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Alsharq Tribune- M.Essam
The levels of hunger and poverty are worsening in Yemen’s Houthi-held areas, amid an unprecedented economic slowdown and deterioration in the business environment, a recent UN report revealed.
On Friday, the latest FAO-WFP Hunger Hotspots early warning report categorized Yemen among the countries of “highest concern” requiring urgent humanitarian response.
“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,” the report said.
It showed that 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.
The latest numbers came as Houthis continue to intensify their crackdown on UN and other aid agencies in Yemen through arbitrary arrests, raids on facilities, and confiscation of assets.
The FAO-WFP report noted that 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,” it said.
The report also revealed that Internally Displaced People (IDPs) continue to face severe hunger, with 24% of them reporting at least one member of the family endured an entire day and night without food, a rate more than double that of residents.
In government-controlled areas, it said the exchange rate remained stable at an average of YER 1,616/USD for the third consecutive month.
Appreciation of Yemeni rial 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, the report noted, 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 Houthi-held areas, the rial remained steady at YER 534/USD.
However, food and fuel prices on a US dollar basis remained higher in those areas compared to the government-held areas, the report showed. Economic concerns persist, with recent observations revealing an economic slowdown and deterioration in the business environment in Houthi areas, it said, noting that the cumulative burden continues to undermine the financial capacity of traders.
