The United Nations says 2025 marks "another grim record for violence against aid workers" as at least 350 workers were killed around the world. At least 322 aid workers also were injured in attacks, while 235 were kidnapped last year.
UN says 2025 marks 'another grim record for violence against aid workers'
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At least 350 humanitarian workers were killed around the world last year, setting "another grim record for violence against aid workers," the United Nations says.
The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Wednesday that the death toll decreased slightly from 2024, which was the deadliest year on record with 387 aid workers killed globally.
In addition to the deaths, at least 322 aid workers were injured in attacks in 2025 while 235 were kidnapped, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.
"Serving others has become more dangerous than ever," UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a video message on Wednesday, which marks World Humanitarian Day.
The Gaza Strip "remained the deadliest context for aid workers" for the third consecutive year, with 186 killed last year amid Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave, OCHA said.
Seventy-one aid workers also were killed in 2025 in Sudan, where a civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has been raging since 2023.
"More than 1,000 aid workers have been killed in just three years and that is utterly unacceptable," the UN's humanitarian chief, Tom Fletcher, said in a news release.
"But just calling it out will not protect the next aid worker. States must uphold international humanitarian law and use every tool to protect civilians and our colleagues. And for those who break the rules, there must be real consequences."
So far this year, at least 82 aid workers have been killed, while 97 were injured and 39 kidnapped, OCHA said.
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The UN also raised alarm over the use of "cheap and adaptable armed drones" in conflict zones.
OCHA said drones have been used to attack markets and health facilities in Sudan, causing 80 per cent of civilian deaths in the first four months of 2026. At least 80 civilians also were killed in drone attacks in Ukraine in April of this year.
"Weaponized drones have become the new face of an old danger: the deliberate or reckless destruction of civilian life," Fletcher said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jillian Kestler-D'Amours is a senior writer at CBC based in Montreal. You can reach her at jillian.kestler-d.amours@cbc.ca.
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