No. 20 · · 2 min read
The Global Humanitarian Appeal budget and …
Do you know how small the global humanitarian appeal really is? Set beside one company’s value and the world’s defense budgets, the entire 2024 appeal looks startlingly modest.
The idea
In the post’s words, the whole 2024 humanitarian appeal, $46.4 billion, is worth less than a mid-sized energy company, while the world spends over $50 on military power for every $1 on humanitarian aid.
01
Measured against one company
Not Apple, Microsoft or Tesla: the post sets the whole appeal against Exelon, a mid-sized energy company ranked 441st by market cap.
02
Under 70 cents a day
Spread across 180 million people in need, the appeal comes to about $250 each for a whole year of food, shelter, medical care and protection.
03
Shift spending toward prevention
The post proposes redirecting part of defense spending to conflict prevention, stronger communities and disaster preparedness.
The entire global humanitarian funding appeal for 2024 [$46.4 billion] is worth less than a mid-sized energy company.
You know what’s wild?...
The entire global humanitarian funding appeal for 2024 [$46.4 billion] is worth less than a mid-sized energy company.
... Not Apple
:.: Not Microsoft
.:. Not Tesla
::: Exelon Corporation - ranked 441st in the world by market cap, valued at $46.35 billion as of April 2025. That’s how much we’re scrambling to raise to help the world’s most vulnerable people this year.
Sounds like a lot? In the grand scheme of things, it’s pennies.
Now, let’s zoom out.
Global defense spending in 2024? A whopping $2.46 trillion. That means for every $1 spent on humanitarian aid, over $50 is spent on military power.
Let’s break it down even further. That $46.4 billion humanitarian budget is supposed to support 180 million people in desperate need - people who are the most vulnerable. That’s about $250 per person - for the whole year. Less than 70 cents a day to cover food, shelter, medical care, and protection.
Meanwhile, we’re spending $312 per person on military budgets - whether they need defense or not.
Of course, defense and humanitarian aid aren’t the same thing. But let’s be real: How much of the humanitarian need exists because of the conflicts these massive defense budgets fuel?
Wars destroy homes. They force families to flee. They drive hunger and suffering. And then we struggle - year after year - to fund relief efforts that are never enough.
Imagine if just a fraction of that defense budget went into preventing conflicts, strengthening communities, and making sure disasters don’t turn into catastrophes. What if we spent more on keeping people safe before crises even happen?
Honestly, I wish every humanitarian worker (myself included) would lose their jobs - not because of budget cuts, but because there’s simply no more need for us. No more people in desperate need. No more crises to respond to.
But until that day comes, I guess we’ll keep fighting...
