Yemen faces worsening famine and economic crisis as UN warns of catastrophic food insecurity

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports that famine pockets are emerging in Houthi‑controlled areas of northern Yemen, with isolated pockets already in Integrated Food Security Phase 5 (catastrophic). Around 18.7 million Yemenis – 53% of the population – are projected to face crisis‑level or worse food insecurity, and funding for humanitarian aid remains at just 13 % of required levels. The agency warns that without multi‑year financing and restored access, conditions could slide into widespread catastrophe.

A World Bank spring 2026 report adds that Yemen’s economy contracted 1.5 % in 2025 and is expected to shrink another 0.5 % in 2026. Real GDP decline, blocked oil exports, rising fuel and food import costs, and a fiscal gap where revenues cover only 5.6 % of GDP have deepened the crisis. Humanitarian funding now meets only 28 % of UN response plan needs, down from 56.5 % a year earlier, heightening risks of further economic and humanitarian collapse.