UN Expects Deteriorating Food Security in Yemen in Next Four Months
A UN report expected that the food security situation in Yemen will continue to worsen over the next four months, saying over a quarter of internally displaced people (IDPs) in four government-controlled areas experienced moderate to severe hunger in April.
'In April 2025, the Household Hunger Scale (HHS), which indicates extreme starvation, showed that slightly over a quarter (25.3%) of IDPs in selected four government-controlled areas (Aden, Lahj, Marib and Taizz) experienced moderate to severe hunger,' said the report issued this week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
It showed that the prevalence of food security deteriorated slightly from their March levels and that the situation among IDPs is expected to worsen further in the months ahead through September as the lean season sets in from May.
'Around 47% of households in the four governorates had inadequate food consumption, with 34% consuming fewer than four food groups,' FAO said. 'About 17.3% of IDP households experienced severe food deprivation, as measured by poor food consumption score,' it added.
In its report, the second assessment conducted in Yemen this year, the UN agency noted that IDPs residing in camp sites generally faced higher rates of severe food deprivation (30%-42%) compared to those living within host communities in Aden, Lahj, and Taizz.
Notably, it said, IDPs in Marib Camp had the lowest levels of severe food deprivation.
Also, FAO said households relying on natural resources for their main source of livelihoods (like bee production and collection/sale of forestry products), casual wage laborers, livestock keepers, pensioners, and those dependent on welfare or charity were among the most food-insecure groups.
About 72% of IDP households experienced various economic shocks - such as high food and fuel prices and limited income opportunities - that affected their ability to access food.
About 58% reported a decrease in their primary income over the past month, with 30% stating their income had more than halved, it said.
In the report conducted with the government's Executive Unit for the Management of Displacement Camps in Yemen, FAO said that approximately 20% of households resorted to food-based coping strategies, mainly consuming less preferred diets due to food shortages or lack of income to purchase food.
About 66% of surveyed IDP households employed crisis coping strategies, while 10% resorted to emergency coping mechanisms, it added.
Concerning the Food Consumption Score (FCS), FAO said the prevalence of inadequate food consumption (borderline and poor) among IDPs remained relatively stable in the selected four governorates between March and April 2025, with a slight increase from 46.7% to 47.3%.
Meanwhile in camps, the rate worsened significantly, rising from 42.8% to 53.6%, indicating a notable decline in food access or quality.
Conversely, among IDPs in host communities, there was a slight improvement, with the rate decreasing from 47.5% to 46.1%.
This trend, it said, underscores the growing food security and welfare disparities between IDPs in camps and those living within host communities.
According to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), the proportion of individuals facing immediate food insecurity requiring urgent intervention has slightly increased by 2% since March 2025 with 36% of IDPs in camps and 29% of those in host communities are affected during the reporting month, FAO said.
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