Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
live 9.5 years longer
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 20.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 34.8 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 76.2% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 77.4% less likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 82.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 86.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 52.0% fewer children
In Yemen, there are approximately 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 19.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Yemen, approximately 17.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 32.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Yemen, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.3% less on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 38.5% more coastline
Yemen has a total of 1,906 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 37.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.7 times more home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 132.7 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 5.7 times more strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 16.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.1 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.