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Digital Divide Country Profile · Asia

YE

Yemen

Closing the digital divide, expanding meaningful connectivity, and advancing digital education and workforce participation.

Location in the world

Yemen

Flag of Yemen

Asia

World map showing the location of YemenYemen
🇾🇪
Population (2024)
40,583,164
Total area
527,968 km²
Area in square miles
203,849.5 mi²
Coastline
1,906 km
Base map adapted from Wikimedia Commons. Population: World Bank (2024); geography: CIA World Factbook.

National digital inclusion context

A portfolio-based view of access, capability, and outcomes.

This profile organizes the initiatives directly connected to Yemen in the global research inventory. It follows the study's country-profile framework: national context, broadband infrastructure, inclusion practices, education and workforce connections, implementation actors, and intended contribution.

The documented portfolio emphasizes Digital Public Infrastructure, Last-Mile / Access Infrastructure, Fiber / Fixed Broadband Infrastructure, Fiber/Fiber Optic, FTTH. The profile treats infrastructure, affordability, capability, institutions, support, and outcomes as an interconnected system.

Portfolio pattern

What the documented response contains.

Counts reflect source-workbook tags. One initiative may appear in multiple infrastructure or technology categories.

Infrastructure and access

  1. Digital Public Infrastructure5
  2. Last-Mile / Access Infrastructure5
  3. Fiber / Fixed Broadband Infrastructure3
  4. Backbone / Backhaul / Middle-Mile Infrastructure1

Specific technologies

  1. Fiber/Fiber Optic3
  2. FTTH1
  3. Robotics1

Intervention classification

  1. Neither explicitly identified7
  2. Infrastructure only5
  3. Infrastructure and Specific Technology3
  4. Specific Technology only1

Education and workforce

Connectivity becomes consequential through participation.

5 initiatives explicitly connect to education, K–12, or college/university contexts, and 2 connect to workforce development. Other investments may enable these outcomes indirectly.

Access

Networks, service availability, devices, and connection quality.

Capability

Skills, confidence, accessibility, navigation, and support.

Participation

Education, work, health, government, and civic opportunity.

Sustainability

Governance, operations, maintenance, funding, and learning.

Project and initiative portfolio

16 documented records

Every directly tagged record is shown with details and supporting URLs preserved from the research workbook.

01

Broadband governance and market development

Broadband Governance and Competitiveness Project (P144640)

Concept-stage historical project · Nationwide
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Status / periodConcept-stage historical projectLocationNationwidePopulationConsumers and telecom-sector participantsOrganizationsGovernment of Yemen; World Bank

Designed to improve telecom governance, competition and broadband investment conditions.

Activities and approach: Telecom regulation; broadband competition

02

Digital financial inclusion

Digital Financial Access Points in Underserved Areas

2025–ongoing · Yemen / underserved communities
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Status / period2025–ongoingLocationYemen / underserved communitiesPopulationHouseholds, businesses and people excluded from formal financeOrganizationsCentral Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank; UNDP

Improves access to digital financial services and resilient payments in a conflict-affected environment.

Activities and approach: Agent/access-point expansion

Last-Mile / Access InfrastructureDigital Public Infrastructure
03

Digital financial inclusion

Digitization of Cash Transfers, Government Payments and Remittances

2025–ongoing · Yemen / underserved communities
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Status / period2025–ongoingLocationYemen / underserved communitiesPopulationHouseholds, businesses and people excluded from formal financeOrganizationsCentral Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank; UNDP

Improves access to digital financial services and resilient payments in a conflict-affected environment.

Activities and approach: Digital G2P/P2P/remittance channels

Last-Mile / Access InfrastructureDigital Public Infrastructure
04

Digital financial inclusion

Financial Market Infrastructure – Fast Payment System

2025–ongoing · Yemen / underserved communities
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Status / period2025–ongoingLocationYemen / underserved communitiesPopulationHouseholds, businesses and people excluded from formal financeOrganizationsCentral Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank; UNDP

Improves access to digital financial services and resilient payments in a conflict-affected environment.

Activities and approach: Instant/fast retail payment rails

Last-Mile / Access InfrastructureDigital Public Infrastructure
05

Digital financial inclusion

Financial Market Infrastructure – RTGS and Central Bank Core Banking Upgrade

2025–ongoing · Yemen / underserved communities
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Status / period2025–ongoingLocationYemen / underserved communitiesPopulationHouseholds, businesses and people excluded from formal financeOrganizationsCentral Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank; UNDP

Improves access to digital financial services and resilient payments in a conflict-affected environment.

Activities and approach: RTGS; central-bank core banking

Last-Mile / Access InfrastructureDigital Public Infrastructure
06

Digital financial access / merchant adoption

FMIIP – Agent and Merchant Network Capacity Building for Underserved Areas

2025–2030 / ongoing · Yemen
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Status / period2025–2030 / ongoingLocationYemenPopulationFinancial institutions, payment service providers, merchants and underserved usersOrganizationsUNDP Yemen; Central Bank of Yemen; World Bank

Expands usable cash-in/cash-out and merchant payment networks so digital payments are accessible beyond major urban centres.

Activities and approach: FI/PSP training; agent-network strengthening; merchant onboarding; incentives

Education
07

Women digital financial inclusion

FMIIP – Women-Focused Financial and Digital Literacy Programme

2025–2030 / ongoing · Yemen
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Status / period2025–2030 / ongoingLocationYemenPopulationWomen, especially beneficiaries of social transfers and rural usersOrganizationsUNDP Yemen; Central Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank

Builds practical financial and digital literacy so women can safely use wallets, electronic payments and new digital financial services.

