The most valuable Yemeni imports also include wheat, rice and corn. Sugar, biscuits and concentrated or sweetened milk and cream are other areas where Yemen posted strong export sales.
The following list shows on which product categories Yemeni importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level. This can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which Yemen has strong demand perhaps competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation satisfying that demand can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
Highest Value Yemeni Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to Yemeni importers in 2015. Shown within brackets is the change in value for each imported product since 2011.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$774.7 million (Down -73.8% from 2011 to 2015)
- Wheat: $669.4 million (Down -30.4%)
- Rice: $330.5 million (Up 38.2%)
- Sugar (cane or beet): $179.5 million (Down -65%)
- Cars: $155.2 million (Down -62.6%)
- Palm oil: $133.7 million (Down -14.1%)
- Footwear (rubber or plastic): $127.7 million (Up 15,590%)
- Iron or non-alloy steel bars, rods: $127.3 million (Up 19.4%)
- Bread, biscuits, cakes, pastries: $117.4 million (Up 92.9%)
- Concentrated/sweetened milk, cream: $114.4 million (Down -27%)
- Medication mixes in dosage: $107.1 million (Down -44.1%)
- Poultry meat: $101.8 million (Down -38.8%)
- Corn: $92.5 million (Down -39.6%)
- Wheat or meslin flour: $84.9 million (Up 1,514%)
- Synthetic yarn woven fabrics: $84.8 million (Up 2,077%)
- Trucks: $77.2 million (Down -3.4%)
- Trailers: $74 million (Up 1,340%)
- Women’s clothing (knit or crochet): $72.3 million (Up 22,933%)
- Fruit and vegetable juices: $58.7 million (Up 22.7%)
- Plastic packing goods, lids, caps: $52.1 million (Up 9.4%)
Among these product categories, knit or crochet women’s clothing posted the greatest increase in Yemeni import purchases with a 22,932% gain in value from $314,000 in 2011 to $72.3 million during 2015.
In second place were imported rubber or plastic footwear which appreciated 15,590% over the same 5-year period.
Yemeni imports of synthetic yarn woven fabrics also showed a formidable gain in 2015 up 2,077% from 2011, followed by import purchases of wheat or meslin flour up 1,514%.
Leading the value decliners were processed petroleum imports (down -73.8%) and imported cane or beet sugar (down -65%).
See also Yemen’s Top 10 Exports, Yemen’s Top 10 Imports and Highest Value Yemeni Exports
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 24, 2016
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on October 24, 2016
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on October 24, 2016