UNICEF Warns: Acute Malnutrition Increases Among Children in Yemen

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On Friday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned of a clear increase in cases of acute malnutrition among children in Yemen, including the most severe cases, at a time when military confrontations are disrupting access to health facilities and treatment centers.

UNICEF's representative in Yemen, Achim Steiner, said during a video briefing for journalists in Geneva from Aden: "We are deeply concerned about the clear increase in acute malnutrition among children."

The warning comes after renewed fighting in several areas of Yemen during September, exacerbating a humanitarian crisis that has lasted for more than a decade, while UN estimates indicate that malnutrition, food security, and the fragile health system have become intertwined crises threatening millions of children.

UNICEF's figures reveal the extent of the danger. The organization expects that around 500,000 children will suffer from severe wasting by 2026, which is the most dangerous form of acute malnutrition. Its data also indicates that 17% of children suffer from wasting, while the rate of stunting reaches 49%, and 41% suffer from underweight, which are among the highest rates in the Middle East and North Africa.

Other estimates from UNICEF indicate that around 2.2 million children in Yemen are suffering from acute malnutrition, while only 15% of children receive the minimum acceptable diet necessary for growth and development. The crisis is linked to food shortages, poverty, deteriorating health, water, and sanitation services, and the spread of diseases.

Food insecurity exacerbates the grim picture. By early 2026, 49% of Yemen's population was facing severe food insecurity, while approximately 19.7 million people needed humanitarian assistance, including 15 million women and children.

The warnings issued on Friday gain additional importance with the resurgence of confrontations. On September 16, UNICEF reported that more than 104,000 people, including over 57,000 children, had been displaced in just two weeks due to fighting in western Taiz, southern Al Hudaydah, Marib, and other areas. Services in 26 health facilities supported by the organization have also been disrupted.

The disruption of health centers means that the danger is not limited to food shortages, as children suffering from severe wasting need early detection, treatment, and specialized therapeutic foods, while delays in accessing care lead to increased complications.

Yemen's health system suffers from severe weakness, as UNICEF states that 40% of health facilities are only partially operational or have completely shut down due to a lack of staff, funding, electricity, medicines, equipment, and infrastructure issues.

The food crisis is not separate from the economic situation. Years of war, declining sources of income, and rising food and service costs have made millions of families less able to secure their children's needs, while international reports have placed Yemen among ten countries that collectively account for two-thirds of people facing high levels of acute hunger globally.

UNICEF and its partners are trying to keep treatment and nutrition programs ongoing, aiming to include more than 412,000 children suffering from severe wasting in treatment programs by 2026, as part of a humanitarian appeal worth $146.3 million to assist 5.2 million people, including 3.5 million children.

However, the resurgence of fighting adds a new obstacle to these efforts, as reaching the affected child and getting them to a treatment center becomes more difficult in a country where the crisis of malnutrition is a cumulative result of war, poverty, food insecurity, deteriorating health services, and the spread of diseases, according to the UN agency.