Yemen hunger and child malnutrition crisis deepens as humanitarian support declines
FOOD INSECURITY / MALNUTRITION
Situation
Yemen remains one of the world's most severe and prolonged humanitarian emergencies after more than a decade of conflict, economic decline, climate shocks and recurring disease outbreaks. UNICEF's 2026 appeal estimates that 19.7 million people, including 10.8 million children, need humanitarian assistance. Around 4.8 million people remain internally displaced, often in settlements with inadequate shelter, water, sanitation and protection. WFP reports that 17.1 million people are food insecure nationwide. A June 2026 IPC analysis covering government-controlled areas found about 5 million people already facing Crisis-level or worse acute food insecurity, including 1.4 million in Emergency conditions. During the June-to-September lean season, that figure was projected to rise to 5.4 million people, with 1.5 million in Emergency; by October-to-December, the Emergency caseload could reach 1.8 million. Children face especially acute risks: approximately 500,000 are projected to suffer severe wasting during 2026, 3.2 million are out of school, and more than 7 million face escalating protection risks. More than 17.8 million people lack adequate access to healthcare and water, sanitation and hygiene services, while 40 percent of health facilities are partly functioning or out of service. UNICEF is seeking USD 146.3 million to reach 5.2 million people, including 3.5 million children. All IPC figures are estimates and projections for defined geographic areas and periods; they should not be added together as separate populations.
Verified figures
- People requiring humanitarian assistance
- 19.7 million
- Children requiring humanitarian assistance
- 10.8 million
- People internally displaced
- 4.8 million
- People food insecure nationwide
- 17.1 million
- People in IPC Phase 3 or worse in government-controlled areas
- 5 million · current June 2026 analysis
- People in IPC Phase 4 Emergency in government-controlled areas
- 1.4 million · current June 2026 analysis
- Projected IPC Phase 3 or worse during June–September lean season
- 5.4 million · 51% of assessed population
- Projected IPC Phase 4 Emergency during June–September
- 1.5 million
- Projected IPC Phase 4 Emergency during October–December
- 1.8 million
- Children projected to suffer severe wasting
- Approximately 500,000 in 2026
- Children out of school
- 3.2 million
- Children facing escalating protection risks
- >7 million
- People lacking adequate healthcare and WASH access
- >17.8 million
- Health facilities partly functioning or out of service
- 40%
- UNICEF 2026 funding requirement
- USD 146.3 million
- People UNICEF plans to reach
- 5.2 million
- Children UNICEF plans to reach
- 3.5 million
Provenance
This page renders the last verified WorldsAid cache directly in HTML. It does not treat generated summaries as primary evidence.
Cached dataset: worldsai_drup771.sql.gz