About the Crisis in Yemen

Yemen, located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia, remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Five years of conflict have forced more than 3.6 million people to flee their homes and approximately 80 percent of the population – 24.1 million people – are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Since violence broke out in late March 2015, conditions in Yemen - already one of the poorest countries in the Middle East - have rapidly deteriorated. Extreme shortages of food, safe water, sanitation and healthcare, as well as deadly massive outbreaks of cholera and diphtheria have taken a heavy toll on civilian lives and deprived families of basic needs.  At least 70 percent majority of the population lack access to food, safe water and adequate healthcare and nearly one million suspected cholera cases have been registered since 2018.

Despite the conflict, conditions in the surrounding region are so poor that more than 300,000 refugees and asylum seekers have sought refuge in Yemen, fleeing violence and persecution in Somalia and Ethiopia.

What is UNHCR doing to help in Yemen?

Personal safety and food security remain two of the biggest challenges people face in Yemen. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is on the ground helping treat acute malnutrition by delivering food, nutritional programs and cash assistance to displaced families. 

UNHCR provides shelter kits and household items - such as mattresses, blankets, sleeping mats and kitchen sets - to help vulnerable families repair damaged homes and refurbish settlements. The UN Refugee Agency also supports health facilities that serve refugees and asylum-seekers and works to prevent and control the spread of cholera which has become a serious public health emergency as a result of the conflict. 

UNHCR’s assistance has reached people in need in all regions of the country. In 2018 alone, at least 1.2 million internally displaced people received core relief items or cash assistance.

Learn more about What We Do.