2025 set another grim record for violence against aid workers, with 907 killed, injured, or kidnapped, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today on World Humanitarian Day. Although the death toll decreased slightly to 350 last year, it was the second-highest annual toll ever recorded, and the overall level of violence did not ease. 322 aid workers were injured in attacks, and 235 were kidnapped.
According to the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD), the majority of incidents and fatalities occurred in the Gaza Strip, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Kidnappings by non-state and criminal groups nearly doubled from the previous year.
“More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable,” said Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
“But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues. And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences.”
In 2025, 1,187 aid workers faced major security incidents: 350 were killed, 322 were wounded, 235 were kidnapped, and 280 were detained or arrested. The vast majority of recorded killings and attacks on aid workers in conflict zones targeted local staff.
Despite a fragile ceasefire in place, Gaza remained the deadliest context for the third year running with 186 humanitarians killed.
State actors were once again the most common perpetrators last year, although attacks by non-state actors and criminal groups rose as well. Most of the humanitarian workers killed in 2025 were slain by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza.
In Sudan, intense conflict continued to drive up fatalities for the fifth consecutive year, with a record 71 aid workers killed, primarily by small arms fire.
While DRC experienced the largest surge in violent incidents affecting aid workers, doubling since 2024, Ukraine also saw a significant uptick, fueled by expanded drone warfare.
After seeing a decline in 2024, South Sudan returned to the high number of violent attacks seen in 2021 and 2023.
Among the ten most violent contexts in 2025 were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria, Haiti, Chad, and Cameroon, where kidnappings and aerial bombardment surged.
Together, Yemen, South Sudan, DRC, Myanmar, and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) accounted for 75 percent of state detentions and arrests of aid workers. Yemen alone recorded a third of all aid workers detained in 2025.
Attacks on humanitarian workers, assets, and operations violate international humanitarian law and undermine the lifelines that sustain millions of people trapped in war and disaster zones. Targeting these individuals and operations constitutes a war crime.
In May 2024, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2730, reaffirming the obligation of parties to conflicts and UN member states to protect humanitarian personnel. The resolution also called for independent investigations into violations. However, impunity remains widespread and accountability is lacking.
The first eight months of 2026 have shown no sign of ending the disturbing trend. Thus far, 82 aid workers have been killed, 97 have been injured, and 39 have been kidnapped worldwide.
Of particular concern is the proliferation of cheap, adaptable armed drones that put lethal power into the hands of more people and send explosive weapons into towns and cities.
"Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life," Fletcher said.
“The technology may change, but the laws of war do not.”
In Sudan, armed drones caused 80 percent of civilian deaths in the first four months of the year, hitting markets and health facilities. In Ukraine, drones killed 80 civilians in April of this year alone. In Russia, civilians have been killed, and civilian infrastructure has been damaged due to drone attacks. Attacks using weaponized drones quadrupled in Colombia between 2024 and 2025.
Humanitarians are increasingly in the crosshairs of armed drones. In March of this year, for example, an aid worker was killed in a drone strike on a residential building in DRC. In just one week in May, four humanitarian convoys were assaulted in Ukraine.
On World Humanitarian Day, aid workers and their supporters commemorate those who have been killed and stand in solidarity with those serving people in need. They are demanding urgent protection for civilians and aid operations.
This year's global campaign, Act for Humanity, spotlights aid workers who have been killed through interviews with their families. OCHA emphasized that behind every statistic is a family whose world has been torn apart.
The latest verified casualty statistics are based on data from the Aid Worker Security Database. Since its inception in 2005, the database has recorded major incidents of violence against aid workers, with reports dating back to 1997. The database is a project of Humanitarian Outcomes, is a London-based team of specialist consultants that provides research and policy advice to humanitarian aid agencies and donor governments.
Further information
Website: Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD)
https://www.aidworkersecurity.org
Full text: Aid Worker Security Report 2026 – When the threat is the state: Detentions of humanitarian workers, Humanitarian Outcomes, report, released August 2026
https://humanitarianoutcomes.org/AWSR_2026
Website: World Humanitarian Day
https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/