Unity Day commemorates the unification of North Yemen and South Yemen in 1990, forming the modern-day Republic of Yemen.

When is Unity Day?

Unity Day is celebrated every year on May 22.

The following is the list of Unity Day from 2020 to 2049.

The History of Unity Day?

Before 1990, the land that makes up modern-day Yemen was divided into two separate states:

1. The Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen): Became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1918, and had a republican government, largely aligned with Western and Gulf states.

2. The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen): Gained independence from British colonial rule in 1967, and became the only Marxist-Leninist state in the Arab world, with close ties to the Soviet Union.

Despite cultural similarities, the two states had conflicting political ideologies and engaged in armed conflict multiple times – in 1972, 1979, and through border skirmishes in the 1980s.

By the late 1980s, Cold War dynamics shifted, and economic hardships, especially in South Yemen, encouraged both sides to seek unity. Negotiations between President Ali Abdullah Saleh (North) and Ali Salim al-Beidh (South) led to an agreement.

On May 22, 1990, the two countries officially merged to form the Republic of Yemen. Sana'a was designated the political capital, and Aden the economic capital.

A new national flag, constitution, and power-sharing government were created. This day became Unity Day, a national holiday commemorating the birth of a united Yemeni state.