June 2026 – Yemen is once again at the center of a worsening humanitarian emergency, with nearly five million people – 47 percent of the population – currently experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 and above). Of these, 1.4 million are trapped in emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4), a number expected to rise as the year progresses.
According to a joint statement from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and UNICEF, families are being pushed beyond their coping capacity by the combined effects of economic collapse, climate shocks, disrupted livelihoods, and declining humanitarian support. The lean season from June to September is expected to push the number of people in emergency conditions to 1.5 million, with projections indicating a further increase to 1.8 million by the end of 2026.
Food insecurity is driving Yemen’s high malnutrition burden after more than a decade of conflict between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government. Reduced dietary diversity, poor household food consumption, limited access to preventive nutrition services, and worsening living conditions are increasing risks of acute malnutrition, particularly among pregnant and breastfeeding women and young children.
Economic decline and aid cuts are compounding the crisis. Irregular salaries, soaring food and fuel prices, reduced income opportunities, and constraints on agricultural production are limiting families’ ability to meet basic needs. With around 60 percent of households dependent on farming, harvests are under pressure from extreme weather, pest outbreaks, and disrupted supply chains. Meanwhile, humanitarian food assistance and interventions in nutrition, health, and WASH are expected to decline sharply due to funding shortfalls.
In displacement camps such as Al-Shaab in Aden, overcrowding and poor conditions heighten risks of malaria and other vector-borne diseases. Mobile health teams coordinated by WHO are reaching underserved areas, providing testing and treatment for malaria and dengue. For families like that of 21-year-old Abeer Abdulwarith Mohammed Saeed, these mobile clinics offer reassurance and lifesaving support in the absence of regular healthcare services.
The UN agencies are urgently calling on the international community to scale up funding for food assistance, nutrition services, health, agriculture, and resilience programming. Without immediate and sustained action, millions of vulnerable Yemenis risk falling deeper into hunger, malnutrition, and irreversible livelihood loss.
