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Foreword
Yemen is an arid and mountainous country in the southern corner of the Arabian peninsula. North and South Yemen were unified in 1990 after years of turmoil, but lingering tensions make governing difficult and impede development prospects. Yemen is mostly rural, more than half its population is below age 15, and more than one-fifth of its 22 million people are malnourished. Yemen is one of the poorest Arab countries, and its birth and population growth rates are among the world's highest. This makes it even tougher to reduce unemployment, poverty, and illiteracy. With an annual growth rate of 3.4%, the population could double by 2030. Although the government recognizes population growth as a major challenge to the country's development, little progress has been made in implementing a population policy, and societal consensus is elusive.