Global Aid Cuts Leave Crisis Zones Vulnerable as Donor Countries Pull Back in 2025

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is grappling with a major Ebola outbreak that has, according to the latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO), resulted in 220 suspected deaths and more than 900 suspected cases so far.

The outbreak, declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO on 16 May, is putting immense strain on the country’s health infrastructure, already weakened by international aid reductions and ongoing armed conflict across the region.

“This outbreak is hitting a country already stretched to breaking point,” said Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Oxfam Country Director in the DRC.

“Ongoing conflict and years of aid cuts have deepened a humanitarian crisis of staggering scale: one in four people are going hungry. Those same aid cuts left DRC effectively exposed to Ebola, weakening the surveillance systems that should have detected this outbreak weeks earlier.”

The International Rescue Committee warned that funding shortfalls have left the region “dangerously” exposed.

“Years of underinvestment and recent funding cuts have left many health facilities without adequate protective equipment, surveillance capacity, or frontline support needed to respond quickly and safely,” said Heather Reoch Kerr, IRC’s Country Director for DRC.

She added that certain activities previously supported by donor funding — including the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to health facilities — have been significantly reduced, and many facilities in affected areas are now operating without basic protective supplies.

According to the United Nations, 239 million people will need urgent humanitarian assistance in 2026, following a 2025 marked by severe cuts to humanitarian operations and a record number of deadly attacks against aid workers.

Who Has Cut Humanitarian Funding?

International aid grew steadily over the past five decades, reaching record levels in 2023. Yet as global need has expanded, foreign aid reductions are now affecting multiple countries and health organisations worldwide.

In 2023, Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the 33 member countries of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) totalled $229 billion (€197 billion).

By 2024, that figure had fallen to $215 billion (€185 billion) — the first decline after five consecutive years of growth — and dropped further to $165 billion (€142 billion) in 2025.

Who Are the Biggest Donors?

Humanitarian aid, while running into billions of euros annually, remains concentrated among a small number of major donors.

Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and France are the largest donors by volume, while a cluster of northern European countries continues to dedicate the highest share of national income to aid.

In 2025, these five countries were responsible for 95.7% of the total decline in ODA, according to the OECD. The US alone accounted for three-quarters of the drop, with its assistance falling by 56.9% compared to 2024 — the largest single-year reduction in aid volume ever recorded for any donor.

Even after these cuts, the same five donors continued to dominate funding in 2025, collectively accounting for the vast majority of total aid flows. Their reduced budgets, however, significantly lowered the overall resources available to low- and middle-income countries.

In terms of Gross National Income (GNI), Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands contribute the highest shares.

Beyond individual nations, the European Union and its member states also channel aid through dedicated mechanisms. Combined, the EU and its 27 member states are the world’s leading providers of humanitarian assistance, accounting for 40% of global humanitarian aid in 2025.

The EU’s long-term budget for 2021–2027 includes a dedicated humanitarian aid line, with a total of €11.57 billion allocated across the seven-year period — roughly €1.65 billion per year. The budget for 2028–2034 is currently under negotiation.

Source link