Yemen — Flow Monitoring Points | Migrant Arrivals and Yemeni Returns From Saudi Arabia in 2019

IOM-DTM estimates that 138,213 migrants entered Yemen and 50,065 Yemeni returned from Saudi Arabia in 2019.  The observed caseload has been primarily Ethiopian (92%) and Somalis (8%), with 88% of those tracked heading for Saudi Arabia and 12% towards Yemen.  Similar to 2018 Bosasso, Somaila remained as the main departure area.  The migrants are predominantly male (72%), with 18% women and 10% children.

Although migrant crossings continued throughout the year, the smallest numbers were observed during the third quarter (17%), when heat waves in Djibouti and choppy seas were reported. Economic drivers remained the main reason for moving (above 98%), with 88 per cent indicating the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as their intended destination. This route also continued to be characterized by a high volume of Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMCs), with 8186  UMCs (6%) being reported by the end of the year.

Through the 2019 reporting period, the highest arrivals were observed at Lahj governorate with 52,600 migrants entering at the Al-Arah monitoring point, also the only point with migrants expressing intention to stay in Yemen.  Three  other monitoring points in Shabwah governorate totalled  65,035 with Al-Khabyah receiving the highest in the governorate (35,895).