Foreign marriage rises in Yemen in 2008

SANA'A, Jan. 17 (Saba) – The number of Yemeni citizens who married people from abroad rose in 2008 to 1149, up from 1008 in prior year, an official statistic has said.

The statistic issued by the Justice Ministry noted 945 Yemeni females were married
to foreigners in the last year while the number of Yemeni males who married to women
from other countries was 204.

In 2007, 830 Yemeni women and 178 males got married to people from abroad.

According to the 2008 statistic, Saudi Arabia topped other foreign countries for the
number of nationals who married Yemeni females or males with 433 Saudi citizens who
were married to Yemeni nationals.

However, only 9 out 433 marriages between Yemeni and Saudi people, were that Yemeni
people were married to Saudi females.

The Untied Arab Emirates came second for 175 out of a total of 1149 marriages. Out
of 175 marriages, 21 were that Yemeni men got UAE wives. Oman came third with 48
Omani citizens who were married to Yemeni females.

Britain was in the fourth place with 46 Britons who married to Yemenis. 8 out of 64
was the number of British females who married to Yemeni men.

Furthermore, the Documentation Department at the ministry registered 45 marriages
between Yemeni citizens and US and Bahrainis as well as 35 between Yemenis and
Egyptians, Somalis and Qatari nationals.