This article covers trade between India and Yemen, their cooperation in defence, training and humanitarian assistance, and the people-to-people side of the relationship: scholarships, communities with roots in both countries and the Indian nationals living in Yemen. It is based on the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) bilateral brief dated 18 June 2026, and figures are given for the periods the brief states.

Bilateral trade

According to the MEA brief of June 2026, total bilateral trade between India and Yemen for FY 2024-25 was USD 1.00 billion, as per statistics of the Department of Commerce, Government of India. Indian exports to Yemen in FY 2024-25 were USD 0.85 billion and imports were USD 0.15 billion. The brief states that for Yemen, India is the 2nd largest trading partner after China.

Main items traded

The main goods in each direction listed in the brief are:

  • Indian exports to Yemen: rice, wheat, sugar, drug formulations, ceramics and allied products, processed fruits and juices, textile materials, petroleum products, and yarn and fabrics.
  • Indian imports from Yemen: iron and steel, petroleum, telecom instruments, aluminium and articles thereof, lead and allied products, electric machinery and equipment, copper and articles thereof, and raw hides and skins.

Pharmaceuticals

The brief states that India ranks among the top sources of Yemen's pharmaceutical imports. Indian companies active in Yemen's market include Ranbaxy, Cipla, Sun Pharma, Alkem Laboratory Ltd., Cadilla, Wockhardt, Glenmarc, Kopran Laboratories Ltd., Orchid, Medley and Biocon, among others.

Oil and gas

The brief describes petroleum and natural gas as Yemen's main industry and notes that India has in the past shown interest in it. Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Reliance and Mangalore Refineries have in the past imported Yemeni crude oil. Reliance, Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation, Oil India Limited and Indian Oil Corporation, in a consortium, had been allocated blocks in Yemen.

Defence cooperation

Security and defence cooperation between India and Yemen started with the training of Yemeni Republic Guards in 2008. The brief states that defence ties cover a variety of fields, including joint exercises such as MILAN and the training of Yemeni officers, cadets and soldiers in Indian Armed Forces training establishments at both junior and senior levels, including training in specialist fields.

In February 2025 a Yemeni delegation led by Defence Minister Lieutenant General Mohsen Mohammed Al-Daeri took part in Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru.

Civilian training

Under the ITEC programme, India provides civilian training to Yemen for capacity building. Scholarships for study in India are offered separately through ICCR.

Humanitarian assistance

The brief describes India as "a long standing friend of Yemen" that has always prioritised Yemen's humanitarian needs. It has extended humanitarian assistance in the past through the supply of medicines and food commodities. Recent assistance recorded in the brief includes:

  • 360,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses supplied to Yemen via the COVAX facility in March 2021, as part of India's Vaccine Maitri Initiative.
  • More than 250,000 tons of wheat exported to Yemen since April 2022, to mitigate the adverse impact on Yemen of supply changes in global commodity markets.
  • Approximately 25 tons of essential medicines and medical equipment, handed over by the Indian Ambassador to Yemeni Health Minister Dr. Qassem Mohammed Buhaybeh at a ceremony at Port Aden in February 2025. The consignment was shipped from India by Indian Coast Guard Ship Sujeet at the request of the Yemeni Government.
  • Approximately 67 tons of essential medicines, handed over to the people of Yemen at the port of Aden by the Ambassador during an Indian delegation's visit to Aden from 24 to 25 November 2025. This consignment was shipped by INS Chennai, also at the request of the Yemeni Government.

ICCR scholarships

India offers scholarships under various schemes under the aegis of ICCR for graduate, post graduate and doctoral programmes. The brief gives the following numbers of Yemeni students:

  • 2021-22: 58 Yemeni students received ICCR scholarships to study in India
  • 2022-23: 49 students availed the scholarships
  • 2024-25: 58 students availed the scholarships
  • 2025-26: 57 Yemeni students have been granted scholarships

Communities with roots in both countries

The brief states that India and Yemen share contacts spanning many centuries. Since independence, many Indians have taken up Yemeni citizenship and married into Yemeni communities, and sizable populations among them follow Indian customs and traditions. The state (province) of Hadramout in Yemen has had, and continues to have, strong linkage with the Deccan in India.

These cross-border contacts have produced nearly 300,000 (approx.) Indians of Yemeni origin, prominent in Hyderabad and its contiguous cities in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka. In the other direction, there is a 200,000 (approx.) Indian origin diaspora in the provinces of Aden, Hadramout, Hodeidah, Taiz and Sana'a.

Indian associations in Yemen

Indian Associations in Sana'a, Aden, Taiz and Hodeidah were active in organising social and cultural functions. Aden's Indian Association is the oldest, founded during British rule.

Operation Rahat and Indian nationals today

In 2015, the maritime routes between India and Yemen were activated to carry out an evacuation operation from Yemen, Operation Rahat. The brief says this was achieved as a result of close maritime cooperation with the countries of the region. Under Operation Rahat, the Government of India evacuated the majority of the Indian community from Yemen following an escalation in conflict.

As of the brief, approximately 3000-4000 Indian nationals reside in Yemen.