INFORM Severity Index
Last updated
Last updated
Signals are sent when the national level INFORM Severity Index is above 3 and exceeds the highest value recorded in the past 12 months.
We monitor the data. The INFORM Severity Index is a composite indicator designed to measure the severity of humanitarian crises globally, against a common scale. It aggregates data from various sources to categorise all crises into five levels of severity:
Level 5: Extreme humanitarian conditions. People are facing extreme shortages or availability and accessibility problems in regards to basic services.
Level 4: Severe humanitarian conditions. People are facing significant shortages and/or significant availability and accessibility problems in regards to basic services.
Level 3: Moderate humanitarian conditions. People are facing shortages and/or availability and accessibility problems in regards to basic services but they are not life-threatening.
Level 2: Stressed humanitarian conditions. People are facing some shortages or/and some availability and accessibility problems in regards to basic services.
Level 1: None/Minor humanitarian conditions. People are facing none or minor shortages or/and accessibility problems regarding basic services.
People with identified humanitarian needs are included in levels 3–5, depending on the severity of their needs.
You can access ACAPS data directly on and find additional datasets and context on the .
The INFORM Severity Index is calculated for each crisis covered. In order to generate Signals at the country level, we aggregate crisis-level data to the national level. Signals are sent when the national level INFORM Severity Index is above 3 and exceeds the highest value recorded in the past 12 months.
Below are historical examples that show how signals are generated using the INFORM Severity Index: : In January 2025, the INFORM Severity Index reached 4, a value higher than any time in the previous year. : In May 2024, the INFORM severity index reached 3.6, the highest value in the previous year.