Nearly Three‑Quarters of Yemen’s Households Face Hunger Amid Ongoing Conflict, UN Reports

The World Food Programme warns that the ongoing conflict is having a devastating impact, displacing thousands and cutting off food supplies.

Published On 2 Oct 20262 Oct 2026

Four out of five families in certain regions of Yemen are now experiencing hunger after a recent surge in fighting that displaced tens of thousands and disrupted food supplies, the United Nations food agency reports.

Seventy‑four percent of households in accessible government‑controlled areas are unable to meet their basic food needs, a record high for the year, the WFP said on Friday.

WFP figures indicate that roughly 10 million people live in areas under government control.

This surge in food insecurity highlights how rapidly hunger is worsening in a country that imports roughly 90 % of its food, with markets disrupted and aid access dwindling.

In recent months, Yemen has experienced a significant escalation in fighting between Saudi‑backed government forces and the Iran‑aligned Houthi movement that controls portions of the country.

The recent flare‑up, said WFP Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations Matthew Hollingworth, “threatens to be absolutely devastating” for food security.

The Houthis, who already dominate northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, seized the Red Sea coast last month from the internationally recognised government based in the southern port city of Aden.

Displaced families are arriving outside Aden and around Taiz without food or water after abandoning all they owned, the WFP reported.

Funding gap

The WFP says it is expanding its response to assist up to 1.5 million people, but requires $109 million to do so.

It has already redirected food‑distribution resources originally slated for November, and warns that without new funding, vulnerable displaced individuals will encounter assistance gaps within a month.

Across Yemen, 18.3 million people face severe food insecurity, including 2.2 million acutely malnourished children under five, the WFP reported.

The conflict is widely regarded as the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a UN‑brokered truce largely halted cross‑border attacks in 2022.

Hollingworth warned that disruptions around the Houthi‑controlled Bab el‑Mandeb Strait and the Strait of Hormuz could push global food and fuel prices higher.

However, the impact is already compounding; more than 3,700 people fleeing the fighting reached Djibouti via the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait by late September, the WFP said.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that more than 149,000 people have been displaced in Yemen, with many displaced multiple times.

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