Global aid cuts leave millions with less help
Sharp cuts in humanitarian funding have left tens of millions of people receiving less assistance as global needs continue to grow, according to a new report released Thursday.
The State of the Humanitarian System 2026, published by the UK-based Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance, examined the international humanitarian system between 2022 and 2025 and described the period as one of the most difficult in recent history.
Humanitarian funding fell to an estimated $33.3 billion in 2025, down from a peak of $47.5 billion in 2022. Overall aid contributions declined by about 30% during the three-year period, while thousands of humanitarian workers lost their jobs.
The report said the funding contraction came as conflicts, climate shocks, displacement and attacks on aid workers increased worldwide.
Conflict drives growing humanitarian needs
The report found that one in seven people were affected by conflict during the period under review, while state-based violence intensified and conflict overtook disasters as the main cause of internal displacement.
By the end of 2025, 117.8 million people were displaced worldwide, including 41.6 million refugees.
Humanitarian operations in some of the world's most severe crises were also constrained by political obstruction, ongoing fighting and violations of international humanitarian law, particularly in Sudan and the Gaza Strip.
The report said the effects of shrinking funding were not evenly distributed.
“The combination of reduced funding and restrictive politics meant women, children, elderly people and displaced people were especially hardest hit,” said Jennifer Doherty, a co-author of the report.
Donor cuts deepen pressure on aid system
The United States Agency for International Development, USAID, recorded the most dramatic reduction among major donors, with funding falling by 55% in 2025, according to the report.
Cuts by other donor governments added to the pressure on humanitarian organizations already struggling to respond to expanding needs.
The report warned that the combination of rising humanitarian demand and shrinking resources is placing the international aid system under severe strain, leaving vulnerable populations with fewer services at a time when conflict and displacement continue to increase.
Source:AA
