https://www.unv.org/annual-report/annual-report-2025#a-new-lens-on-volun...
United Nations Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) offers people opportunities to volunteer across the three pillars of the United Nations: development, peace and security, and human rights.
UNV closed the final year of its 2022–2025 Strategic Framework with strong momentum. As emergencies grew and development needs shifted, UNV strengthened its duty of care for volunteers working in tougher conditions, while continuing to adapt and respond with speed. Demand for UN Volunteers rose by 17 percent compared to 2024, and has more than doubled since 2019. This growth also reflects stronger partnerships across the UN system, Member States and civil society—and highlights the essential role volunteers play across the UN.
UNV in numbers
17,169
UN Volunteers in 2025, a 17 percent increase from 2024
15,967
UN Volunteers came
from the Global South
33
average age of
UN Volunteers
13,394
national
UN Volunteers
3,804
international
UN Volunteers
172
countries and territories where UN Volunteers serve
59
UN partners
hosted UN
Volunteers
A record number of 17,169 UN Volunteers stepped forward across 172 countries and territories— showing that when the world is unsettled, people still choose to serve. They supported the work of 59 UN partners, driving action from emergency response to peace, development and human rights.
Volunteers contribute to UN impact
When Volunteerism becomes the UN’s Frontline
UN Volunteers played a key role in the UN’s crisis response in 2025. Across Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Nepal and beyond, they supported frontline work and helped people access essential services. Many were national volunteers, bringing local knowledge and helping the UN respond faster, scale up operations and reach more people when systems were under pressure.
Together with
United Nations Partners
UNDP
Among bilateral partnerships with entities in the United Nations system, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) saw the highest number of UN Volunteers (6,894) deployed in 137 countries. In the State of Palestine, UN Volunteers assisted debris removal in the Gaza Strip, documenting rubble volumes and monitoring debris‑removal mechanisms. In Ukraine, they contributed to renewable energy, environmental protection, and reconstruction. In Bolivia, they supported programmes addressing Chagas disease, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. In Zambia, UN Volunteer engineers and coordinators enabled infrastructure development by overseeing road and bridge construction and managing the Meheba and Mayukwayukwa resettlement schemes. And in China, they promoted climate action and green initiatives in rural areas.
UN Secretariat
UNICEF
UNFPA
UNHCR
UN Women
WHO
IOM
WFP
UN partners hosting UN Volunteers in 2025
Download: UN partners hosting UN Volunteers 2025
When we are 182 Nationalities strong
The number of nationalities represented among UN Volunteers rose to 182, up from 173 at the start of the Strategic Framework (2022-2025), bringing UNV closer to drawing talent from all UN Member States.
In 2025, UN Volunteers supported 59 United Nations entities in
172 countries and territories
Volunteers served in every region. Most worked in their home countries, while thousands served abroad. They strengthened local capacity, supported peace and development efforts, and expanded cooperation across regions, showing the UN’s investment in volunteer talent and its cross border reach.
The largest numbers of UN Volunteers in 2025 served in
5,281
sub-Saharan
Africa
4,875
Latin America and the Caribbean
3,100
Asia and the
Pacific
2,102
Arab States
region
1,506
Europe and
Central Asia
328
Other
countries
Statistical overview of UN Volunteers 2024–2025
When Abilities, not Barriers, drive impact
In 2025, UNV enabled productive assignments for 325 UN Volunteers with disabilities across 24 United Nations entities, a 15 percent increase from 2024.
The largest number of UN Volunteers with disabilities worked in UNDP, UNICEF, UNRCOs, UNFPA and UN-Women, while on at country level the largest number of persons with disabilities served in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mali, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.
Scoring the Sustainable Development Goals
UN Volunteers contributed to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Twenty-five percent contributed to Sustainable Development Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), reflecting a high number of UN Volunteers in fragile development contexts. This was followed by Goal 5, gender equality (25 percent); Goal 3, good health and well-being (20 percent); Goal 17, partnerships for the goals (17 percent) and Goal 10, reduced inequalities (15 percent).
UNV and Gender Parity
The proportion of women UN Volunteers rose to 60 percent, up one percentage point from 2024. UNV continued to focus on gender parity in peacekeeping and special political missions. In the five missions with the highest number of UN Volunteers (UNMISS, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, UNVMC and UNAMA), the share of women increased from 43 percent in 2022 to over 46 percent in 2025.
