Yemen as one of the Arab Least Developed Countries (LDC) continue to face high levels of multidimensional poverty, despite some progress over the past decade, according to a recent study by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
The study found that Yemen have witnessed only marginal progress or stagnation and has shown virtually no progress, with the multidimensional poverty headcount fluctuating around 37–38 per cent between 2013 and 2023, and poverty intensity remaining consistently above 50 per cent.
The progress of Yemen, according to the study, has been significantly hampered by its prolonged conflict, which began in 2015 and has led to a devastating humanitarian emergency, displacing families, disrupting food systems and destroying infrastructure.
ESCWA study noticed that by 2025, more than 19.5 million Yemeni people require humanitarian aid, with 17.1 million, roughly half of the population, facing acute food insecurity.
Among the three LDCs (the Comoros, Mauritania and Yemen), the study noticed, Mauritania stands out. Its Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) headcount ratio is higher than expected given its GDP per capita, indicating significant multidimensional poverty compared to other countries with similar standards of living.
In contrast, Yemen and the Comoros align more closely with the global trend, showing expected levels of multidimensional poverty relative to their GDP per capita.
An analysis of the drivers of multidimensional poverty in Yemen, the study found, reveals that living standards and education are the main contributors. Specifically, deprivation in school attendance is the primary contributor, while nutrition deprivation is critical Yemen.
Over the past decade, the most notable improvements across the three countries were in sanitation, access to drinking water and electricity, particularly in rural areas, helping to narrow urban-rural disparities.
A notable exception was rural Yemen, where it increased slightly from 5.80 per cent to 5.93 per cent over the decade.
Deprivations in access to drinking water and electricity were also reduced in most settings, though rural Yemen witnessed a decline in both. However, deprivation in assets sharply deteriorated in Yemen, as a result of the deepening economic and humanitarian crisis.
The study recommended that policymakers must:
1. Tackle both new and existing challenges through pro-poor social and economic policies. Concurrently, it is crucial to strengthen data collection mechanisms, ensuring the production of disaggregated and timely data for effective monitoring of multidimensional poverty.
2. Ensuring at least minimal standards of access to sanitation, clean drinking water and energy is imperative. Domestic efforts should also aim to empower citizens’ mechanisms for coping with precarious economic conditions by expanding access to digital banking and micro-loans.
3. International cooperation should be revitalized to overcome development hurdles and unlock necessary resources for genuine progress. External support is required, particularly through conflict- resolution and peace-keeping mechanisms and official development assistance, to support government functioning, especially in providing basic nutrition.