Helvetas is Increasing its Impact and Reaching Millions of People Worldwide
Many wealthy countries — led by the United States, but including Switzerland, as well — are cutting their budgets for global poverty reduction. Despite this trend, Helvetas received more donations from individuals and foundations in 2025 than ever before. Thanks to this support, the Swiss organization for development cooperation and humanitarian aid was able to further expand its impact, reaching nearly seven million people in 35 countries.
Helvetas reported total revenue of 172.6 million Swiss francs for 2025 — the highest figure in its more than 70-year history. Thanks to broad support from the public and the philanthropic sector, Helvetas reached a new record high in donation revenue: Private donations, bequests and contributions from foundations and companies totaled 47.4 million Swiss francs last year.
The remaining funds come primarily from mandates and program contributions from government donors, namely the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), as well as from the European Union (EU) and institutions in other countries.
Despite the positive results, the financial situation remains strained: The approved cuts to government funding for development cooperation will become even more noticeable in the coming years.
Improved impact measurement enhances transparency
Helvetas uses donations in a targeted, effective and efficient manner and wants to know exactly how its work is making a difference. Certified by Zewo as a trustworthy organization, Helvetas measures the impact of its work using an organization-wide system that has recently been further refined. By introducing clearly defined indicators, the impact of all projects can be recorded in a more structured manner and evaluated in a more comparable way. Data collection is carried out through systematic surveys and on-site assessments. In this way, Helvetas strengthens its work on the basis of robust data and enables a particularly in-depth evaluation of its projects.
Selected projects are additionally supported by independent, scientific studies to enable reliable conclusions about long-term effects. Supplementary cost-benefit analyses also highlight the concrete economic benefits for the people with whom Helvetas works.
In the new measurement system, the people reached by Helvetas are recorded in a more nuanced way, allowing for a more precise distinction between those directly and indirectly supported. People reached directly can, for example, improve their income thanks to vocational training. Their families also benefit indirectly, for instance through better access to healthy food, education or healthcare services.
In 2025, Helvetas directly reached 6.9 million people through its 295 development projects in 35 countries. Additionally, around 29 million people benefited indirectly from the projects.
Together with Helvetas …
- Around 3.8 million people received improved basic services — such as access to clean water, sanitation, healthy nutrition or climate change adaptation.
- More than 1 million people benefited from vocational training or economic support.
- Over 6,700 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were strengthened.
- More than 800,000 people were able to improve their social and political participation.
- Around 1.2 million people were accompanied and supported in the context of safe migration.
- More than 600,000 people received support during humanitarian crises.
Further information:
Annual Report 2025 (including the separate financial statements of Helvetas Switzerland)
Impact and Results Measurement
