Yemen

In 2025, people in Yemen face a deepening humanitarian crisis. More than 19 million people require humanitarian assistance, with women and girls, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees among the most affected. Drastic funding cuts are forcing aid agencies to substantially scale back critical programming, leaving millions of people without life-saving support. Ongoing conflict, economic crisis, climate shocks and disease outbreaks continue to fuel humanitarian needs, while the escalation in the Red Sea and air strikes have resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties since the beginning of 2025 and damaged critical infrastructure. Humanitarian organizations are also grappling with other significant challenges, including the ongoing detention of humanitarian personnel by the de facto authorities, the effect of the recent United States designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and persistent access impediments. 

Without urgent action, including a reversal in current funding trends, Yemen will experience a devastating acceleration in humanitarian needs. An estimated 6 million more people risk falling into emergency food insecurity, with pockets of famine poised to emerge in the coming months. Health systems are on the verge of collapse, with more than 770 facilities at risk of closure, cutting off primary and secondary care for nearly 7 million people. Nearly 2 million people face critical gaps in protection services, and more than 1.3 million children could be forced to drop out of school. The country’s rainy season – March to April and again between June and October – is expected to trigger flooding and surges in waterborne diseases. In 2024, Yemen accounted for a quarter of global cholera cases.

Despite operational and funding constraints, humanitarian actors remain on the ground and are delivering assistance to the most vulnerable communities across the country. Over the first three months of 2025, more than 130 aid organizations reached more than 4 million people on average with humanitarian and protection assistance.

In response to unprecedented funding cuts and to maximize the impact of life-saving aid for communities in need, humanitarian partners have taken significant steps aligned with the global Humanitarian Reset. The Humanitarian Country Team has reprioritized the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan and now requires US$1.4 billion to focus on the most urgent lifesaving interventions for 8.8 million people. Efforts are also underway to implement a more streamlined, field-driven humanitarian architecture focused on a one-country approach; generate cost efficiencies to maximize funding for communities and strengthen a risk-informed approach to programming; and advance localization by increasing support to Yemeni partners, shifting decision-making closer to affected communities.