Entesaf Organization: Catastrophic Rise in Poverty Rates in Yemen

On Oct 17, 2025

Entesaf Organization for Women and Children’s Rights revealed a catastrophic rise in poverty rates in Yemen, confirming that more than eight out of ten Yemenis live below the poverty line.

In a statement issued on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17, a copy of which was received by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the organization explained that the poverty rate has risen to an unprecedented 82.7%, making the humanitarian disaster in Yemen one of the worst in the world, after nearly eleven years of aggression and blockade.

The statement indicated that this rate reflects the reality of multidimensional poverty experienced by more than 82.7% of Yemenis, noting that the poverty rate in rural areas reached 89.4%, while in urban areas it reached 68.9%.

It stated that, on average, 46.7 percent of the poor suffer from various forms of deprivation, and more than 54 percent of the population faces a severe deterioration in their livelihoods. According to UN reports, 21 million people are in need of food, and 12 million children are in need of assistance.

Regarding food security, the statement confirmed that the situation has deteriorated to the point of famine, with more than 21.6 million people, equivalent to 75 percent of the country’s population, in need of food assistance, including 17.6 million people suffering from severe food insecurity.

The organization stated that 12.6 million children require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection, and that more than eight out of ten children live in households that do not have sufficient income to meet their basic needs.

The organization holds the US- and Saudi-led aggression coalition fully responsible for this horrific economic collapse and the rise in poverty rates to their current levels. It emphasized that the aggression and the air, land, and sea blockade have continued for more than 10 years, and that the direct and systematic targeting of the Yemeni people is the primary reason for the deterioration of living conditions.

The organization called on the international community, UN organizations, and human rights and humanitarian bodies to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibility and take immediate action to fully lift the blockade and halt the aggression, enabling the Yemeni people to restore their livelihoods and address humanitarian gaps, especially in the food and health sectors.