In a nation where a staggering 80% of the children desperately need humanitarian assistance to survive, the statistics from Yemen paint a chilling portrait of a generation being starved and stunted by unrelenting conflict.
Key Takeaways
- In 2024, approximately 18.2 million people in Yemen, representing 80% of the population under 18, require humanitarian assistance due to acute food insecurity and malnutrition exacerbated by conflict and economic collapse
- Yemen's 2023 IPC analysis indicates 17 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity from August 2023 to July 2024, with 5 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 149,000 in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe)
- Over 2.7 million children under five in Yemen are acutely malnourished in 2024, including 535,000 suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) requiring urgent life-saving treatment
- In 2024, cholera cases surged to over 1 million since 2017, with 200,000 new suspected cases in 2023 alone
- Yemen reports 5 million children under five at risk of measles outbreaks in 2024 due to low vaccination coverage of 64%
- Maternal mortality ratio in Yemen is 164 per 100,000 live births (2023 est.), 10 times global average
- Over 4.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen as of 2024, with 4.8 million returnees facing reintegration challenges
- 85% of Yemen's territory is affected by displacement, hosting 5 million displaced since 2015
- In 2023, 120,000 people newly displaced due to conflict escalation in Marib and Taiz
- 7.5 million Yemenis need WASH assistance in 2024, with 18 million lacking safe water
- 15 million people in Yemen practice open defecation due to destroyed sanitation infrastructure
- Cholera transmission linked to WASH: 80% of cases from contaminated water in 2023
- Yemen's 2 million school-aged children out of school, 50% never attended due to conflict
- 4.5 million children require education aid in 2024, with schools damaged in 70% of districts
- Girls' enrollment dropped 20% since 2015, now 35% of students face barriers
Yemen's children are starving amidst widespread conflict and crippling aid shortages.
Education and Protection
- Yemen's 2 million school-aged children out of school, 50% never attended due to conflict
- 4.5 million children require education aid in 2024, with schools damaged in 70% of districts
- Girls' enrollment dropped 20% since 2015, now 35% of students face barriers
- 2,500 schools used as shelters, displacing 1 million students
- Teacher salaries unpaid for 7 years, 70% absent due to poverty
- Child recruitment into armed groups: 10,000 verified cases since 2015
- GBV affects 7 million women/girls, with child marriage rates at 32% for 15-17 year olds
- 1.8 million children at risk of dropping out in 2024 without aid
- Only 20% of children in west have internet access for remote learning
- Protection needs: 5 million children vulnerable to exploitation
- School attacks: 1,000 incidents since 2015, closing 200 facilities
- Adolescent girls: 60% out of school in rural areas, facing early marriage
- Psychosocial support reaches 2 million children, but needs 5 million
- 80% of schools lack safe WASH, deterring attendance
- Child labor: 2 million children working, 70% in hazardous conditions
- Mine/ERW contamination affects 1.5 million children, barring school access
- Education funding: 1% of $4.3 billion HRP met in 2023
- Dropout rate post-primary: 40%, linked to poverty and conflict
- 300,000 children benefit from cash-for-education, but scale insufficient
- FGM prevalence low but child marriage up 30% in crises
- Youth unemployment 30%, driving radicalization risks for 3 million
- Disability-inclusive education: only 5% schools accessible
- Conflict-related sexual violence: 1,000 cases reported 2023, underreported
- Back-to-school kits for 1.5 million, preventing dropouts
- Learning poverty: 90% children can't read proficiently by age 10
- Orphaned children: 1.5 million need protection services
Education and Protection Interpretation
A generation of Yemeni children is being systematically dismantled, not by any single bomb but by a thousand cuts of shattered schools, stolen childhoods, and the quiet, cruel arithmetic of despair that trades textbooks for survival.
