Whilst several governments are cutting their budgets for international aid, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Luxembourg has seen an increase in its funding. According to its 2025 annual report published on Monday 29 June, the Luxembourg branch raised €8.56m, that is nearly €908,000 more than in 2024 (+12%), thanks to the continued strong support from private donors.
This growth relies almost exclusively on the generosity of individuals. In Luxembourg, 99.9% of MSF’s funding comes from private donations, a level that enables the organisation to maintain its independence from government funding. In total, 22,779 donors contributed in 2025, including nearly 9,300 regular donors, 138 major donors and 11 people who chose to bequeath part of their estate to the organisation. Bequests now account for a quarter of the funds raised, whilst regular donations provide over €2.65m in recurring income. MSF Luxembourg has also opened up a new funding channel by accepting donations in cryptocurrencies.
The funds raised enabled the Luxembourg branch to spend €8.44m in 2025. Nearly 80% of expenditure was allocated to its social mission, including more than €5.1m directly to humanitarian projects and €1.17m to support programmes via LuxOR (Luxembourg Operational Research), its operational research unit. In total, 78 centimes of every euro spent goes directly towards funding humanitarian projects, compared with 14 centimes for fundraising and 8 centimes for operating, awareness-raising and advocacy costs. The financial year ended with a surplus of €120,429.
Palestine tops the list of supported projects
Luxembourgish donors directed their contributions primarily towards Palestine, which was by far the top recipient of support, ahead of Nigeria, Sudan, Yemen and the Emergency Fund, which was used in 2025 to respond to the war in Sudan. More broadly, MSF carried out operations in over 70 countries during the year, against a backdrop of continuing escalation in conflicts, natural disasters and population displacement.
The report, moreover, places less emphasis on financial results than on the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation. The organisation condemns the increasing number of attacks on healthcare facilities, violations of international humanitarian law and budget cuts imposed by several international donors, which are leading to programme closures and shortages of essential medicines. “Although MSF remains independent of any government funding, we see the consequences of these cutbacks on already vulnerable populations on a daily basis,” emphasises Engy Ali, president of MSF Luxembourg.
An operational research unit
In Luxembourg, this mobilisation resulted in an increased presence on the ground. MSF organised 18 events attended by 2,263 participants and ran awareness-raising activities in 13 schools for 580 pupils. The year was also marked by strong mobilisation in support of Gaza. Accounts from MSF teams were featured more than 160 times in the Luxembourg media, more than double the figure for the previous year. A rally organised in September in collaboration with the Luxembourg Coalition for Palestine also drew more than 5,000 people, whilst the organisation continued its advocacy work with the Luxembourg authorities.
Another distinctive feature of the Luxembourg branch of MSF is its operational research unit, LuxOR, which continues to grow. Based in Luxembourg, this team helps doctors and field teams to improve their work through scientific research and the analysis of data collected during humanitarian missions. In 2025, it supported or planned 59 studies in 25 countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Mozambique, Palestine and Yemen. The research focused on infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, sexual and reproductive health, epidemics and migration, and resulted in 13 scientific publications.
