Yemen Military Power Ranking 2025
MPR Rank: 85th
MPR SCORE: 338
MPR Index: 0.1140 (1.0000 is perfect)
Reverse MPR Index: 0.8397 (0.0000 is perfect)
Z Score: -0.295 (standard deviations above the mean)
Overview
Yemen ranks 85th globally in the 2025 Military Power Rankings. The country’s military, once among the largest in the Arab world, has been devastated by a decade of civil war, sectarian fragmentation, and external intervention. The armed forces are now split between the internationally recognized government, the Houthi movement, and multiple southern separatist factions, each with their own command structures, foreign backers, and military assets.
Despite possessing significant military manpower on paper, Yemen’s defense establishment lacks unified leadership, standardized logistics, and modern equipment. Control of key bases, airfields, and arsenals is divided among competing factions. The Saudi-led coalition backs the central government, while Iran supports Houthi forces, turning Yemen into a proxy battleground that has eroded its national military cohesion.
Strengths
1. Combat-Experienced Manpower
Years of sustained conflict have made Yemen’s various armed groups highly experienced in guerrilla warfare, asymmetric tactics, and urban combat, particularly in regions like Sana’a, Marib, and Aden.
2. Strategic Geography
Yemen controls territory adjacent to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint between the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Despite ongoing conflict, this geography gives Yemeni forces—especially the Houthis—strategic leverage and potential impact on global maritime shipping.
3. External Support to Multiple Factions
While this is also a weakness, the presence of foreign military support (from Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others) has injected equipment, drones, and training into various parts of Yemen’s fractured force structure, especially the Houthis and southern separatists.
Why Yemen Is Still Ranked 85th
1. Total Military Fragmentation
The Republican Guard, Army, Air Force, and Navy are no longer part of a coherent national structure. Units are loyal to tribes, regions, or foreign patrons, not to a centralized command, effectively ending traditional military functionality.
2. Infrastructure and Arsenal Degradation
Years of airstrikes, sabotage, and neglect have destroyed or rendered inoperable most of Yemen’s air bases, missile sites, tank battalions, and naval vessels. Maintenance capacity is minimal, and many frontline units operate with homemade weapons or outdated Soviet-era gear.
3. Proxy Dependence and Internal Division
Yemen’s military trajectory is now dictated by external actors. Saudi and Emirati forces support northern and southern government-aligned forces, while Iranian weapons and advisors support the Houthis. This makes all sides strategically dependent and vulnerable to foreign political shifts.
Conclusion
Yemen’s military once had the structure, scale, and geography to play a stabilizing role in the Arab Peninsula. Today, it exists as a fragmented patchwork of armed factions, each battling for local dominance or operating at the behest of foreign patrons. While many of these forces are battle-hardened, the absence of a unified command, functional logistics, or national defense doctrine renders Yemen’s military incapable of defending its territorial sovereignty or influencing regional affairs independently. Its ranking reflects both historical capacity and current collapse.
Military Strength and Force Projection
Active Military Personnel: 60,000 (IISS 2023)
Reserve Personnel: 30,000 (CIA World Factbook)
Paramilitary Forces: 20,000 (Various militia groups)
Army Personnel: 45,000
Navy Personnel: 2,000
Air Force Personnel: 13,000
Ground Forces
Main Battle Tanks (MBTs): 400+ (older Soviet-era models, primarily T-55s)
Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs): 800+
Artillery (Towed and Self-Propelled): 600+
Air Force
Combat Aircraft: 15+ (SIPRI 2023)
Helicopters: 25+
Transport Aircraft: 10+
Aircraft Breakdown:
MiG-29: 5 (combat jets, limited operability)
Mi-8 Helicopters: 10 (utility and transport helicopters)
Naval Forces
Yemen’s naval forces are small and limited to coastal defense and patrolling its territorial waters. The country’s strategic location near the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait gives its navy importance in regional security, but due to the ongoing conflict, its capabilities are constrained.
Patrol Vessels: 10+
Missile Capabilities
Yemen has some missile capabilities, including older Soviet-era Scud missiles. However, most of these have been deployed or destroyed during the conflict. The Houthi rebels have also used modified ballistic missiles in their campaigns, some believed to have been supplied or assisted by Iran.
Strategic Partnerships
Yemen’s military has fractured into different factions aligned with various international powers. The internationally recognized government receives military support from Saudi Arabia and the UAE, while the Houthi rebels are allegedly backed by Iran. This geopolitical entanglement further complicates Yemen's military landscape, with foreign powers providing different types of military support to rival factions.
Military History & Combat Experience
Yemen has one of the most extensive modern combat records in the Arabian Peninsula, transitioning from state-led warfare to a multi-front civil conflict shaped by tribalism, sectarianism, and foreign influence.
