Humanitarian crises are challenges affecting millions of people. They are diverse and global – be they natural disasters, famine crises, conflicts or wars. However, the attention of the global public is usually focused on a few, particularly prominent crises.
Each year, we publish the CARE Crisis Report, which puts the ten most under-reported crises and people affected into focus. Together with the media monitoring agency Meltwater, CARE analyses the humanitarian crises that receive the least media attention, and ranks them according to the number of online articles published worldwide.
The ten most under-reported crises of 2025
In 2025, the ten most under-reported crises were:
- Central African Republic – One in five people is displaced.
- Namibia – 1.3 million people do not have enough to eat.
- Zambia – 5.5 million people are dependent on aid.
- Malawi – Four million people face food insecurity.
- Honduras – Over 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
- North Korea – 10.7 million people are affected by undernutrition.
- Angola – 2.6 million people - half of them children - are in need.
- Burundi – 1.2 million people do not have enough food.
- Zimbabwe – One in four children under five is malnourished.
- Madagascar – About one in seven people is reliant on humanitarian aid.
Methodology
CARE’s analysis for the report is based on access to approximately 345,000 online media outlets worldwide. CARE first compiles a list of all humanitarian crises worldwide that affect more than one million people. Then, CARE examines how frequently each of these crises was reported during the year. After the total number of media articles - five million in total - has been identified, the crises are ranked. This ranking makes it possible to determine which crises received particularly little media attention and which received the most.
The human impact behind the numbers
This year marks a milestone: for the tenth time, CARE is publishing its Crisis Report on the 10 humanitarian crises that received the least media attention in the previous year. The 2025 media analysis paints a sobering picture: around 43 million people are affected by crises that remain largely invisible to the global public.
Conflicts, hunger, and extreme weather events destroy lives in countries such as the Central African Republic, Zambia, and Honduras. Yet other crises dominate global media coverage. Of five million analysed online articles on humanitarian emergencies, nearly half focus on the conflict in Gaza alone.
When crises remain invisible, funding often fails to materialize. In 2025, global budgets for humanitarian aid and development cooperation were cut, resulting in less food, less medical care, and less hope for people in regions experiencing crisis.
With this tenth edition, we also look back and ask: what has changed over the past decade regarding how forgotten crises are perceived? What lies ahead?
Behind every statistic is a human being. This report is a call to the global community to change priorities and ensure these voices are heard.
Recommendations
Protect press freedom: Journalists need safe, free working conditions to report independently and effectively counter disinformation.
Enable first-hand reporting: Direct contact with people in crisis regions creates authentic reporting. Local and international aid organizations can act as intermediaries to facilitate access.
Secure resources: Sufficient financial and structural capacity is essential for high-quality journalism.
Promote critical journalism: Through subscriptions, donations, and reflective media consumption, readers can strengthen independent journalism and challenge stereotypical narratives.
Let those affected tell their own stories: The visible and audible stories of women, girls, and marginalized groups broaden perspectives and can be shared via digital channels even without an on-site presence.
Strengthen local organisations: Local partner organizations work directly with affected communities and enrich reporting through their contextual knowledge and expertise.
Make female leadership visible: Women as key actors in crisis management deserve greater visibility and recognition for their leadership roles.
Forgotten crises: How you can help
CARE's aim is to raise awareness of what is happening in these countries and communities, highlighting where greater support is needed and capturing what initiatives people are taking to forge a better future for themselves. Join us in shining a spotlight on what is too often overseen.
You can:
- Share the CARE Crisis report on your social channels
- Sign up to our mailing list to find out more about humanitarian crises and the people who are most affected by them
- Donate to CARE and support people affected by crisis and conflict across the globe