At a glance
PEOPLE IN NEED 131.7M
PEOPLE TO RECEIVE AID 93.6M
FUNDING REQUIRED* $21.9B
Global trends and challenges
Despite global development gains, one in every 70 people around the world is caught up in crisis and urgently needs humanitarian assistance and protection.
More people are being displaced by conflict. The number of forcibly displaced people rose from 59.5 million in 2014 to 68.5 million in 2017.
Natural disasters and climate change have a high human cost. Disasters affect 350 million people on average each year and cause billions of dollars of damage.
Food insecurity is rising. In just two years between 2015 and 2017, the number of people experiencing crisis-level food insecurity or worse increased from 80 million to 124 million people.
Crises exacerbate gender inequalities. Girls in conflict settings are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys.
Humanitarian crises affect more people, for longer. The number of people targeted to receive assistance through UN-led humanitarian response plans (HRPs) increased from 77 million in 2014 to 101 million in 2018.
The average humanitarian crisis now lasts more than nine years. Nearly three quarters of people targeted to receive assistance in 2018 are in countries affected by humanitarian crisis for seven years or more.
Humanitarian organizations are increasingly successful in saving lives and reducing suffering, but many needs still remain unmet.
Despite a significant increase in funding, from $10.6 billion in 2014 to $13.9 billion in 2017, the gap in coverage for UN-led humanitarian response plans hovers at about 40 per cent. 2018 is on track to be another record year for humanitarian funding. As of 19 November, donors and partners have reported contributions of $13.9 billion to HRPs, compared with $12.6 billion at the same time last year.
Coverage rates have also increased. As of 19 November, coverage for HRPs was at 56 per cent, compared with 52 per cent at the same time in 2018.
Global humanitarian funding has reached a new high of $22 billion, surpassing the $21.5 billion raised in 2017.
Large protracted crises command the majority of resources. Between 2014 and 2018, just four crises – Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Syria – accounted for 55 per cent of all funding requested and received.