlapped" with Yemenite Jews. Ferreira et al. (2021) and Almarri et al. (2021) found that ancient Natufians cluster with modern Arabian groups, such as Saudi Arabians and Yemenis, which derive most of their ancestry from local Natufian-like hunter-gatherer peoples and have less Neolithic Anatolian ancestry than levantines.[12] sirak et al. (2024) found that medieval Socotra (the Soqotri people), similar to modern Saudis, Yemenis and Bedouins, have a majority component that is "maximized in Late Pleistocene (Epipaleolithic) Natufian hunter–gatherers from the Levant".[13][14]
More recent research published in 2024 used genome-wide data from Yemeni and neighbouring populations to investigate the genetic history of Arabia. Principal Component Analysis showed that Yemenis form a genetic continuum with other Arabian and Levantine populations, distinct from East African andIndian groups.[15]
The findings, in that recent research, provide a detailed yet complementary understanding of the genetic landscape across Yemen and its likely ancestral sources. As per the study, this aligns with prior research byVyas et al., which documented gene flow between Yemen, Arabia, and the Levant. Moreover, the study identifies patterns ofNeanderthalintrogression in Yemenis, resembling those found inBedouin and other populations inSouthwest Asia.[15]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)| Religions | |
|---|---|
| Main ethnic groups | |
| Foreign nationals | |
