8.3 Million Refugees at Risk as UNHCR Faces Severe Funding Shortfall

Nearly 8.3 million refugees and other forcibly displaced people are at risk of losing vital assistance from the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, due to severe funding cuts.

UNHCR said its ability to protect and assist refugees, internally displaced people and stateless persons is being weakened by a growing funding shortage.

The agency said its available funding dropped from $5.2 billion in 2024 to $3.9 billion in 2025, while the number of people requiring its protection remains historically high.

UNHCR needs $8.5 billion in 2026, but by the end of July it had received only 32 per cent, equivalent to about $2.7 billion.

The agency warned that continued funding cuts are pushing refugee support systems towards breaking point in major displacement crises around the world.

According to UNHCR, 319,000 refugees in Chad are facing registration delays, while about 233,000 children could lose access to child protection services.

In Ethiopia, child protection coverage in some areas has declined by as much as 85 per cent, while in Sudan, tens of thousands of survivors of sexual violence and vulnerable children could lose access to essential protection services.

UNHCR also reported that it had eliminated nearly 5,000 jobs in 2025, representing more than a quarter of its workforce, as major donors reduced foreign aid.

The agency said 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes at the end of 2025, including 35.6 million refugees under UNHCR’s mandate.

UNHCR warned that without additional funding, vulnerable displaced people could lose access to documentation, child protection, economic opportunities and financial assistance needed to rebuild their lives.

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