The United Nations has issued a stark warning that nearly half of Yemen’s population in government-controlled southern areas is now facing acute food insecurity, with conditions expected to deteriorate further in the coming months .

According to the latest update from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), approximately 4.95 million people are currently experiencing crisis-level hunger or worse, including 1.5 million at emergency levels. By early 2026, this number could rise to 5.38 million—over 53% of the population in these regions .

The crisis is fueled by a combination of relentless conflict, economic collapse, currency depreciation, and increasingly severe weather. Recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have further choked vital supply routes, exacerbating the humanitarian emergency .

Humanitarian agencies including the World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and FAO are urgently calling for sustained international support to prevent further deterioration. “More and more people in Yemen don’t know where their next meal will come from,” said Siemon Hollema, Deputy Country Director of WFP in Yemen .