Report
Yemen is entering its most dangerous food security phase in years. The latest IPC projections for September 2025–February 2026 show that over half the population - 18 million people - are expected to experience worsening levels of food insecurity by early 2026. An additional one million people face life-threatening hunger. Malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating women is also rising rapidly.
This deterioration is not driven by large-scale conflict escalation. It is the result of a collapse of household purchasing power and the sharp decrease of humanitarian assistance in 2025, which has dismantled food security, nutrition, and surveillance systems just as needs are peaking. By the end of 2025, the humanitarian response was less than 25% funded, with the Nutrition Cluster at less than 10% and the Food Security and Agriculture Cluster at 15%, effectively paralyzing lifesaving services.
While the hunger crisis is nationwide, evidence from IRC-supported districts in southern Yemen shows its consequences clearly. Following major donor funding withdrawals in early 2025, nutrition service reach declined by 63% within one year. Health facilities and therapeutic feeding centers closed, mobile teams were overstretched, and admissions for severe acute malnutrition fell—not because children were healthier, but because fewer who were sick could access services. Nearly 80% of households assessed by IRC reported severe hunger, and half of households with children under five reported at least one malnourished child.
The policy briefing provides a detailed analysis of the food security crisis in Yemen and outlines the next steps needed to course‑correct.
