UN Assessment Reveals Widespread Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

A major UN assessment has found that Sudan's humanitarian crisis extends beyond hunger and displacement to affect almost every aspect of daily life. The 2026 Sudan Multi-Sector Needs Assessment, published on 9 November by the International Organization for Migration's Displacement Tracking Matrix, found that 68% of Sudanese households have unmet livelihood needs. This is the highest proportion recorded across all sectors covered by the survey. The assessment was based on 23,736 household interviews conducted between 23 July and 17 August.

The assessment covered 185 localities across all 18 Sudanese states and included displaced, returnee, and non-displaced households. The aim was to provide comparable data on people's needs and their access to essential services. According to the findings, 98% of households reported increases in the prices of basic commodities, highlighting the widespread economic pressures affecting almost the entire country. Rising prices drain household resources, making it difficult for people to secure their basic needs.

The survey found that 68% of households had been forced to adopt coping strategies classified as being at 'crisis' level to maintain their sources of income. These strategies typically include exhausting savings, borrowing money, selling productive assets, cutting essential spending, or resorting to insecure employment. As a result, 68% of households are unable to secure adequate livelihoods and face a gap between their livelihood needs and the resources or assistance available to them.

Food consumption patterns also showed that 31% of households had borderline or poor food consumption levels. Of these, 23% were classified as having borderline food consumption, while 8% had poor food consumption. This reflects a decline in the quantity, diversity, or regularity of food available to them. Water ranked second among the most widespread unmet needs, with 59% of households reporting unmet needs in this sector.

The gap in water needs was more pronounced among displaced people, with 79% of displaced households reporting unmet water needs, compared with 56% of non-displaced households. In the education sector, 42% of households reported unmet educational needs. More alarmingly, 45% of households with children aged between five and 18 said their children had not attended formal education regularly during the 2025-2026 school year.

The assessment also found that, among households that had needed medical care in the three months preceding the survey, 38% had been unable to obtain the treatment they required. The proportion rose to 48% among displaced households, compared with 37% of non-displaced households and 31% of households that had returned to their areas of origin. This highlights the additional burdens faced by displaced people, including distance to health facilities, transport and treatment costs, and shortages of medicines and medical staff.

The organisation concluded that unmet needs were consistently higher among displaced people across all sectors. In livelihoods, the proportion reached 83% among displaced households, compared with 66% among non-displaced households. Significant disparities were also recorded in water, protection, and healthcare. The survey did not cover three localities in South Kordofan due to security and administrative restrictions, which means that some of the areas most severely affected by the war were not included in the sample.

Key points

• 68% of Sudanese households have unmet livelihood needs, the highest proportion recorded across all sectors covered by the survey.
• 98% of households reported increases in the prices of basic commodities, highlighting the widespread economic pressures affecting almost the entire country.
• 31% of households had borderline or poor food consumption levels, reflecting a decline in the quantity, diversity, or regularity of food available to them.