Published 2026-03-11 · data 2022 · billion USD (nominal)
Where official humanitarian aid goes
Illustrative purpose split (OCHA / OECD DAC). Conflict responses still dominate appeals.
Every crisis competes for the same finite pool of aid. Ukraine alone takes 22% of the roughly $100 billion (nominal) in official humanitarian assistance for 2022, and conflict settings together claim 85% — leaving 15% for crises beyond war zones. This illustrative split shows where aid concentrates, and what sits outside it.
1 cell = 0.1 billion USD (nominal) (0.1% of official humanitarian assistance (illustrative)) · 1,000 cells
Context
After Ukraine, the Syria region is the next-largest band at 18%, followed by Yemen at 14% and Sudan with its neighbors at 12%. Other conflict settings add 19%, so just 15% remains for non-conflict crises — emergencies outside armed conflict.
More broadly, Our World in Data notes that governments provide most foreign aid, much of it directed toward the poorest countries — though countries that are not among the poorest also receive significant amounts. A notable share of aid is also spent within donor countries themselves, on hosting refugees, student scholarships, and administrative costs.
Treat the shares as illustrative: they are rounded onto a 1,000-cell grid from OCHA / OECD DAC themes, and measuring aid is complicated — what counts as official assistance, and how much is actually spent abroad, are not straightforward questions.
official humanitarian assistance (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/2026-03-11-pol-aid-humanitarian-conflict