Yemen: A Decade of Humanitarian Crisis

Originally posted by Action Against Hunger.

Yemen remains one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises and the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula. While battling economic decline and rising prices, the majority of the Yemeni population lacks access to food, water, and adequate health services. Since 2012, Action Against Hunger programs have been supporting the most vulnerable communities in Yemen.

There has been a decline in the intensity of fighting in Yemen, yet almost half of the population remains food insecure. About 2.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women need treatment for acute malnutrition, and 55% of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition. With limited access to healthcare and vaccines, children are particularly at risk for diseases such as cholera, measles, and diphtheria.

Like five million other displaced Yemenis, Fatma's family was forced to flee their home because of the conflict and now lives in a makeshift shelter. “When I saw the devastation of our home, I feared for our survival. I took my children in my arms and left,” explains Fatma, a mother of five from the Hodeidah region. Fatma, accompanied by her husband, mother, and children, travelled over one hundred miles to a camp for displaced persons in Al-Musaimeer in the governorate of Abyan. They relied on Fatma’s husband’s income to survive, but an accident left him permanently unable to work. Fully reliant on whatever financial support could be offered by relatives, the family often went to bed hungry.

“One day, my son Ali became so weak that I feared for his life,” said Fatma. “He was born with a healthy weight, but at the age of 10 months, the Action Against Hunger mobile team diagnosed him with severe acute malnutrition. Once at the health unit, the doctors gave him special therapeutic food and monitored him closely. After a difficult nine-day period, I saw him regain his strength. Action Against Hunger covered our transportation costs so we could return for regular check-ups. They also gave us hygiene products and taught us how to prevent malnutrition. Today, Ali is healthy again."

A humanitarian situation that continues to deteriorate 

After a decade of conflict and successive crises, the number of Yemenis in need of humanitarian aid continues to grow, rising from 18.2 million in 2024 to 19.5 million in 2025. Instability in the Red Sea region has only worsened the humanitarian situation, disrupting shipments of food, fuel and other basic necessities, much of which are imported. It has also threatened the livelihoods of fishermen who provide food for their surrounding regions, and some have had to move in search of new economic opportunities.

Yemen is the third most-affected country in the world by the climate crisis, and it is frequently hit by violent weather phenomena, including torrential rains and devastating floods. In 2024, tens of thousands of people were impacted by the destruction of essential infrastructure by weather catastrophes. For displaced families with no access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure, or housing, seasonal floods pose a serious threat and are likely to exacerbate malnutrition and the ongoing cholera epidemic.

Major challenges for humanitarian assistance 

Despite the significant problems associated with humanitarian access, our teams continue to offer communities resources for survival. In 2023 alone, we supported more than 400,000 people. We provide medical support and nutritional treatment to people threatened by malnutrition, as well as clean water to communities to prevent water-borne epidemics such as cholera. Every day, our therapists help patients heal the invisible wounds left by this catastrophic humanitarian situation.

Despite immense needs, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains underfunded. In 2024, only 55.3% of funding targets were met. International donor fatigue has been compounded by the end of US funding, which contributed 35.5% of the humanitarian response in the country in 2024. This sudden cessation of humanitarian aid, coupled with the US government’s rapid dismantling of essential elements of the aid system, undermines efforts to combat malnutrition and increases humanitarian needs among the most vulnerable.

***

About Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 21 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 59 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.