How many employees work at UNHCR?
UNHCR has approximately 12,415 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. UNHCR's total headcount has declined 19.1% from 15,346 employees in 2023 to 12,415 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is UNHCR hiring right now?
Yes, UNHCR is actively hiring. UNHCR had 309 active job postings in 2026, a 144.3% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About UNHCR's Workforce
UNHCR is a Humanitarian Services company that employs 12,415 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 3rd-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1950, the company is headquartered in Washington, Washington, D.C..
UNHCR's workforce has declined 19.1% from 2023 to 2026, down 10.5% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 12,415 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in Switzerland (5.4%), followed by Ethiopia (5.2%) and Kenya (3.7%), with Ethiopia, its fastest-growing location.
UNHCR's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (43.0%), Engineering (40.1%), and Sales and Marketing (16.8%). Median employee tenure is 5.3 years. The average salary is $22,241, ranging from a median of $76,000 in Western Europe to $5,000 in Southern Asia.
UNHCR's active job postings rose 144.3% in 2026 to 309, with new postings per month cooling from 943 in 2023 to 425 in 2026.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
UNHCR
workforce metrics
Headcount
12.4k
10.5% YoY
Avg. Salary
$22.2k
0.4% YoY
Tenure
5.3yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-10.5%
5.2pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for UNHCR. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- UNHCR had 12,415 employees in 2026, a 10.5% decline (-1,890) from 2025.
- UNHCR had 12,551 employees in 2025, a 12.4% decline (-2,257) from 2024.
- UNHCR had 14,808 employees in 2024, a 3.2% decline (-538) from 2023.
- UNHCR had 15,346 employees in 2023, a 1.6% decline (+187) from 2022.
UNHCR's total workforce has declined from 15,346 employees in 2023 to 12,415 in 2026.
UNHCR — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 12,415 | -1,890 | -10.5% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 12,551 | -2,257 | -12.4% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 12,963 | -2,179 | -11.7% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 13,501 | -1,625 | -9.0% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 14,305 | -956 | -5.3% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 14,808 | -538 | -3.2% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 15,142 | -426 | -3.1% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 15,126 | -220 | -2.6% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 15,261 | +61 | -2.0% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 15,346 | +187 | -1.6% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 15,568 | +400 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 15,346 | +507 | -0.8% |
Want to see UNHCR's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
Switzerland accounts for the largest share of UNHCR's global workforce with approximately 5% of total employees, followed by Ethiopia and Kenya.
UNHCR employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 666 | 5.4% | -4.8% |
| Ethiopia | 634 | 5.2% | +0.5% |
| Kenya | 450 | 3.7% | -2.8% |
| Jordan | 439 | 3.6% | -6.3% |
| Uganda | 436 | 3.6% | -2.5% |
| Bangladesh | 397 | 3.2% | -5.7% |
| Afghanistan | 395 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| Hungary | 374 | 3.0% | -3.0% |
| Lebanon | 355 | 2.9% | -1.6% |
| Pakistan | 311 | 2.5% | -3.6% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
UNHCR's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (43.0%), Engineering (40.1%), and Sales and Marketing (16.8%).
UNHCR employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 5,314 | 43.0% | -5.8% |
| Engineering | 4,956 | 40.1% | -5.9% |
| Sales and Marketing | 2,078 | 16.8% | -5.1% |
Compare UNHCR's department mix to industry peers.
UNHCR's average employee salary is $22,241 globally. Employees in Western Europe receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 3.4x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $5,000.
UNHCR median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Western Europe | $76,000 |
| Northern America | $69,000 |
| Northern Europe | $63,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $58,000 |
| Southern Europe | $30,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $26,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $20,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $17,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $16,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $13,000 |
| Arab States | $12,000 |
| Southern America | $12,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $9,000 |
| Northern Africa | $8,000 |
| Southern Asia | $5,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to UNHCR's industry peers.
- UNHCR had 309 active job postings in 2026, a 144.3% increase (+259) from 2025.
- UNHCR had 50 active job postings in 2025, a 179.2% decline (-862) from 2024.
- UNHCR had 912 active job postings in 2024, a 42.4% increase (+319) from 2023.
- UNHCR had 593 active job postings in 2023, a 31.9% decline from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 425 new roles/month, up from 298 in 2025 and 541 in 2024. New metric
UNHCR's active job postings rose 144.3% in 2026 to 309, with new postings per month cooling from 943 in 2023 to 425 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Similar Humanitarian Services Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is UNHCR growing?
- In 2026, UNHCR's headcount shrank 10.5% to 12,415 employees, down from 14,305 in 2025.
- Where are UNHCR employees located?
- Most UNHCR employees are based in Switzerland (5.4% of headcount), followed by Ethiopia and Kenya.
- What is the average salary at UNHCR?
- The average employee salary at UNHCR is approximately $22.2k per year.
- How many people does UNHCR hire per year?
- In 2026, UNHCR opened roughly 5,100 new roles — about 425 per month.
- When was UNHCR founded and where is it headquartered?
- UNHCR was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Washington, Washington, D.C..
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