In Yemen, the prolonged conflict that began in 2015 has devastated its infrastructure and healthcare systems. Years of displacement and economic collapse have left millions of Yemenis unable to access basic necessities, including food, healthcare, and clean water. The situation is compounded by widespread poverty and reappearances of preventable diseases such as Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD), measles, and malaria. These disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including children under five, pregnant and lactating women, and marginalized communities. The food security situation in Yemen has reached critical levels. According to United Nations (UN), in 2025, an estimated 17.1 million people (49% of Yemen’s population) are projected to face food insecurity and 19.5 million people across Yemen need humanitarian assistance and protection services.

MSF has been actively responding to malnutrition since 2010 by operating Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centers (ITFCs) in collaboration with health authorities in Amran, Saada, Hajja, Taiz, Marib, and Hudaydah. These centers provide specialized treatment for children under five suffering from severe and moderate acute malnutrition with complications. Admission data of three years, from January 2022 to December 2024, from MSF-supported facilities shows a 45% % increase in hospital admissions of malnutrition cases. The number of cases rose from 9,461 in 2022 to 13,760 in 2024.

Gaps in healthcare infrastructure and funding tend to exacerbate the issue of malnutrition. According to World Health Organization, as of April 2024, nearly 46% of health facilities in Yemen were partially functional or completely out of service. Only 20% offered maternal and child health services, a figure critically low since Yemen has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world. Limited access to comprehensive follow-up care for malnutrition patients and resource constraints often lead to high relapse rates, further deepening their vulnerability.

MSF’s response is also being extended towards advocacy, calling on international donors and humanitarian actors to prioritize funding for nutrition programs, strengthen routine immunization services, and address critical gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services.

Yemen’s struggle with malnutrition remains one of the most pressing yet underreported humanitarian issues. As the world’s attention shifts to other crises, this issue continues to be sidelined from public and media attention, leaving millions of individuals without the support they urgently need. This communication initiative aims to draw wider attention to Yemen’s significant and recurring malnutrition challenge, reflect MSF’s response, and advocate for urgent humanitarian and policy-level actions to address the gaps in healthcare, nutrition, and food security.