20/08/2025
A recent study by Sarah Bush and Jennifer Hadden offers one of the clearest pictures to date of the evolution of the international NGO sector since its heyday after the Cold War. Drawing on data that traces the global expansion and now stagnation of civil society organisations, the paper suggests that what once seemed to be an unstoppable rise of NGOs has given way to decline and retrenchment.
In the 1990s, the rise of international NGO seemed unstoppable. If Amnesty International, Greenpeace, and Oxfam expanded more visibly, the number of international NGOs worldwide increased by more than 40% in just a decade. This ‘golden age of NGOs’ led them to be seen not only as service providers but also as the architects of a new world order, reshaping norms, institutions and global governance.
But that optimism has faded. Since 2010, the growth of international NGOs has slowed considerably, barely exceeding 5% in ten years. This slowdown is not just statistical, it reflects a more general decline in their influence. Many of the organisations that once dominated political debates and development programmes are now struggling to remain relevant, under pressure from governments that mistrust them, a public that questions their legitimacy, and donors who demand greater efficiency and local ownership.
This study highlights a set of converging pressures that are reshaping and reducing the role of NGOs in global affairs:
- Government crackdown
NGO activity is being restricted across dozens of countries, including Russia, India and Ethiopia. Authoritarian governments see them as threats, and even some democracies are introducing tougher laws to limit their influence.
- Loss of political support
The global environment is becoming more hostile. Governments that once welcomed civil society now question its legitimacy, particularly when it challenges national policies or raises uncomfortable truths.
- Falling public trust
For the first time in 25 years of Edelman Trust Barometer polling (whose methodology though remains contested), people reported more trust in business than in NGOs. In 2025, businesses are seen as nearly as ethical, and far more competent.
- Declining budgets
European donors have cut back sharply. Even centre-left governments are reducing funding as defence spending rises. The financial model that sustained much of the international NGO sector is crumbling.
- Rise of anti-NGO narratives
From accusations of political bias to laws branding groups as “foreign agents,” governments are reframing NGOs as partisan and unaccountable. These narratives are gaining traction with the public.
- Geopolitical realignment
Countries shifting trade and political ties toward China and Russia are more likely to restrict civil society. Unlike Western donors, these powers place no human rights conditions on aid or investment.
- Disappointment with localisation
Many NGOs have adopted localisation strategies, shifting power to in-country partners. But these changes haven’t gone far enough to rebuild trust or resist repression. Technical reforms alone aren’t enough.
A sector at a crossroads
These trends have been particularly visible in authoritarian states but even in democracies, NGOs are facing growing resistance. Their critics accuse them of being disconnected from the communities they claim to serve or of perpetuating a colonial mindset in their humanitarian work. Financial pressures exacerbate the problem, with major donors pushing for aid to go through local actors rather than international headquarters that seem bloated and bureaucratic.
However, this does not mean that NGOs are doomed to irrelevance. Rather, this is a time of transition. The way forward may involve a shift away from large-scale international mechanisms towards closer partnerships with local organisations. Instead of conducting global campaigns from afar, NGOs could increasingly play the role of facilitators, advocates and conveners by amplifying local voices. Reinvention will be key if they are to regain trust and adapt to the new world order.
Power shifts back
What makes the present moment particularly significant is that the decline of NGOs coincides with a reaffirmation of state power. Governments that expel human rights observers strengthen their ability to control information and suppress dissent, while those that muzzle environmental groups gain greater freedom to pollute or engage in destructive economic activities without oversight. When national civil society is weak, states face fewer constraints when they fail to meet their international obligations. The danger is that many NGOs will not survive increasing political and financial pressures, undermining the advocacy and monitoring functions that once held governments to account. Without them, states, particularly non-democratic ones, will be freer to violate treaties, silence dissent and reshape international norms to their advantage.
The optimism of the 1990s was based on the belief that the rise of NGOs marked a permanent redistribution of power from states to global civil society. It is now clear that this was never guaranteed. Power is returning, and in a way that does not favour democracy or human rights. Unless NGOs can adapt on a scale that few have yet achieved, the world may end up resembling less the open and collaborative international order imagined three decades ago than the darker, state-dominated order they once seemed poised to replace. Yet history shows that civil society has a remarkable capacity for resilience and reinvention. If NGOs can seize this opportunity to transform themselves, they could still play a vital role in building a more just and accountable global future.