Which country has a global emergency humanitarian crisis?

Sudan is currently described by multiple international bodies as the world’s worst and most severe ongoing humanitarian crisis. However, there is not just one country in emergency; several states are facing “global emergency humanitarian crises” at the same time, depending on the indicator used (displacement, famine, health system collapse, etc.).

Quick scoop: who is at the top?

  • Sudan – Topped the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) Emergency Watchlist for the third consecutive year in 2026, with war since April 2023 causing mass displacement, famine risk, sexual violence, and health system collapse.
  • Occupied Palestinian territories (particularly Gaza) – Described by the WHO as undergoing a catastrophic humanitarian situation with over 52,000 deaths, widespread destruction of health facilities, famine risk, and disease outbreaks.
  • South Sudan – Ranked third on the IRC 2026 Watchlist, facing chronic conflict, displacement, and extreme food insecurity.

So if you are looking for the single country most often labeled the world’s worst emergency humanitarian crisis in 2026, the consistent answer is Sudan.

Why Sudan is considered the worst

Prolonged war and mass displacement

Since April 2023, Sudan’s civil war has driven:

  • Over 11 million internally displaced people
  • Millions more forcibly displaced across borders
  • Widespread destruction of towns and infrastructure.

Famine, violence, and health collapse

  • The conflict has produced famine conditions in parts of the country, with half the population facing food insecurity.
  • Sexual violence, killings, and “extermination” tactics have been documented as part of the war’s pattern.
  • The health system is severely degraded: many facilities are non-functional or overwhelmed, and disease outbreaks (cholera, etc.) are rampant.

The WHO explicitly states that nearly three years of violence have turned Sudan into “the worst humanitarian crisis” globally.

Other countries in global emergency humanitarian crises

While Sudan is the most prominent, many other countries are also officially classified as being in severe humanitarian emergencies as of 2026.

Occupied Palestinian territory (Gaza)

  • Over 52,000 Palestinians killed and more than 118,000 injured as of April 2025.
  • Health system in Gaza severely damaged; over 100 primary health centers and several hospitals closed at times.
  • Risks of famine, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks are extreme.

Afghanistan

  • More than 22.9 million people require humanitarian assistance.
  • Decades of conflict, displacement, drought, and economic collapse have left the health system in crisis, with limited access for women and rural populations.

Yemen

  • Over 220,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and 600,000 children malnourished by end of 2024.
  • Only about 38% of health facilities are functioning; cholera, measles, dengue, and other outbreaks are widespread.

Syria

  • Over 15.8 million people need health support; 7.4 million are internally displaced.
  • More than half of health facilities are non-functional; attacks on healthcare continue.

Other high-risk countries on the 2026 IRC Watchlist

  • Ethiopia
  • Haiti
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Lebanon
  • Ukraine
  • Yemen (also listed)
  • South Sudan (already mentioned)

These 20 countries together account for 89% of people in humanitarian need worldwide, despite representing only 12% of the global population.

How “global emergency humanitarian crisis” is used

Different organizations define humanitarian emergencies slightly differently:

  • WHO lists ongoing humanitarian crises in countries such as Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan, the occupied Palestinian territory, and others.
  • IRC Emergency Watchlist highlights the 20 countries most at risk of new or worsening crises, with Sudan at the top in 2026.
  • UN and FAO describe acute food insecurity affecting nearly 300 million people globally, spread across many crisis countries.

So the phrase “global emergency humanitarian crisis” does not refer to a single country, but rather to a set of countries facing life-threatening conditions. In current discourse, however, Sudan is most frequently cited as the single country with the world’s worst such crisis.

Bottom line

  • If you need one country most often described as having the world’s worst global emergency humanitarian crisis in 2026: Sudan.
  • If you mean which countries are in global emergency humanitarian crises: Sudan, Gaza/occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Ethiopia, Haiti, DRC, Lebanon, Ukraine, and others listed on the IRC Watchlist and WHO crisis pages.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.