Khaberni - At the beginning of 2026, slightly more than 239 million people urgently need humanitarian assistance and protection, amid enduring conflicts marked by violence against civilians and continuing longer than any previous time since World War II, amidst an escalating climate crisis.
The 2026 Global Humanitarian Aid Report issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provides an analysis of global crises and needs, along with adopted humanitarian plans to confront them.
In 2026, humanitarian partners appeal for approximately US$33 billion to assist 135 million people in times of crisis.
According to the report, appalling violence, hunger, displacement, and disease tear apart people's lives, killing and maiming civilians, waging war on the bodies of women and girls, splitting families apart, and forcefully uprooting people from their lands and livelihoods while fueling the spread of diseases and destroying their mental and physical health. A number of Arab countries appear on the list of countries with the largest numbers in need. Sudan, ranking first, recorded the presence of 33.7 million people in need. It is followed by Yemen with 23.1 million people in need of humanitarian aid.
Then comes Afghanistan with 22 million people, and in the fourth place, Syria with 16.5 million people.
Civilians suffer from a record number of armed conflicts characterized by an increasing blatant disregard for human and international rights, including mass atrocities and attacks on healthcare and educational facilities.
In Sudan, following a siege lasting 500 days, thousands of civilians were killed in Al-Fashir by Rapid Support Forces, while similar activities continue in Kordofan as we enter 2026, with a total disregard for civilian life and free movement.
More than two years after the Israeli attack on Gaza, the death toll in the occupied Palestinian territories reached 69,785 people, according to health ministry statistics. The statistics also show that 3.6 million people in the Palestinian territories are in need of humanitarian aid.
In Myanmar, reports have emerged of increased killings and village destruction, along with widespread forced displacement. The conflicts have also contributed to the spread and exacerbation of cholera outbreaks, particularly in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan.
In 2025, three out of every four civilian deaths in conflicts worldwide occurred in countries that had a humanitarian plan or appeals for aid.
Here is the infographic attached for the countries that include the largest number of people who are in dire need of humanitarian aid and protection.
