2026-03-10 · billion USD (nominal)
Who funds humanitarian response?
Governments still dominate — private giving and foundations fill gaps.
When disaster strikes, funding decides who gets shelter, food, and medicine — and the donor mix behind that response is under pressure. In this illustrative 2026 view, OECD DAC governments still supply about 62% of global humanitarian funding, with private donations (18%), major foundations (12%), and non-DAC states (8%) covering the rest. When government budgets shrink, who fills the gap matters for millions.
1 cell = 0.1 billion USD (nominal) (0.1% of global humanitarian funding (illustrative)) · 1,000 cells
Context
Our World in Data's foreign aid research notes that governments provide most assistance, while civil society and international organizations play an influential role. Private funders have helped deliver some of aid's biggest successes, from the Green Revolution to the Carter Center's near-eradication of guinea worm disease.
A caveat on the numbers: these shares are illustrative and rounded for the grid. Our World in Data also finds that most countries spend less than 1% of national income on foreign aid, and that a significant share of aid is spent domestically — on hosting refugees, scholarships, and administration — rather than overseas.
The stakes are concrete: recent analysis warns that cuts to US aid could cost lives and end the Demographic and Health Surveys, which have underpinned health data in more than 90 countries. If government funding contracts, private donors and foundations may be asked to cover more of the response.
global humanitarian funding (illustrative) — illustrative shares via Our World in Data / OCHA themes. Rounded to 1,000 cells.
Share and export
Credit this grid as Inagrid — https://inagrid.com/e/2026-03-10-pol-aid-humanitarian-private