Note: Preliminary figures as consultations with concerned authorities are still ongoing.
-
Current Requirements (US$)$2.48 billion
Crisis overview
In 2025, an estimated 19.54 million people in Yemen will require humanitarian assistance and protection.
Now in its tenth year of conflict, Yemen faces a severe protection and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by recurring economic shocks, weakened basic services, climate hazards, regional conflict, and chronic underfunding. Living conditions for most Yemenis will remain dire in 2025. Limited livelihood opportunities and declining purchasing power are expected to deepen socio-economic instability. The country’s gross domestic product has shrunk by over 50 per cent since 2015 and is projected to contract further in 2024. In Government of Yemen (GoY)-controlled areas, the Yemeni Rial continues to hit record lows, as oil and gas exports remain obstructed. Access to basic services—healthcare, schools and water supply systems—continues to deteriorate. Disease outbreaks are expected to surge, while 3.2 million school-aged children (6-17 years old) remain out of school.
Humanitarian needs in 2025 are expected to mirror those of 2024, barring significant new shocks. However, fragility and severity levels vary across the country due to multiple shocks. Notably, one-third of Yemen’s districts experienced improvement in humanitarian conditions due to sustained assistance and reduced conflict. These changes opened roads and improved commercial access along frontlines, while decreasing displacement. In contrast, several areas have experienced worsening conditions, falling into severity level 4, due to halted or disrupted assistance in critical sectors such as food security, shelter and camp coordination and camp management (CCCM), largely driven by underfunding. Other areas have worsened to severity level 3, highlighting the need for sustainable development to prevent further decline.
Ta'iz City, Yemen
Mohammed Abdullah and his child huddle inside a house destroyed by the conflict.
OCHA/ Ahmed BashaProtection remains central to Yemen’s humanitarian response, with more than 16 million people in need of protection assistance. Vulnerable groups—including IDPs, migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, persons with disabilities, and the marginalized Muhamasheen—face heightened risks. Nearly 4.8 million people, primarily women and children, remain displaced, with repeated displacement locking families into cycles of aid dependency. Economic hardships and entrenched gender inequalities force many into harmful coping mechanisms. Gender-based violence surged in 2024, intensifying risks for women and girls, while overstretched prevention and response services struggle to meet growing needs.
Food insecurity and malnutrition will remain consistently high in 2025. An estimated 17 million people (49 per cent of the population) will face severe food insecurity, with 5 million enduring emergency-level conditions. Acute malnutrition will affect about 3.5 million people, including over 500,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
Al-Sadaqah hospital, Aden, Yemen
Three-year-old Jana sits with her mother while receiving medical care.
OCHA/Ala’a NomanYemen’s health system is severely strained, leaving millions without adequate care amidst multiple disease outbreaks. Limited access to basic WASH services—a major driver of Yemen’s cholera outbreak— further exacerbates these challenges. Vaccination coverage is low as local beliefs and misinformation challenge vaccination campaigns. Women and girls lack sufficient maternal care and reproductive healthcare. Landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to endanger civilians and restrict movement.
Yemen ranks as the world's third most vulnerable country to climate change and lacks capacity to mitigate or adapt to its effects. In 2024, nearly all (93 per cent) of those supported through the Rapid Response Mechanism, were severely affected or displaced by climate-related crises. Climate-related shocks impacted over 1.3 million people in 2024—a 68 per cent increase from 2023—while harsh winters expose thousands to freezing temperatures.
Amran Governorate, Yemen
A young IDP girl stands at the entrance of her family's shelter, which has been reinforced for winter.
OCHA/YPNResponse priorities in 2025
In 2025, humanitarian efforts will focus on improving targeting and response interventions to address evolving needs, the operational environment, and reduced capacities. The response will be guided by the three Humanitarian Country Team position papers aimed to: 1) establish a more structured and measurable approach to humanitarian action; 2) transform the response to become more effective, relevant and locally driven, while supporting a responsible transition to sustainable durable solutions; and 3) reduce operational costs of the humanitarian response.
Partners will ensure the inclusion of the most vulnerable groups in both the design and delivery of assistance, while mainstreaming protection across all activities.
Area-based consultations will guide prioritization of assistance and promote a people-centred approach to humanitarian response efforts. In this deteriorating environment, integrating protection across sectors remains essential to safeguard the dignity and well-being of Yemen’s affected populations. Priorities for 2025 include strengthening accountability mechanisms, promoting localisation, and enhancing coordination on key protection issues, including accountability to affected people, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, gender-based violence, and cash-based interventions.
Humanitarian actors will focus on integrating responses in areas with the most severe needs, while maintaining flexibility for contingencies. Efforts will also focus on strengthening ties with the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), extended through 2025, and fostering programmatic discussions with development actors, as much as the current operational environment allows.
Ash-Shab IDP site, Aden, Yemen
Nine-year-old Samia fetches water at the distribution point alongside other children.
OCHA/Ahmed HaleemFinancial requirements
The 2025 Humanitarian Response Plan prioritizes life-saving and life-sustaining activities in Yemen, underpinned by strong prioritization and boundary setting. It remains complementary to the UNSCDF.
