Where is UN funding allocated?
Humanitarian and development expenditure
Expenditure on humanitarian assistance has more than doubled (161% growth) in nominal terms, while development assistance has only increased by 8% during the period 2010–20. Humanitarian assistance surpassed development assistance in 2016 and then from 2018 onwards, with the gap further widening in 2020, when humanitarian assistance amounted to US$ 23 billion compared to US$ 17 billion for development assistance. The growth in resources allocated to humanitarian assistance is mainly connected to expenditure in a number of crisis-affected countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
Humanitarian assistance the largest activity area with
42%
of expenditure
Humanitarian assistance expenditure
more than doubled
in ten years
Figure 26
Total expenditure for development and humanitarian-related UN operational activities, 2010-2020 (US$ billion)
Source: Report of the Secretary-General (A/77/69-E/2022/47)