Global humanitarian aid system faces unprecedented crisis as funding shrinks and 64 million fewer people receive assistance

A new report warns that the global humanitarian aid system is crumbling due to shrinking funding and increasing pressures, with governments increasingly endangering civilians rather than protecting them. In the past year, 64 million fewer people received aid. Aid contributions have been cut by 30% between 2022 and 2025, leading to one of the largest contractions of the humanitarian system since its post-World War II formation. In 2025, aid focused almost exclusively on immediate life-saving interventions, drastically scaling back support for longer-term issues and recovery efforts.