Activities and approach: SMS/messaging tips; financial literacy; digital-literacy content; tailored outreach

Education
08

Government broadband

Government Institutions Network Connectivity Programme

Ongoing / strategic plan · Government entities nationwide
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Status / periodOngoing / strategic planLocationGovernment entities nationwidePopulationCitizens and public institutionsOrganizationsYemen Ministry of Telecommunications and IT

Connects government entities to enable digital services and more resilient administration.

Activities and approach: Government network connectivity

09

National fiber backbone/access

Governorate and District Fiber Expansion Programme

Ongoing / strategic plan · All governorates and districts
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Status / periodOngoing / strategic planLocationAll governorates and districtsPopulationResidents, businesses and institutionsOrganizationsYemen Ministry of Telecommunications and IT

Extends fiber infrastructure geographically beyond major cities.

Activities and approach: National fiber rollout

Fiber / Fixed Broadband InfrastructureBackbone / Backhaul / Middle-Mile InfrastructureFiber/Fiber Optic
10

Digital financial inclusion

Interoperable Digital Payments among Financial Institutions

2025–ongoing · Yemen / underserved communities
View details
Status / period2025–ongoingLocationYemen / underserved communitiesPopulationHouseholds, businesses and people excluded from formal financeOrganizationsCentral Bank of Yemen; financial institutions; World Bank; UNDP

Improves access to digital financial services and resilient payments in a conflict-affected environment.

Activities and approach: Interoperability standards and switching

Last-Mile / Access InfrastructureDigital Public Infrastructure
11

Youth advanced digital/technical skills

Mr. Robot Center Engineering and Robotics Skills Support

Documented 2025 · Ma'alla, Aden
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Status / periodDocumented 2025LocationMa'alla, AdenPopulationYoung people pursuing engineering and robotics skillsOrganizationsUNDP Yemen; Mr. Robot Center

Strengthens access to hands-on technical learning in a conflict-affected setting where training centres lack equipment and resources.

Activities and approach: Engineering; robotics; practical technology training; training materials/equipment support

Robotics
Education
12

Digital employment services

National Digital and Offline Job-Matching Platform Scale-Up

Planned under National Action Plan 2025–2030 · Yemen
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Status / periodPlanned under National Action Plan 2025–2030LocationYemenPopulationYoung job seekers and employersOrganizationsMinistry of Labor and employment-sector partners

Reduces structural barriers to labour-market entry by scaling job-matching services through digital and offline channels.

Activities and approach: Job-matching platform; employment-service integration; online/offline access

Workforce
13

Youth digital skills / employability

National Digital Skills Certification Programme for Youth

Planned under National Action Plan 2025–2030 · Yemen
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Status / periodPlanned under National Action Plan 2025–2030LocationYemenPopulationYouth seeking employmentOrganizationsGovernment of Yemen / youth-employment stakeholders; UNICEF-supported planning

Creates a certified pathway in IT, coding, digital marketing and data management to improve employability and access to digital-economy jobs.

Activities and approach: Certified digital learning pathway; IT; coding; digital marketing; data management

EducationWorkforce
14

FTTH broadband

National FTTH Broadband Launch

2021–ongoing · Initial urban rollout / national expansion intent
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Status / period2021–ongoingLocationInitial urban rollout / national expansion intentPopulationHouseholds and businessesOrganizationsMinistry of Telecommunications and Information Technology; YemenNet

Introduced fiber-to-the-home speeds up to 100 Mbps as a major fixed-broadband modernization step.

Activities and approach: FTTH fiber

Fiber / Fixed Broadband InfrastructureFTTHFiber/Fiber Optic
15

Rural broadband

Rural Fiber Extension Programme

Ongoing / strategic plan · Rural Yemen
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Status / periodOngoing / strategic planLocationRural YemenPopulationRural communitiesOrganizationsYemen Ministry of Telecommunications and IT

Extends fiber beyond district centres into rural areas to reduce geographic broadband gaps.

Activities and approach: Rural fiber

Fiber / Fixed Broadband InfrastructureFiber/Fiber Optic
16

Women digital financial inclusion / livelihoods

Rural Women's VSLA and E-Wallet Digital Finance Support

Active in 2026 · Taiz and other supported rural communities
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Status / periodActive in 2026LocationTaiz and other supported rural communitiesPopulationRural women participating in savings groups and livelihood programmesOrganizationsUNDP Yemen; Social Fund for Development; World Bank IDA

Combines village savings groups with e-wallet adoption, allowing women to receive, save and transfer funds without costly travel.

Activities and approach: E-wallets; VSLAs; digital financial tools; business and financial-management training

Education

Evidence boundary

Read the portfolio as a starting point, not a final verdict.

Project records document interventions and intended contributions; they do not alone prove nationwide coverage, causal impact, or durable closure.

Profiles will deepen as national statistics, policy documents, evaluations, and implementation evidence are incorporated. Source links allow inspection of underlying evidence.

Evidence and contextProfile Sources

These sources support the country-level demographic, geographic, and connectivity context. Sources tied to individual projects remain with their project records and are not repeated here.

  1. Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). Yemen. The World Factbook. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/yemen/
  2. International Telecommunication Union. (n.d.). ITU DataHub: Country ICT data. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://datahub.itu.int/
  3. World Bank. (n.d.). Individuals using the Internet (% of population): Yemen. World Development Indicators. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?locations=YE
  4. World Bank. (n.d.). Population, total: Yemen. World Development Indicators. Retrieved September 26, 2026, from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=YE

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