Food Security and Nutrition
- In 2024, approximately 18.2 million people in Yemen, representing 80% of the population under 18, require humanitarian assistance due to acute food insecurity and malnutrition exacerbated by conflict and economic collapse
- Yemen's 2023 IPC analysis indicates 17 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity from August 2023 to July 2024, with 5 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) and 149,000 in IPC Phase 5 (Catastrophe)
- Over 2.7 million children under five in Yemen are acutely malnourished in 2024, including 535,000 suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) requiring urgent life-saving treatment
- In 2023, 61% of Yemen's population or about 18 million people were food insecure, with food prices 98% higher than the five-year average, driving households to negative coping strategies like skipping meals
- Stunting affects 45.9% of children under five in Yemen as of 2023, leading to irreversible physical and cognitive damage, according to the latest national nutrition survey
- In 2024, 4.5 million pregnant and lactating women are in need of nutrition support amid Yemen's crisis, with malnutrition rates rising due to limited access to diverse diets
- WFP reports that in 2023, Yemen imported 4.6 million metric tons of wheat flour, but 2.3 million people still face famine risk due to distribution challenges
- Acute malnutrition rates among children under five reached 16.3% in 2022-2023 surveys, with hotspots in Marib and Al Hudaydah governorates exceeding 20%
- 80% of Yemenis rely on humanitarian aid for food, but funding shortfalls in 2024 have led to a 50% cut in rations for 9.5 million beneficiaries
- In 2023, 3.5 million people in Yemen adopted emergency livelihood strategies, such as begging or selling productive assets, due to food shortages
- Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rates in Yemen's IDP camps averaged 14.5% in 2023, surpassing WHO emergency thresholds
- Yemen's food consumption score shows 45% of households in poor or borderline status in 2024, linked to hyperinflation and import dependency
- 1.3 million children under five are projected to suffer from SAM in Yemen by end-2024 without scaled-up interventions
- Household Dietary Diversity Score (HDDS) in Yemen averaged 3.8 out of 12 in 2023, indicating severe dietary inadequacy
- 19 governorates in Yemen are classified at IPC Phase 3 or above for acute food insecurity as of mid-2024
- Malnutrition contributes to 64% of under-five deaths in Yemen, with SAM case fatality rates at 10-15% in untreated cases
- In 2024, Yemen requires $2.1 billion for nutrition response, but only 3% funded so far, affecting 5.1 million children
- Coping Strategies Index shows Yemen households resorting to 20+ days of reduced meal frequency monthly in 2023
- 45% of Yemeni children under five are stunted, with prevalence reaching 54% in rural areas per 2022 DHS
- Wasting affects 7.6% of children nationally, but 11.2% in Al Mahrah governorate due to drought impacts
- In 2023, 9 million people received food assistance, but 8 million more need it amid funding gaps
- Micronutrient deficiencies affect 70% of Yemeni women of reproductive age, leading to increased maternal mortality
- Food aid suspension in 2024 affected 9.4 million, pushing 1 million into IPC Phase 5
- Reduced Dietary Diversity affects 83% of households in Taiz governorate, 2023 data
- 2.2 million children treated for SAM in 2023, but treatment coverage only 45%
- Yemen's 2024 HNO estimates 4 million acutely malnourished children and women needing treatment
- 16 million Yemenis face acute hunger, with cereal imports covering only 70% of needs
- Anemia prevalence in children 6-59 months is 69.3%, per 2022 survey
- 50% of Yemen's agriculture labor force displaced, reducing local food production by 60%
- IPC projects 1.4 million Afghans no, wait Yemen: 1.4 million Yemenis at risk of Famine by late 2024 without aid
Food Security and Nutrition Interpretation
Yemen's children are growing into the shadow of a nation, where empty plates are the only inheritance for a generation whose futures are being starved into statistics.
Health and Medical Needs
- In 2024, cholera cases surged to over 1 million since 2017, with 200,000 new suspected cases in 2023 alone
- Yemen reports 5 million children under five at risk of measles outbreaks in 2024 due to low vaccination coverage of 64%
- Maternal mortality ratio in Yemen is 164 per 100,000 live births (2023 est.), 10 times global average
- Only 50% of health facilities in Yemen are fully functional, serving 21 million in need, 2024 data
- Diphtheria outbreak infected 1,500 Yemenis by mid-2023, killing 102, mainly unvaccinated children
- 19.5 million Yemenis lack basic healthcare access, with 50% medicine stockouts in facilities
- Polio vaccination campaigns reached 90% coverage but 2.5 million children remain at risk in 2024
- Dengue fever cases exceeded 25,000 in 2023 across 200 districts
- Infant mortality rate stands at 46.5 per 1,000 live births in Yemen (2023)
- Only 20% of Yemenis have access to mental health services amid 15 million needing psychosocial support
- COVID-19 vaccinated only 2.5 million of 33 million population by 2024, with testing limited to 1 million tests
- Acute watery diarrhea cases reached 1.2 million since Jan 2023, killing 400+
- 4.5 million children need mental health support due to trauma from conflict, 2024 est.
