In December 2010, a young street vendor's desperate act of protest sparked an uprising in Tunisia that ended with the forced resignation of the country's longtime leader. The successful revolution inspired popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, toppling the government of Egypt and leading to armed conflict in Libya. Income inequality, high youth unemployment, and autocratic rule are often the key ingredients that fuel unrest.
Click on a country to get a snapshot of its standings.
Iraq
Although Iraq has the world's third largest oil reserves, decades of sanctions and instability caused by war and sectarian violence have prevented economic prosperity from oil exports, its dominant industry. Anti-government protests that began in February have reflected the tide of popular uprisings in the region.
Form of Government: Parliamentary democracy
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $3,600 (2010 est.)
Leader: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki (since 2006)
Unemployment Rate: 15.3% (2009 est.)
Total Population: 31.4 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 25% (2008 est.)
Population Under 25: 60.6%
Inflation Rate: 4.2% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian, or other 5%
Oil Production: 2.399 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 97% (Shiite 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Proved Oil Reserves: 115 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Iran
Though Iran is estimated to hold 10 percent of the world's oil reserves, its economy is characterized by high inflation and widespread unemployment among the country's youth. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad showed support for the uprising in Egypt, but his forces have responded with violent suppression to ongoing anti-government protests within Iran.
Form of Government: Theocratic republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $11,200 (2010 est.)
Leader: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (since 2005)
Unemployment Rate: 14.6 % (2010 est.) *Data from Iran
Total Population: 76.9 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 18% (2007 est.)
Population Under 25: Not available
Inflation Rate: 11.8% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Persian 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%
Oil Production: 4.172 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 98% (Shiite 89%, Sunni 9%)
Proved Oil Reserves: 137.6 billion bbl *Data from Iran
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Jordan
With an unemployment rate of approximately 30 percent (the official rate is 13.4 percent) and a vulnerable economy, Jordan's monarchy faces discontent among the population—including protests and calls for reform—as unrest spreads across the Middle East.
Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $5,300 (2010 est.)
Leader: King Abdullah II (since 1999)
Unemployment Rate: 13.4% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 6.4 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 14.2% (2002 est.)
Population Under 25: 54.3%
Inflation Rate: 4.4% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 98%
Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Major Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 6% (2001 census)
Proved Oil Reserves: 1 million bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Lebanon
While not among the oil-rich nations of the Middle East, Lebanon is at a crossroads of both commerce and conflict as it undergoes political transformation.
Form of Government: Republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $14,200 (2010 est.)
Leader: Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati (since 2011)
Unemployment Rate: Not available
Total Population: 4.3 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 28% (1999 est.)
Population Under 25: 42.7%
Inflation Rate: 3.7% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%
Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 59.7%, Christian 39%
Proved Oil Reserves: 0 bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Syria
Succeeding his father into office, President Bashar al Assad and his Alawite-minority regime once took steps toward engagement with the West, but he maintains tight authoritarian control. By mid-March, anti-government demonstrations had spread to the country, resulting in reported casualties. Since then, deadly clashes have continued as thousands of protesters call for the implementation of promised reforms.
Form of Government: Republic under authoritarian regime
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $4,800 (2010 est.)
Leader: President Bashar al Assad (since 2000)
Unemployment Rate: 8.3% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 22.5 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 11.9% (2006 est.)
Population Under 25: 55.3%
Inflation Rate: 5.9% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Oil Production: 400,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, other Muslim (includes Alawite, Druze) 16%, Christian 10%
Proved Oil Reserves: 2.5 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Saudi Arabia
With about 20 percent of world oil reserves, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest supplier of the resource. In February King Abdullah boosted social funding by billions of dollars in what may have been an effort to prevent unrest in the kingdom. Despite tight security, small pro-democracy demonstrations are reported to have taken place in March.
