A new report has revealed serious challenges facing the global humanitarian aid system, pointing to reduced funding, increased demand for assistance, and government actions that sometimes place civilians at risk. The report, titled State of the Humanitarian System 2026, was released on Thursday and shows that 64 million fewer people received aid in 2025 compared to previous years. Funding for humanitarian aid dropped by 30% between 2022 and 2025, with thousands of aid workers losing their jobs. This marks one of the largest reductions in the system's history since its creation after World War II. In 2025, aid efforts were largely focused on people in immediate danger, while support for long-term recovery and development was significantly cut. Jennifer Doherty, co-author of the report from the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (Alnap), noted that the impact of these cuts was uneven, with women, children, the elderly, and displaced people being the most affected. She said that up to 23% of humanitarian staff were lost in 2025, leading to the closure of key services and making it harder to provide targeted support. Total funding for humanitarian aid fell to an estimated $33.3 billion in 2025, down from a peak of $47.5 billion in 2022. The U.S. government, through USAID, saw the most drastic cut, with a 55% reduction in funding, while 13 of the top 20 donors also reduced their contributions. The report also pointed to increasing pressure from governments on how aid is used, including the U.S. freezing funding for programs linked to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. As a result, the amount of aid per person dropped from $178 in 2021 to $90 in 2025, even though individual needs had risen to $255. Another major issue was that governments not only failed to protect civilians but in some cases actively endangered them. States were responsible for 64% of attacks on healthcare workers and were largely to blame for violence against aid workers through the use of airstrikes. Yemen was one of the hardest-hit countries, with worsening nutrition and a rise in diphtheria cases due to halted vaccination campaigns. Mohammed Bahashwan, a country director for Action for Humanity in Yemen, said the reduction in aid is making crises even more severe for families. “Problems are not occurring separately,” he said. “A family may have lost income, can’t afford food, have a malnourished child, and still need to travel long distances or pay costs they can’t afford to access healthcare.” Despite these challenges, the report noted that local aid organizations and diaspora networks often led efforts to support those in need. However, the international aid system did not coordinate well with these local groups, and local aid workers were among the hardest hit by funding cuts. Meg Sattler, CEO of Ground Truth Solutions, an organization based in Vienna that conducts regular aid need assessments, called for more focus on local aid efforts. She said the international system has not adapted quickly enough to the cuts and policies imposed by the U.S. “People are feeling the impact of these reductions,” she said. “Aid is now seen as 'life-saving only,' which means people can't send their children to school or save money to start a business—things that would help them become less reliant on aid in the future.”