Independence Day in 2025

When is Yemeni Independence Day?

Independence Day is a national holiday in Yemen and is celebrated on November 30th.

Unusually for an Independence Day, this is not Yemen's National Day; that is observed on Unification Day on May 22nd.

Independence Day marks the declaration of independence from the United Kingdom of South Yemen in 1967.

History of Yemeni Independence Day

British involvement in the region began in the middle of the nineteenth century with Aden seen as a key strategic location, becoming the Aden Protectorate in 1874.

After the second world war, the cry for Arab nationalism rang out across the region, with anti-British resistance growing in Aden, becoming both more organised and violent.

On December 10th 1963, a state of emergency was declared in Aden. Guerrilla attacks by the National Liberation Front (NLF) over a sustained period during the next four years forced the British into an early withdrawal from the region on November 30th 1963, with the NLF declaring the independent state of the People’s Republic of South Yemen, comprising Aden and the former Protectorate of South Arabia.

The Republic of Yemen is the second-largest country in the Arabian Peninsula.

Did you know?

During the latter part of the 17th century, Yemen was the only coffee producer in the world. The coffee plant is a native of the Yemeni desert. Local Sufi mystics were the first to brew into a drink to keep them awake while praying.