Distribution of UN OAD resources by geographic location
In examining resource allocation based on the location of beneficiaries, this section draws on the UN system-wide financial data reporting’s third standard, which distinguishes between three geographic levels: 1) global; 2) regional; and 3) countries/areas.66
Global
Global expenses encompass UN entity allocations towards global programmes, as well as other global and/or interregional costs that cannot be (or haven’t been) assigned to a specific region or country where beneficiaries are located. In 2024, total global and interregional expenses for OAD was US$ 8.3 billion, representing 17% of total annual OAD expenses.
Of this total, more than half was for ‘enabling functions’. These costs refer to services typically provided corporately by headquarter- and regional-level business units to UN entities, enabling them to deliver on their mandated programmes, projects and normative agendas.67 Beginning with the 2023 reporting cycle, enabling function-related costs have been reported separately within this category. The recent introduction of this new sub-category means the overall quality and consistency of global expenses data are still evolving, and the data should be used with caution.
Regional
Figure 34 presents UN system humanitarian and development assistance expenses in UN programme countries from 2015 to 2024, disaggregated according to the regional classification used by UN DESA: Africa,68 Americas,69 Asia and the Pacific,70 Europe,71 Western Asia,72 and global or interregional. Total annual OAD expenses are shown at the end of each horizontal bar. The figure highlights both the growing scale of UN humanitarian and development assistance (albeit with a reduction in 2024) and the shifting regional distribution of resources over time.
Africa had the largest share of operational activity spending throughout the period in question, rising from US$ 10.4 billion in 2015 to US$ 16.9 billion in 2024, when it received more than a third (35%) of UN OAD expenses. Humanitarian activities accounted for 62% of these expenses, which were primarily directed at countries with a humanitarian response plan in place. The top five African recipients of UN OAD-related expenses were South Sudan, Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Somalia, each of which received more than US$ 1 billion in 2024.
The second-largest regional recipient in 2024 was Western Asia. The region saw a marked increase in funding from US$ 5.4 billion in 2015 to a peak of US$ 9.5 billion in 2022, before dropping back to US$ 8.2 billion in 2024, representing 17% of total OAD expenses. Of these expenses, 79% were directed at humanitarian activities, nearly two-thirds of which is explained by the top three recipients – the State of Palestine, Yemen and Lebanon – each receiving more than US$ 1 billion in humanitarian assistance. Notably, Western Asia recorded the highest average expenses per programme country, at more than US$ 583 million.
Asia and the Pacific was the third-largest regional recipient in 2024, with US$ 7.5 billion (15%) of OAD expenses. Afghanistan, which received US$ 2.4 billion, was the primary recipient of these funds. Although the Americas accounted for a relatively small share (9%), the region has seen its volume of UN resources more than double over the 2015–2024 period, from US$ 1.8 billion to US$ 4.2 billion. Colombia was the Americas’ largest recipient of OAD in 2024 with US$ 516 million, of which 56% went to development assistance. Europe has historically been the smallest recipient of UN expenses, with an average share of 3% before 2022. In light of the war in Ukraine, however, its share has increased to 7% over the 2022–2024 period.
Expenses on UN humanitarian and development assistance by region, 2015–2024 (US$ billion)
Source: Report of the Secretary-General (A/81/75/Add.1-E/2026/61/Add.1). Historical data from various reports.
Countries and areas
Total country/area level expenses for OAD amounted to US$ 37.0 billion in 2024, representing more than three-quarters (76%) of all annual OAD expenses. Humanitarian assistance accounted for 63% of this, with the remaining 37% going to development assistance. Overall, 98% of country-level expenses were allocated to UN programme countries.