Sudan has been ranked as the country with the worst humanitarian crisis for the second year in a row, according to the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) 2025 watchlist.
This dire situation is a result of escalating conflict, mass displacement, economic crisis, and a near collapse of healthcare services.
The country accounts for 10% of all people in humanitarian need globally, despite being home to only 1% of the global population.
The IRC’s annual Emergency Watchlist highlights the 20 countries most likely to face escalating humanitarian crises in 2025. Sudan is followed by Gaza and the West Bank, Myanmar, Syria, and South Sudan.
A staggering 305.1 million people worldwide are in need of humanitarian support, with watchlist countries accounting for 82% of this figure.
The crisis in Sudan is the largest since records began, with over 8.1 million people internally displaced and 3 million refugees fleeing to neighboring countries since April 2023.
The conflict has also led to extreme levels of food insecurity, with over 25 million people affected and 755,000 people facing catastrophic levels of hunger.
The IRC is calling for humanitarian aid reform, emphasizing the need for cost efficiency, cost effectiveness, and protection of humanitarian access.
David Miliband, President & CEO of the IRC, stated that “business as usual will not reverse this trend,” and that civilians will continue to suffer the worst impacts of burgeoning conflict.
