According to current data from the Aid Worker Security Database, which is reported on by the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” media network, 350 staff members of humanitarian aid organizations died worldwide during their assignments in 2025. This figure represents the second-highest number recorded since the start of data collection in 1997. For comparison, 387 humanitarian workers died in 2024, and 159 fatalities occurred in 2013. The database currently reports 83 deaths for 2026.
Operations in the Gaza Strip are particularly dangerous. Following the recent terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas and Israel’s subsequent response last year, 186 aid workers were killed in the region. Sudan also saw 71 deaths due to the ongoing civil war, which has been raging since April 2023 and is currently considered the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe. It is notable that over 99 percent of the deceased humanitarian staff deployed globally are local workers.
Boris Breyer, spokesperson for SOS Children’s Villages, addressed the statistics, telling the RND that humanitarian workers faced immense dangers in many countries throughout 2025. He remarked that while these professionals often work tirelessly until exhaustion, their dedication deserves tremendous respect and increased protection. Breyer added that despite the heavy burdens, these individuals upheld the “banner of humanity” even in the most difficult circumstances. Although humanitarian aid workers are theoretically protected under International Humanitarian Law, they are continually subjected to attacks in reality. He stressed that this unacceptable situation must come to an end.
