Who is the world's largest humanitarian donor? From year to year, the figures vary on how much money governments and supranational organizations contribute to emergency humanitarian aid worldwide. One country is contributing much more, while other governments keep a low profile. But there are also some stable trends over several years. Different calculations lead to slightly diverging results. DONARE's rankings are based on financial data provided by the United Nations.
Long-Term Trends
- The United States (US) is the world’s leading international humanitarian donor. The US is then followed on second place by the European Union. The European Commission and the EU member states together are the most important international donor of humanitarian aid, alongside the United States.
- Usually, another representation is chosen. If the European institutions (especially the European Commission) are considered separately from the member states, a slightly different picture emerges. Then, the United States of America ranks number 1 as the largest donor country, followed regularly by Germany as the second-largest donor of humanitarian aid. According to this view, the European Union institutions are in third place among international donors. The European Commission and Germany sometimes change places regarding second and third rank.
- The United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and Japan usually make it into the top ten. Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are also important humanitarian donors.
- In terms of share of gross domestic product (GDP), Norway, Sweden, and Denmark stand out in particular as they invest an above-average percentage of GDP in international humanitarian aid.
- The bulk of the global humanitarian funding - more than 80 percent - is provided by just ten countries or international organizations.
OCHA Financial Tracking Service (FTS)
The United Nations (UN) are tracking humanitarian donor contributions channelled by governments through UN agencies, UN funds, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The system is called Financial Tracking Service (FTS) and provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Largest Donors of Humanitarian Aid in 2024
According to FTS data, as of October 2024, the United States ranks No. 1 as the largest donor country in 2024, followed by the European Commission in second place. Germany is the third-largest donor of humanitarian aid this year. Sweden ranks fourth. The United Kingdom is lagging behind in fifth place.
The ten largest governmental donors in 2024
- United States of America
- European Commission
- Germany
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Saudi Arabia
- Switzerland
- France
- Netherlands
Largest Donors of Humanitarian Aid in 2023
According to FTS data, the U.S. ranked No. 1 as the largest donor country in 2023, followed by the Germany in second place. The European Commission was the third-largest donor of humanitarian aid. Japan ranked fourth. The United Kingdom dropped to seventh place.
The ten largest governmental donors in 2023
- United States of America
- Germany
- European Commission
- Japan
- Sweden
- Norway
- United Kingdom
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- Switzerland
Largest Donors of Humanitarian Aid in 2022
According to FTS data, the U.S. ranked No. 1 as the largest donor country in 2022, followed by Germany, second place. The European Commission was the third-largest donor of humanitarian aid. The United Kingdom ranked fifth. Japan was in fourth place (up from seventh in 2021).
The ten largest governmental donors in 2022
- United States of America
- Germany
- European Commission
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Sweden
- Saudi Arabia
- Norway
- Switzerland
Largest Donors of Humanitarian Aid in 2021
According to FTS data, the U.S. ranked No. 1 as the largest donor country in 2021, followed by Germany in second place. The European Commission was the third-largest donor of humanitarian aid. The UK was in fifth place (down from fourth in 2020); Saudi Arabia ranked fourth.
The ten largest governmental donors in 2021
- United States of America
- Germany
- European Commission
- Saudi Arabia
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Japan
- Canada
- Norway
- Switzerland
Largest Donors of Humanitarian Aid in 2020
According to FTS data, the United States, Germany, and the European Commission were the top three donors in the year 2020. The United Kingdom ranked fourth.
The ten largest governmental donors in 2020
- United States of America
- Germany
- European Commission
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- Sweden
- Saudi Arabia
- Canada
- Norway
- Switzerland
Please note: These rankings were compiled by DONARE based on FTS data for 2020-2023 and preliminary data for 2024.
Further information
UN OCHA: Financial Tracking Service (FTS)
https://fts.unocha.org/