Millions in Yemen don’t know where their next meal will come from
Millions of people in southern Yemen are facing growing levels of hunger, with nearly half the population in those areas now experiencing severe food insecurity, according to a new report supported by the United Nations.
The latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system show that, from May 2025, almost five million people are facing crisis levels of hunger or worse.
This includes around 1.5 million who are in emergency conditions.
The data highlights a sharp rise in food insecurity, with nearly 370,000 more people affected compared to earlier this year.
The World Food Programme has warned that conditions are likely to worsen in the months ahead.
If no action is taken, an additional 420,000 people could fall into crisis, pushing the total number of severely food-insecure people in the southern governorates to more than 5.3 million.
This will represent over half the region’s population.
Yemen has been locked in a long-running conflict between government forces and Houthi rebels.
Many families have been pushed to the brink as a result of a combination of continued fighting, economic collapse, rising prices, a weakened currency, and extreme weather.
Aid agencies, including the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, have been assisting by combining support for food, health, clean water and protection.
UN officials say urgent and large-scale support is needed to stop the crisis from worsening.
Children, low-income families and displaced people are among the worst affected.
Nearly 2.4 million children under five and 1.5 million pregnant or breastfeeding women are now suffering from acute malnutrition.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
