The aid sector is being squeezed by escalating conflicts and shrinking budgets. Agencies are prioritizing the most dangerous theaters while stepping back from others; local groups inherit the frontline but without comparable security resources.
A record 383 aid workers were killed last year, and about 230 more died in the first six months of 2025, provisional figures show. Humanitarian experts warn fatalities could climb further as massive US funding cuts force organizations to scale back security.
Major violent incidents were up 36% compared to 2023, with 308 aid workers injured and 125 kidnapped, according to the Aid Worker Security Report compiled by research group Humanitarian Outcomes. The deadliest place was Gaza, followed by Sudan, Lebanon, Ethiopia, and Syria. Almost all those killed were nationals of the places where they worked.
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What’s Driving the Spike
The report says the rising number of fatalities reflects intensifying violence in many conflicts. But it also warns that funding cuts will make aid work increasingly dangerous. “The cuts will have a severe impact on aid worker security and will likely lead to more aid workers being killed,” said lead author Abby Stoddard, adding that the risks would fall overwhelmingly on local and national aid organizations.
The United States previously accounted for nearly a third of international aid, but President Donald Trump’s administration has slashed funding, forcing the humanitarian sector to axe programs and shed staff. Stoddard said there were already reports linking the cuts to security incidents, including unpaid contractors storming aid agency offices and angry protests by communities that lost services.
Security Isn’t Cheap — and Cuts Change the Map
Good security enables agencies to work in the most challenging areas, but staff training, secure communications equipment, and the use of armoured vehicles and air travel are costly. International organizations are now focusing on maintaining security in Sudan, Haiti, and Myanmar, while scaling back elsewhere. Those operating in Latin Americahave been particularly hard hit due to heavy reliance on US funding.
Many international agencies are considering transferring operations to local organizations, but the report says most cannot afford adequate security without extra support. One security expert warned that if organizations were fully localised, it could lead to a “massive increase” in violent incidents. Stoddard added that security cutbacks mean many international agencies are no longer trying to expand into hard-to-reach areas, leaving local organizations operating alone — and at higher risk of attack.
Funding cuts are also eroding sector-wide safety tools. The report cites the loss of support for the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO), which monitors volatile regions and provides risk analysis and security training. “It’s like turning the lights off,” Stoddard said. “Organizations suddenly lose visibility on what and where the risks are.”
The United States was a major funder of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), used by hundreds of aid organizations to transport staff and cargo into crisis areas. Reduced flights will push more travel onto riskier roads, the report said.
The United States was a major funder of the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), used by hundreds of aid organizations to transport staff and cargo into crisis areas. Reduced flights will push more travel onto riskier roads, the report said.
Context and Conflict: A Sector Pulled in Opposite Directions
The aid sector is being squeezed by escalating conflicts and shrinking budgets. Agencies are prioritizing the most dangerous theaters while stepping back from others; local groups inherit the frontline but without comparable security resources. The result, the data suggest, is a higher toll on those delivering help.
Last year’s record death toll and 2025’s early trajectory underscore a stark equation: less funding, less security, more danger. The warnings are plain in the figures — and the consequences are already falling hardest on the local aid workers who keep operations running where the needs are greatest.
Lead image courtesy of : Charity Organisation, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Flickr (Aid worker deaths reached a record high in 2024 – and experts warn fatalities could climb further as US aid cuts force organisations to scale back security and rely more heavily on vulnerable local staff).
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