Additional Context: This information is attributed to Christina Wille, director of research organization Insecurity Insight. She said the wider funding squeeze also sometimes leaves aid agencies less able to refuse dangerous work. "There is much less possibility to really decide or to turn something down," she said.

As aid budgets shrink, security specialists warn that even the systems larger aid agencies rely on to work safely in dangerous places are coming under pressure. In 2025, at least 326 humanitarians were recorded as killed, bringing the total number of humanitarians killed in the last three years to over 1,010. That number is almost triple the 377 aid workers recorded as killed globally over the three years prior.

Devex Researcher Note: While the article does not explicitly note U.S. aid cuts as the sole reason for increased humanitarian risk, U.S. humanitarian contributions fell from around $14 billion in 2024 to $3.4 billion in 2025 — a 76% drop — collapsing the U.S. share of global humanitarian funding from over 40% to roughly 14%. In conversation with The Aid Report, a representative from a humanitarian safety organization confirmed the effect of U.S. aid cuts on global aid security operations.

Source: Devex