Tens of Millions Miss Out on Humanitarian Aid as Global System Crumbles

Funding cuts in 2025 left women, children, older people and displaced communities particularly vulnerable, with 64 million fewer people receiving assistance.

The global humanitarian aid system is facing a severe crisis as funding declines, pressure on aid organisations increases and governments fail to adequately protect civilians. In some cases, governments themselves are contributing to the dangers faced by civilians and aid workers, according to a new report published Thursday.

The State of the Humanitarian System 2026 report found that 64 million fewer people received humanitarian assistance in 2025. Humanitarian funding fell by about 30% between 2022 and 2025, while thousands of aid workers lost their jobs.

The report, produced by the humanitarian organisation Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP), described the contraction as one of the largest in the humanitarian system since its creation in the aftermath of the Second World War.

In 2025, humanitarian assistance increasingly focused only on people whose lives were considered to be in immediate danger. Support for longer-term needs, recovery and efforts to help communities become less dependent on aid was sharply reduced.

Jennifer Doherty, a co-author of the report, said the impact of the cuts had not been evenly distributed. Women, children, older people and displaced populations were particularly affected by the combination of reduced funding and political restrictions.

Doherty estimated that as much as 23% of humanitarian-sector staffing may have been lost in 2025, forcing specialised services to close and making it more difficult to maintain targeted assistance.

Humanitarian funding fell to an estimated $33.3 billion in 2025, down from a peak of $47.5 billion in 2022. The most dramatic reduction came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), whose funding fell by 55% in 2025. Thirteen of the 20 largest donors also reduced their contributions.

The report also highlighted growing government restrictions over how humanitarian funds could be used. It cited the US freeze on programmes considered to be associated with diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

At the same time, the amount of assistance allocated per recipient declined sharply. The targeted amount fell from $178 per person in 2021 to $90 in 2025, even though estimated needs had increased to around $255 per person.

The report also raised concerns about attacks against humanitarian and healthcare workers. States were responsible for 64% of attacks on healthcare workers, while governments were also largely responsible for violence affecting aid workers through military operations, including airstrikes.

Yemen was among the countries severely affected by the reductions in assistance. Nutrition conditions deteriorated and diphtheria cases increased after vaccination campaigns were suspended.

Mohammed Bahashwan, Action for Humanity's country director in Yemen, said declining aid was worsening the multiple crises faced by families. A single household, he noted, could simultaneously lose its income, struggle to afford food, care for a malnourished child and face unaffordable costs to reach healthcare.

The report said local aid organisations and diaspora networks had in some cases stepped in to support vulnerable communities. However, the international humanitarian system had not coordinated effectively with these networks, while local organisations and their employees were often among those most affected by funding cuts.

Meg Sattler, chief executive of Ground Truth Solutions, called for greater emphasis on locally led humanitarian responses. She said the international system had not adapted quickly enough to the contraction in funding or adequately challenged restrictions imposed by major donors.

Sattler said people were increasingly distressed as humanitarian assistance became limited to immediate life-saving interventions. Activities such as keeping children in school or saving money to start a small business—measures that could help families become less dependent on aid—were increasingly being left unsupported.

Sorce: The Guardian