The United Nations refugee agency has warned that 8.3 million refugees and forcibly displaced people could lose access to life-saving assistance as its funding collapses. Protection systems in some countries are near breakdown, it said.

UNHCR received only 32 percent of the $8.505 billion it needs for 2026 as of July. The funding gap stands at $5.789 billion, and available funding fell 24 percent between 2024 and 2025, from $5.2 billion to $3.9 billion.

The warnings come in a new report, “Protection Eroded: The Human Cost of Underfunding”, published on September 29. The agency says 131.2 million people will fall under its mandate by the end of 2026.

In Chad, 319,000 people face delays in registration while 200,000 women and girls could lose safe spaces. In Sudan, 140,000 people went unregistered by mid-year as staff and resources ran out.

The agency is appealing to donors to close the gap. Without new funding, food, shelter and protection services will be cut for millions of the world’s most vulnerable people.