Dubai: Government efforts to combat poverty and unemployment are hindered by the rapid population growth in Yemen, one of the highest in the world, a recently released government report warned.

The study, presented at a national conference on population policy earlier this month in Sanaa, said there was a widening gap between population growth and economic growth. Yemen has one of the highest population growth rates in the world, 3.2 per cent per annum but its economy is shrinking.

The study, which was quoted by the UN information service (IRIN), is titled Balance Between Population Growth and Development Rates in Yemen. It was written by experts at the National Population Council (NPC), a government body.

Illiterate

The IRIN quoted Mojahed Al Shaab, an NPC spokesperson, as saying there is a natural increment of around 700,000 people a year.

"They need healthcare and education. Population growth is putting pressure on the country's resources. If the situation remains as it is, the state will not be able to meet the demands of its people," he warned.

"The number of students increases each year. The state cannot cover the demand for new schools. The number of students increased from two million in 1990 to 4.7 million in 2004, while 40 per cent of children do not attend primary school," he said.

According to the NPC, 45.3 per cent of the population is illiterate, and primary education enrolment is only 62.5 per cent. However, 45 per cent of the population is under 15.

According to the Yemen Poverty Assessment report prepared by Yemen's government, the World Bank and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) which was released this month unemployment increased from 13.7 per cent in 1999 to 16.3 per cent in 2004: the labour force increased at a rate of 4.3 per cent per year but the number of jobs increased by only 3.7 per cent per year.

Yemen's population in 2004 was 21,385,161. The average number of people per family was 7.1, official figures show.

According to the 2004 population census, Yemen had 2,834,437 houses but of these only 15.9 per cent had access to a sanitary network.