After the creation of the political State of Israel in 1948, about 49,000 (of an estimated 51,000) of Yemenite Jews were airlifted to Israel, almost 10,000 of whom were from Sana'a (see the English-language book "Jews and Muslims in lower Yemen: a study in protection and restraint, 1918–1949").
Približno 10% prebivalstva prebiva v starem mestu, medtem ko preostali živijo v zunanjih okrožjih.