The United Arab Emirates has one of the smallest non-native populations in the Arab world—Emiratis make up less than 19 percent of the total. Oil-wealth, trade, and foreign investment have contributed to a high standard of living, but declining growth following the global financial crisis brought economic challenges that may worsen with regional unrest.
Form of Government: Federation
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $40,200 (2010 est.)
Leader: Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan (since 2004)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (2001 est.)
Total Population: 6.7 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 19.5% (2003 est.)
Population Under 25: 31%
Inflation Rate: 2.2% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates 8% (1982)
Oil Production: 2.798 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 96% (Shiite 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
Proved Oil Reserves: 97.8 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Oman
Since seizing power from his father in a 1970 coup, Sultan Qaboos bin Said has ruled over one of the more moderate and internally stable Arab states. Sultan Qaboos's policies to advance the country in the last four decades have been popular, but protesters inspired by uprisings elsewhere have begun calling for reforms, clashing with police during demonstrations around the country.
Form of Government: Monarchy
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $25,800 (2010 est.)
Leader: Sultan and Prime Minister Qaboos bin Said al-Said (since 1970)
Unemployment Rate: 15% (2004 est.)
Total Population: 3.3 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: Not available
Population Under 25: 51.5%
Inflation Rate: 4% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Oil Production: 816,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim, Hindu) 25%
Proved Oil Reserves: 5.5 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Yemen
Yemen is the region's most impoverished country, its economy beset by declining oil reserves and a rising population (65.4 percent under age 25). Popular uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt inspired similar protests in Yemen in February. Demonstrators calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in power since 1978, have been met with violence in ongoing clashes with government supporters.
Form of Government: Republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $2,600 (2010 est.)
Leader: President Ali Abdullah Saleh (since 1978)
Unemployment Rate: 35% (2003 est.)
Total Population: 24.3 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 45.2% (2003 est.)
Population Under 25: 65.4%
Inflation Rate: 12.2% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Predominantly Arab
Oil Production: 288,400 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shiite)
Proved Oil Reserves: 3.16 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Qatar
Qatar has approximately 15 percent of the world's oil reserves and had the highest growth rate in the world in 2010 (it also likely has the world's lowest unemployment rate), but as in the UAE, the native population is remarkably low—just 15 percent of the total. Qatar-based news organization Al Jazeera has played a pivotal, if controversial, role in its coverage of popular uprisings across the Middle East.
Form of Government: Emirate
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $145,300 (2010 est.)
Leader: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (since 1995)
Unemployment Rate: 0.5% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 1.7 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: Not available
Population Under 25: 33.8%
Inflation Rate: 1.1% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%
Oil Production: 1.213 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other 14% (2004 census)
Oil makes up nearly half the GDP of this small nation, which has about 9 percent of the world's reserves. In February, hundreds of stateless Arabs—the descendants of desert nomads—demonstrated for Kuwaiti citizenship and accompanying state benefits.
Form of Government: Constitutional emirate
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $51,700 (2010 est.)
Leader: Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (since 2006)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2% (2004 est.)
Total Population: 3.5 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: Not available
Population Under 25: 37.7%
Inflation Rate: 3.8% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
Oil Production: 2.494 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 85% (Sunni 70%, Shiite 30%), other (includes Christian, Hindu, Parsi) 15%
Proved Oil Reserves: 104 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Morocco
Corruption, economic problems, and high unemployment—particularly among urban youths—have threatened stability in Morocco, whose monarchy is now being pressed for social reforms by demonstrators inspired by popular uprisings elsewhere.
Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $4,900 (2010 est.)
Leader: King Mohammed VI (since 1999)
Unemployment Rate: 9.8% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 32.4 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 15% (2007 est.)
Population Under 25: 47.7%
Inflation Rate: 2.5% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab-Berber 99.1%
Oil Production: 4,053 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 98.7%
Proved Oil Reserves: 100 million bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Algeria
Algeria has Africa's third largest oil reserves and ranks tenth in the world in natural gas reserves. The country has been plagued by internal conflict with Islamist militants and recently has suffered sharp rises in food prices and high unemployment. Recent protests calling for democratic reforms were tamped down by large numbers of riot police.
