New Delhi

The World Health Organization (WHO) is preparing for one of its biggest workforce cuts after the United States withdrew its financial support. A new report shows that the agency may remove more than 2,000 jobs — about 22 per cent of its global staff — by June 2026. The US had been WHO’s largest donor, providing nearly 18 per cent of its total funding, but all support was stopped on January 20 after the new US President took charge.

The sudden funding loss forced WHO to reduce several programmes and cut its management team by half. According to a Member States Briefing document, WHO had 9,401 employees in January 2025 but plans to bring this number down by 2,371 by mid-2026. The reduction will happen through layoffs, retirements, and staff departures.

The Geneva headquarters will see the biggest impact, with a 28 per cent staff cut. Regionally, Africa is expected to lose 25 per cent of its workforce, while Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean will each see a 14 per cent reduction. The European region will cut 24 per cent of its staff, and the Western Pacific will reduce by 7 per cent. These numbers do not include temporary workers or consultants, many of whom have already been let go.

WHO said hundreds of staff left in August, its first public confirmation of the restructuring’s scale. The agency still faces a $1.06 billion funding gap for 2026–27. By 2026, its workforce will be younger, and 2025 costs have fallen sharply, including a 50% drop in travel spending.