Yemen crisis

Six years ago, Jana and her family were forced to flee Amran. Since her father’s passing, Jana and her widowed mother live in Al-Suwaidan camp – unable to return home.

Last updated 8th September 2025

Photo: © UNHCR / Jihad Al-Nahari

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More than two million people like Jana have been uprooted by Yemen’s war. Please help us reach these families with lifesaving aid.

Shelter kits

to help repair bomb-damaged homes

Essential items

like mattresses, blankets and kitchenware

Emergency cash grants

to help families access food and medicine

What’s happening in Yemen?

After ten years of war, Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, driven by conflict, economic collapse and climate shocks. In 2025, over half of the population – around 19.5 million people – will require humanitarian assistance, including 4.8 million people who are displaced within the country.

UNHCR is leading a coordinated effort across the region to protect Yemenis who have been forced to flee. This includes emergency relief and shelter for those escaping escalations in the conflict, and ongoing care such as education and healthcare. However, humanitarian access restrictions, bureaucratic hurdles and limited funding continue to pose challenges.

Where are Yemeni families fleeing to?

Many families seek refuge in neighbouring countries, like Djibouti and Somalia. But conditions in the surrounding region are so poor that many others stay within Yemen – despite the conflict and risk.

Yemen also hosts over 50,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia. The majority live in unsuitable accommodation without access to safe water.

Why are people starving in Yemen?

Yemen has always been one of the poorest countries in the Middle East. But the impact of war – together with strict blockades that prevent food and aid entering the country – have brought the country to its knees and pushed millions of families to the brink of starvation. The risk of a large-scale famine in the country is acute, with 17 million people food insecure.

Sharp increases in global food and fuel prices have produced dire consequences for Yemenis. The war in Ukraine has resulted in price hikes, making even basics like bread unaffordable to many. With rampant inflation and few livelihood opportunities, families can no longer afford basic meals. To put food on the table, many displaced families are selling off belongings, pulling children out of school and sending them to work, begging on the streets or eating just once a day.

Where in the country is UNHCR working?

UNHCR has teams on the ground across Yemen, reaching vulnerable families in all 20 governorates affected by the conflict. UNHCR helps displaced Yemenis as well as refugees who flee into Yemen to escape neighbouring conflicts.

What kind of relief is UNHCR providing?

UNHCR is providing families with emergency shelter, special kits to help them repair bomb damage and cash assistance to help them buy food and medicine. In addition, it is supplying mattresses, blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen sets, buckets and more to those who’ve lost everything in the war.

UNHCR is also working to improve protection conditions and access to basic rights for all forcibly displaced people, expanding basic services and support for self-reliance through cash assistance, shelter, core relief items, health, education, women’s protection, child protection and psychosocial support. UNHCR also supports durable solutions, including resettlement and increased support for return to countries of origin.

However, restrictions in humanitarian funding have created a serious threat to UNHCR’s relief efforts. UNHCR’s operations in Yemen in 2025 are currently 15% funded. Please help us to reach as many families as we can with the help they desperately need.

What's happening with the floods in Yemen?

Heavy rains continue to cause flash floods across Yemen. The extensive damage caused by rain and flash floods is exacerbating the shelter, infrastructure and protection concerns of thousands of forcibly displaced families and vulnerable Yemenis. Floods disrupt livelihoods by submerging farmlands, severely harming livestock and washing away small shops. The 2024 rainy season alone affected 100,000 families.

Where can I access the latest data and reports?

Yemen Operations and Situation Portal – for latest updates on the crisis overall, including UNHCR situation reports, funding requirements and UNHCR’s support for countries taking in refugees from Yemen.

Did you know that 1 in 2 children in Yemen under the age of 5 are acutely malnourished?