Evolution of the humanitarian response
14-Jan-2026
Evolution of the humanitarian response
| Year | Type | People in need | People targeted | Requirements ($) | Funding ($) | % Funded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 |
19.5 million
|
10.5 million
|
$2.48 billion
|
$688 million
|
27.8%
|
|
| 2024 |
18.2 million
|
11.2 million
|
$2.71 billion
|
$1.52 billion
|
56.4%
|
|
| 2023 |
21.6 million
|
17.4 million
|
$4.34 billion
|
$1.78 billion
|
40.9%
|
|
| 2022 |
23.5 million
|
17.9 million
|
$4.27 billion
|
$2.31 billion
|
54.2%
|
|
| 2021 |
20.7 million
|
16 million
|
$3.85 billion
|
$2.42 billion
|
62.9%
|
|
| 2020 |
24.3 million
|
19 million
|
$3.38 billion
|
$1.99 billion
|
58.9%
|
|
| 2019 |
24.1 million
|
21.4 million
|
$4.19 billion
|
$3.64 billion
|
86.9%
|
|
| 2018 |
22.2 million
|
13.1 million
|
$3.11 billion
|
$2.50 billion
|
80.5%
|
|
| 2017 |
HRP
|
|
|
$2.34 billion
|
$1.76 billion
|
75.1%
|
| 2016 |
HRP
|
|
|
$1.63 billion
|
$1.03 billion
|
62.9%
|
2024 in review: Response highlights and consequences of inaction
Response highlights
The humanitarian operating environment remains fraught with challenges, including significant risks to the safety of humanitarian workers, cumbersome bureaucratic impediments and interference in programming and activities. Despite these difficulties, 177 humanitarian organizations delivered aid to 5.9 million people between January and September 2024, reaching internally displaced persons, returnees, marginalized groups, vulnerable host communities and other people in need across the country.
In 2024, the humanitarian community made significant strides in improving response quality while addressing both new and existing needs. For example, a large-scale cholera epidemic was successfully mitigated, with the response reaching over 2 million people, limiting the outbreak's scale and impact. Food security partners, navigating a difficult funding and operational environment, implemented a comprehensive mitigation plan that delivered emergency food distributions and livelihoods support across Yemen, helping curb the spread of food and nutrition insecurity. On the west coast, a multi-sector response plan is being implemented to address unprecedented levels of malnutrition. WASH partners championed sustainable water management solutions, responding to the expressed needs of communities, providing clean water to thousands in host communities and IDP sites through solarized water supply systems. Cash programming expanded significantly, with over $80 million in multipurpose cash assistance provided to over 580,000 people. The Yemen Humanitarian Fund exceeded its target for local involvement, channelling over 60 per cent of its funding through local organizations. Over 504,000 people received emergency support following conflict or climate-induced displacement, amidst the worst flood season in years.
Food Security
Acute funding shortages for the food security and agriculture cluster forced the suspension of humanitarian food assistance for 6.5 million people in areas controlled by the Houthi de facto authorities since November 2023. In GoY-controlled areas, food packages for 3.6 million people were reduced.
Livelihoods
Agriculture and livelihood support scaled back significantly. Three months after the pause in humanitarian food assistance, food consumption patterns among surveyed former beneficiaries had worsened. The proportion of households experiencing severe food deprivation increased by 61 percent, with vulnerable households reportedly resorting to desperate coping measures. Needs are particularly pronounced in Hajjah Governorate, which saw a 168 per cent increase in poor food consumption among those who no longer were receiving assistance.
Protection
Underfunding led to the reduction of critical protection services in six governorates, affecting mine victim assistance, civil documentation, housing, land and property support, child protection case management, including tracing and reunification, and the availability of safe spaces for women and girls. Mental health and psychosocial support interventions were also reduced in six governorates, particularly affecting vulnerable children and caregivers.
Health
Funding shortages resulted in 196 health facilities losing support in 83 districts in 17 governorates as of November 2024, affecting access to quality service provision for the most vulnerable population groups.
Treatment Centre
As of November 2024, 33 diarrhoea treatment centres (DTCs) and 165 oral rehydration centres were closed in the midst of a cholera outbreak, with 80 per cent of DTCs anticipated to close by December 2024 based on available funding levels. Only 14 (32 per cent) of DTCs are expected to continue beyond December 2024.
Camp Coordination and Camp Management
CCCM was among the least funded clusters in Yemen in 2024. Between January and September, at least 286 IDP sites lost multi-sectoral support, severely impacting living conditions and access to basic services such as clean water, healthcare, education, protection and psychosocial support. Funding shortfalls also delayed infrastructural improvements, with 348 sites having to go without critical flood mitigation measures.
Additional information found here.
Building trust to save lives
In the remote village of Al-Shara in Hajjah, long-standing mistrust of the healthcare system had long deterred families, especially those from marginalized communities, from accessing critical health services like vaccination. To address this, community volunteers were deployed to engage directly with families and listen to their concerns.
Through repeated home visits and discussions at community gatherings, the volunteers slowly built trust. Their persistent efforts paid off: vaccination rates in Al-Shara nearly doubled within weeks, with over 150 previously hesitant families choosing to immunize their children and seek health services. These changes not only improved health outcomes, but also opened doors for further support and strengthened community trust in healthcare.
The Al-Shara initiative is part of a broader UNICEF-led effort to improve health access across Yemen. Similar community engagement campaigns helped over 14,200 families complete their children's vaccination schedules and access additional health services. This success underscores the power of community-driven approaches in overcoming barriers and delivering critical care in challenging contexts.
References
- World Bank, Yemen Economic Monitor, Fall 2024.
- Food Security and Agriculture Cluster (FSAC) People in Need Analysis and severity classification. Methodology.
- World Bank. Yemen Overview
- Including polio cVDPV2, acute watery diarrhoea (AWD)/cholera, measles, diphtheria, pertussis, malaria and dengue fever.
- INFORM Climate Change Results and Data
- Rapid Response Mechanism Cumulative Snapshot. Between January and October 2024.
- OCHA Flood Preparedness and response dashboard.
- From January – September 2024, 5.9 million people received at least one form of assistance.