North Yemen Civil War (1962–1970):
A major Cold War–era conflict pitting royalist forces backed by Saudi Arabia against republican forces backed by Egypt. The Egyptian military suffered high casualties, with Yemeni guerrillas waging prolonged resistance in mountainous terrain. This war shaped Yemen’s early guerrilla doctrine.Yemenite War (1972 & 1979):
Brief but violent conflicts between North Yemen and South Yemen, both of which had different ideologies and foreign patrons. These wars revealed structural weaknesses in both militaries and established the pattern of external intervention in Yemeni conflicts.Unification War – 1994 Civil War:
After unification in 1990, rising tensions between northern and southern forces led to civil war. The north, led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, used superior military organization and air assets to crush the southern separatists, centralizing power in Sana’a.Houthi Insurgency (2004–2010):
The Houthis—Zaidi Shi’a rebels from northern Saada—launched multiple uprisings against the government. These insurgencies exposed the Yemeni Army’s inability to operate effectively in the north and set the stage for future full-scale conflict.Yemeni Civil War (2015–present):
The most destructive and ongoing conflict in Yemen’s modern history. Following the Houthi takeover of Sana’a in 2014, a Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in 2015 to restore the Hadi government. The war has seen extensive use of drones, missiles, proxy fighters, and urban combat, with frontlines shifting across Marib, Hudaydah, Aden, and beyond. The Houthis have launched ballistic missiles and drone strikes against Saudi Arabia and UAE, while the government-aligned forces struggle with fragmentation and dependence on foreign support.
Despite a long and intense history of warfare, Yemen’s current military landscape is defined by state collapse, multi-polar factionalism, and external strategic control. Its forces remain active and combat-proven, but no longer constitute a unified national military capable of traditional state defense.
General Information
Demographics and Geography
Population: ~34.4 million (2024 est.)
Population Available for Military Service: ~12 million
Geographic Area: 527,968 km²
Land Boundaries: 1,746 km
Bordering Countries: Saudi Arabia, Oman
Coastline: 1,906 km
Climate: Mostly desert; temperate in western highlands
Terrain: Narrow coastal plain, rugged mountains, desert interior
Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, fish, rock salt, marble, gold
Proven Oil Reserves: ~3 billion barrels
Proven Natural Gas Reserves: ~17 trillion cubic feet
Economic Indicators
Defense Budget (2025): ~$700 million USD (estimated; fragmented)
Defense Budget as % of GDP: ~3.2%
GDP (PPP): ~$80 billion USD
GDP per Capita (PPP): ~$2,300
External Debt: ~$9 billion USD
Military Expenditure Trend (last 5 years): Elevated due to civil war; fueled by regional backers
Military Infrastructure and Readiness
Military Service Obligation: Mandatory, highly irregular in application
Primary Defense Focus: Civil war, internal control, asymmetric warfare
Military Industry Base: Limited; some IED and drone manufacturing
Cyber/Electronic Warfare Capability: Basic; Iranian-supported for Houthis
Nuclear Warhead Inventory: None (non-nuclear state)
Major Military Districts / Commands: Divided by Houthis and internationally recognized government
Missile Inventory Highlights: Scud derivatives, Badr, Burkan missiles (Houthi side)
Reservist Call-up Readiness / Timeline: Ad hoc and militia-based
Reservist Force Size: ~250,000 (including tribal and militia groups)
Space, Intelligence, and Strategic Infrastructure
Space or Satellite Programs: None
Military Satellite Inventory: None
Intelligence Infrastructure: Divided between warring factions
Intelligence Sharing Partnerships: Iran (Houthis), Saudi/UAE (recognized government)
Airports (Total): ~57
Major Military Airports: Sanaa, Hodeidah, Aden
Naval Power and Maritime Logistics
Merchant Marine Fleet: ~10 vessels
Major Ports: Aden, Hodeidah, Mukalla
Naval Infrastructure: Limited; some drone boats and Iranian naval support for Houthis
Naval Replenishment Capability: Minimal
Domestic Mobility and Infrastructure
Railway Network: None
Roadways: ~71,000 km
Energy and Fuel Logistics
Oil Production: ~50,000 barrels/day
Energy Imports: High dependence on imports due to war
Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Severely disrupted
Defense Production and Strategic Forces
Domestic Defense Production: Drones, rockets, IEDs (Houthis); limited conventional in south
Military Installations (Domestic): Divided; Sanaa, Aden, Taiz, Marib
Military Installations (Overseas): None
Foreign Military Personnel Presence: UAE, Iran (covert), Saudi trainers
Defense Alliances: None formal; reliant on patrons
Strategic Airlift Capability: None; foreign-dependent
Wartime Industrial Surge Capacity: Extremely limited
Research and Industry Support
Defense R&D Investment: Minimal; focused on drone warfare and asymmetric systems
Key Wartime Industries Beyond Defense: Black-market fuel trade, arms trafficking, port logistics
Political and Administrative Structure
Capital: Sanaa (de facto by Houthis), Aden (recognized government)
Founding Date: May 22, 1990 (unification of North and South Yemen)
System of Government: Transitional dual governments under civil war
