Living in Aden, Yemen

Aden is a large coastal city in Yemen (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 29°C over the year with about 40 mm of rain. For foreigners, long-term residency in Yemen is hard to obtain.

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Climate: 29°C; 40 mm rain a year
Size: Large; 1 to 5 million people
Safety: 35/100; country-level
Residency: Hard to obtain; for most foreigners

Limited data for Yemen. Figures for safety, healthcare and political stability in Yemen are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Yemen, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.

Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against all travel to Yemen ("Level 4: Do Not Travel"). Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Aden out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.

What stands out about Aden

Warmer than 99% of the cities we track
Dry: about 40 mm of rain a year
Long-term residency is hard to obtain
On or near the sea

Safety and stability

Yemen scores 35 out of 100 on safety, safer than 1% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 2.4 out of 10.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Yemen: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Climate

Aden averages 29°C across the year with about 40 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 99% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.

Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.

Residency and visas

Hard to obtain. No self-funded, investor, or means-tested route exists; the only long-term residency is a sponsor-tied permit requiring a Yemen-based individual or organization to sponsor the applicant (typically employment), and the country is in active civil war.

For short visits, 1 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 11 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 186 need a visa in advance.

Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).

Healthcare

Yemen scores 46 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 5% of the cities we compare.

Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Yemen: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.

Questions couples ask about Aden

Is Aden a good place to live for couples?

It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and political stability. Our figures for Yemen are partial: no tax, cost of living, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, very dry climate (29°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.

Can foreigners live in Yemen long term?

Our assessment: hard to obtain. No self-funded, investor, or means-tested route exists; the only long-term residency is a sponsor-tied permit requiring a Yemen-based individual or organization to sponsor the applicant (typically employment), and the country is in active civil war.

What is the weather like in Aden?

Aden averages 29°C across the year with about 40 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 99% of the cities we track.