Form of Government: Republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $7,400 (2010 est.)
Leader: President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (since 1999)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 35.9 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 23% (2006 est.)
Population Under 25: 47.4%
Inflation Rate: 5% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%
Like Algeria and Morocco, Tunisia has been plagued by high unemployment among its large youth population. In late 2010, a single act of protest by a young man against repression and corruption in the government sparked a mass uprising that deposed President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in January and inspired similar anti-government rallies in neighboring Egypt and across the Middle East.
Form of Government: Republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $9,500 (2010 est.)
Leader: Interim President Fouad Mebazaa (since 2011)
Unemployment Rate: 14% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 10.4 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 3.8% (2005 est.)
Population Under 25: 42.1%
Inflation Rate: 4.5% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Arab 98%
Oil Production: 91,380 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim 98%
Proved Oil Reserves: 425 million bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Libya
Libya has one of Africa's highest per capita GDPs—a result of high energy revenues and a small population—but poverty levels remain high at about one-third. In February, Colonel Muammar Qaddafi's 42-year rule came under threat when mass protests began in Benghazi. The uprising turned deadly as Qaddafi responded violently to rebel forces in Tripoli and refused to step down. In March, a UN-authorized no-fly zone was put in place, and coalition forces have launched military strikes against Qaddafi’s forces.
Form of Government: Authoritarian in practice
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $13,800 (2010 est.)
Leader: Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi (since 1969)
Unemployment Rate: 30% (2004 est.)
Total Population: 6.5 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: Not available
Population Under 25: 47.4%
Inflation Rate: 3% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Berber and Arab 97%
Oil Production: 1.79 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%
Proved Oil Reserves: 47 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Egypt
Population growth in the most populous Arab country has put a strain on limited resources, and resentment of heavy-handed rule by 30-year dictator Hosni Mubarak sowed increasing discontent amid high unemployment and rising prices. Inspired by a successful uprising in Tunisia, protesters calling for democratic reforms took to the streets for mass demonstrations that ended with Mubarak's ousting on February 11.
Form of Government: Republic
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $6,200 (2010 est.)
Leader: Muhammad Tantawi, Acting (since 2011)
Unemployment Rate: 9.7% (2010 est.)
Total Population: 84.6 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: 20% (2005 est.)
Population Under 25: 52.3%
Inflation Rate: 12.8% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Egyptian 99.6% (2006)
Oil Production: 680,500 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%
Proved Oil Reserves: 4.3 billion bbl (2010 est.)
Sources: CIA; The Economist
Bahrain
Although Shiite Muslims make up the majority of the population of Bahrain, the country's monarchy and other leaders are primarily Sunni. Shiite demonstrators began protesting against the monarchy in February, calling for political reforms. In March, military forces from neighboring Gulf states—including Saudi Arabia—entered Bahrain and routed thousands of protesters from Manama’s Pearl Square, where police had clashed with demonstrators.
Form of Government: Constitutional monarchy
GDP Per Capita (PPP): $40,400 (2010 est.)
Leader: King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa (since 1999)
Unemployment Rate: 15% (2005 est.)
Total Population: 1.2 million (2010 est.)
Population Below Poverty Level: Not available
Population Under 25: 43.9%
Inflation Rate: 3.3% (2010 est.)
Major Ethnic Groups: Bahraini 62.4%, non-Bahraini 37.6% (2001 census)
Oil Production: 48,560 bbl/day (2009 est.)
Major Religions: Muslim (Shiite and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
Proved Oil Reserves: 124.6 million bbl (2010 est.)
Market anxiety is high due to perceived peril in the eight oil-supplying nations of the Middle East and North Africa that supply one-third of the world's oil.
