WFP Yemen Food Security Update, November 2025

Key Highlights;

• The latest FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots early warning report categorized Yemen among the countries of “highest concern” requiring urgent humanitarian response. In October 2025**, adequate food remained inaccessible for 63% of surveyed households in Yemen**. Extremely concerning is that 35% of Yemeni households are experiencing severe food deprivation. The households with poor food consumption mainly rely on cereals, sugar, and fats while meat, fruits, pulses, and dairy products were nearly absent from their diet.
• IDPs continue to face severe hunger, with 24% of IDPs reporting at least one member of the family endured an entire day and night without food—a rate more than double that of residents (10 percent). Economic capacity also exhausted nationwide, with an average Yemeni household spending more than 70% of its resources on food, leaving very little for other essential needs.
• In IRG-controlled areas, the exchange rate remained stable at an average of YER 1,616/USD for the third consecutive month. Appreciation of Yemeni Riyal followed by gradual self-correction of market and effective price control led to a notable, though disproportionate, decline in food and fuel prices, with the MFB cost falling by 19% YoY. Nonetheless, underlying vulnerabilities persist, particularly limited foreign currency reserves despite Saudi deposits. The World Bank estimated a 30% YoY decline in IRG revenues in the first half of 2025, undermining the provision of essential services. In SBA areas, the riyal remained steady at YER 534/USD. However, food and fuel prices on a USD basis remained higher in SBA areas compared to IRG areas. Economic concerns persist, with recent observations revealing an economic slowdown and deterioration in the business environment in SBA areas. The cumulative burden continues to undermine the financial capacity of traders.
• Damage to Red Sea port infrastructure and reduced capacity resulted in a 22% decline in food imports and 27% in fuel imports during January–October 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. In IRG-controlled ports, food imports rose during the same period by 51% YoY, yet fuel supplies fell by 32%.
• Funding for the 2025 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan is at its lowest level since the beginning of the crisis in 2015, with contributions standing at only 24% as of mid-November. Starting January 2026, WFP will reduce the number of people receiving food assistance in IRG areas from 3.4 million to 1.6 million per cycle due to severe funding shortages. In SBA areas, all WFP activities remain paused.

[[{"type":"media","fid":"108840","view_mode":"default","instance_fields":"override","link_text":"monthly_food_security_update_nov_2025.pdf"}]]