20
million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance - the conflict has affected more than two thirds of Yemen's population.
5
million people in Yemen are just a step away from famine and half a million are already living in famine-like conditions.
1 in 4
of the displaced Yemeni families is headed by a woman or girl - 20 percent are under the age of 18.
Yemen, located at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Six years of war have driven more than 4 million people from their homes and 20 million 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 continued to deteriorate. Half of Yemen’s health facilities are shuttered or destroyed and years of economic decline and institutional collapse are pushing the country to the brink of a large-scale famine, with half a million people living in famine-like conditions and at least 16 million more facing significant risk of going hungry in 2021.
Displaced Yemenis are the ones at most risk. Approximately 67 percent of them – some 2.6 million people - are currently food insecure and studies show that they are four times more at risk of falling into hunger than others. Their situation has been further compounded by the coronavirus pandemic and outbreaks of preventable diseases – such as cholera, diphtheria, measles, and dengue fever – that were long-ago eradicated elsewhere in the world.
Despite the conflict, Yemen hosts more than 135,000 refugees and asylum seekers from Somalia and Ethiopia, making it the world’s second largest host of Somali refugees.
VIDEO
UNHCR is on the ground aiding Yemeni refugees, but resources are stretched too thin. Your gift will offer hope for a safe future.
Despite challenging circumstances, the UN Refugee Agency is on the ground delivering lifesaving support to millions of displaced Yemenis as well, as to refugees and asylum-seekers, across the country.
Protection and food security remain the top priorities. UNHCR is helping displaced Yemeni families meet their basic needs through the provision of shelter, essential household supplies, cash assistance, registration services and legal aid. The cash-assistance program reaches more than one million people every year.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, UNHCR has also been supporting health facilities, distributing hygiene kits and promoting activities to raise awareness about the disease.
Learn more about What We Do.
Yemen Crisis Explained
What is it like to be a woman in Yemen?
Somali refugee family sits near their shelter
in Kharaz refugee camp, Yemen.