- Health worker shortages: only 1 doctor per 10,000 people vs global 15/10,000
- Malaria cases: 1.7 million suspected in 2023, with 2,500 deaths
- 70% of medical supplies imported, but blockades delay 80% of shipments
- Under-five mortality rate: 65 per 1,000, driven by pneumonia and diarrhea
- TB incidence: 97 per 100,000, with 40,000 multidrug-resistant cases needing treatment
- Only 9% of facilities offer comprehensive emergency obstetric care
- Leishmaniasis visceral cases: 2,000 annually, fatality 10% untreated
- Vaccination coverage for DTP3: 75%, leaving 1 million children unprotected yearly
- 3 million people treated for injuries from conflict since 2015, ongoing needs for 500,000
- HIV prevalence low at 0.1%, but testing access limited to 50,000 annually
- 15 million need primary healthcare, but only 2,500 facilities operational at 50% capacity
- Neonatal mortality: 27 per 1,000, highest in MENA region
Health and Medical Needs Interpretation
The numbers are a chorus of quiet catastrophes, where a child is statistically safer surviving a war than being born in a hospital.
Population Displacement
- Over 4.5 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Yemen as of 2024, with 4.8 million returnees facing reintegration challenges
- 85% of Yemen's territory is affected by displacement, hosting 5 million displaced since 2015
- In 2023, 120,000 people newly displaced due to conflict escalation in Marib and Taiz
- 2.1 million IDPs live in 1,400+ displacement sites, 40% protracted over 5 years
- Women and children comprise 78% of Yemen's IDP population, increasing vulnerability to GBV
- Floods displaced 200,000 in 2024, adding to 1.2 million affected by natural disasters
- 60% of IDPs unable to access adequate shelter, living in substandard conditions
- Returnee numbers reached 4.5 million by 2023, but 70% lack basic services upon return
- Host communities shelter 3 million IDPs, straining resources for 80% of locals
- Protracted displacement affects 1.5 million for over 10 years in Saada and Hajjah
- 45% of IDPs have disabilities or chronic illnesses, complicating mobility
- Conflict-induced displacement in Hodeidah displaced 50,000 in Q1 2024
- Non-IDP spontaneous settlements house 500,000, lacking services
- Female-headed IDP households: 15%, facing higher protection risks
- 80% of Yemenis in displacement-prone areas, with 20 conflict events displacing 10,000 weekly
- Evictions affected 100,000 IDPs in 2023 due to landowner disputes
- Cross-border displacement to Saudi Arabia: 100,000 Yemenis since 2023
- IDP children: 2.7 million out of school
- Durable solutions achieved for only 5% of IDPs since 2015
- Secondary displacement rate: 30% of IDPs moved 3+ times
- 3.3 million people in need of shelter assistance among 17 million total in 2024 HNO
- Yemen hosts 90,000 refugees mainly Somalis, strained by own crisis
- 2024 flash report: Airstrikes displaced 15,000 in Sanaa
- Only 28% of IDPs access formal camps, rest informal sites
- Drought displaced 50,000 rural populations internally in 2023
- Yemen has 4.5 million IDPs, world's 3rd largest crisis
Population Displacement Interpretation
The numbers paint a portrait of a nation perpetually uprooted, where the staggering statistic of 4.5 million displaced Yemenis—the world’s third largest crisis—masks a deeper tragedy of families endlessly shuffled between conflict, disaster, and return, only to find each destination offering little more than a different flavor of despair.
Water Sanitation and Hygiene
- 7.5 million Yemenis need WASH assistance in 2024, with 18 million lacking safe water
- 15 million people in Yemen practice open defecation due to destroyed sanitation infrastructure
- Cholera transmission linked to WASH: 80% of cases from contaminated water in 2023
- Only 40% of health facilities have reliable water supply, increasing infection risks
- 2.4 million children lack access to basic sanitation services in Yemen, 2024
- Water trucking reaches 5 million monthly, but costs $40 million/year amid shortages
- 70% of water facilities damaged or non-functional since conflict start
- Hygiene kit distribution: 3 million kits in 2023, but needs 10 million
- Acute watery diarrhea: 500,000 cases in children under 5 yearly, WASH-related
- Only 25% rural Yemenis have improved sanitation, vs 65% urban pre-conflict
- Fuel shortages halt water pumping for 4 million in Houthi areas
- Menstrual hygiene: 1.5 million girls lack facilities, increasing dropout rates
- Wastewater treatment plants operational at 10% capacity nationally
- 80% of groundwater depleted unsustainably, salinity up 50% in coastal areas
- WASH funding: only 20% of $600 million appeal met in 2024
- 12 million lack soap and hygiene items regularly
- Floods contaminated water sources for 1 million in 2024 Hadramaut
- Latrine coverage in IDP sites: 40%, leading to disease outbreaks
- Waterborne diseases account for 60% of child hospitalizations
- Solar-powered water systems installed for 500,000, but maintenance gaps persist
- 90% of schools lack separate girl toilets, affecting 3 million students
- Handwashing facilities with soap: only 10% in health centers
- WASH in nutrition sites: 70% non-compliant, risking SAM treatment failure
- Desalination plants provide 30% of urban water but fuel-dependent
- Diarrhea mortality: 25,000 children/year, preventable with WASH
- 4 million in need of emergency latrines in displacement sites
- Water quality testing shows 65% fecal contamination in tested sources
Water Sanitation and Hygiene Interpretation
Yemen is in a race against time where delivering a bucket of clean water and a bar of soap is as crucial as a ceasefire, because here a child is more likely to be killed by a preventable disease lurking in a contaminated well than by a bullet.
Sources & References
- Reference 1UNICEFunicef.orgVisit source
- Reference 2IPCINFOipcinfo.orgVisit source
- Reference 3WFPwfp.orgVisit source
- Reference 4NUTRITIONCLUSTERnutritioncluster.netVisit source
- Reference 5WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 6RELIEFWEBreliefweb.intVisit source
- Reference 7UNOCHAunocha.orgVisit source
- Reference 8FSINPLATFORMfsinplatform.orgVisit source
- Reference 9SAVETHECHILDRENsavethechildren.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 10DATAdata.humdata.orgVisit source
- Reference 11DHSPROGRAMdhsprogram.comVisit source
- Reference 12NEWSnews.un.orgVisit source
- Reference 13YEMENyemen.un.orgVisit source
- Reference 14FAOfao.orgVisit source
- Reference 15POLIOERADICATIONpolioeradication.orgVisit source
- Reference 16DATAdata.unicef.orgVisit source
- Reference 17COVID19covid19.who.intVisit source
- Reference 18EMROemro.who.intVisit source
- Reference 19MSFmsf.orgVisit source
- Reference 20UNFPAunfpa.orgVisit source
- Reference 21IMMUNIZATIONDATAimmunizationdata.who.intVisit source
- Reference 22UNAIDSunaids.orgVisit source
- Reference 23DTMdtm.iom.intVisit source
- Reference 24IOMiom.intVisit source
- Reference 25UNHCRunhcr.orgVisit source
- Reference 26SHELTERCLUSTERsheltercluster.orgVisit source
- Reference 27INTERNAL-DISPLACEMENTinternal-displacement.orgVisit source
- Reference 28CCCMCLUSTERcccmcluster.orgVisit source
- Reference 29UNWOMENunwomen.orgVisit source
- Reference 30ACLEDDATAacleddata.comVisit source
- Reference 31NRCnrc.noVisit source
- Reference 32UNESCOunesco.orgVisit source
- Reference 33DATAdata.unhcr.orgVisit source
- Reference 34IDMCidmc.chVisit source
- Reference 35WASHCLUSTERwashcluster.netVisit source
- Reference 36GLOBALWASHCLUSTERglobalwashcluster.orgVisit source
- Reference 37WASHDATAwashdata.orgVisit source
- Reference 38UNEPunep.orgVisit source
- Reference 39FTSfts.unocha.orgVisit source
- Reference 40OXFAMoxfam.orgVisit source
- Reference 41PROTECTINGEDUCATIONprotectingeducation.orgVisit source
- Reference 42UNun.orgVisit source
- Reference 43ARABSTATESarabstates.unwomen.orgVisit source
- Reference 44SAVECHILDRENsavechildren.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 45RIGHT-TO-EDUCATIONright-to-education.orgVisit source
- Reference 46EDUCATIONCLUSTEReducationcluster.netVisit source
- Reference 47ILOilo.orgVisit source
- Reference 48HALOTRUSThalotrust.orgVisit source
- Reference 49UISuis.unesco.orgVisit source
- Reference 50UNDPundp.orgVisit source
- Reference 51UNRWAunrwa.orgVisit source
- Reference 52WORLDBANKworldbank.orgVisit source
- Reference 53SAVETHECHILDRENsavethechildren.netVisit source