The United Nations faces an “imminent financial collapse,” Secretary-General António Guterres warned this week, citing a record level of unpaid dues and a budget rule he calls “a race to bankruptcy.”
The stark alert highlights a deepening liquidity crisis at the 193-member world body, which is funded by mandatory contributions from its member states. The crisis coincides with a broader retreat from multilateral engagement by its largest contributor, the United States.
According to a letter Guterres sent to member states last week, outstanding dues for the U.N.’s regular budget have reached a record $1.57 billion. U.N. officials confirm that more than 95% of that debt is owed by the United States, which totaled $2.19 billion at the start of February. This figure includes $827 million for 2025 and $767 million for 2026. The U.S. also owes an additional $2.4 billion for current and past peacekeeping missions.
“Our cash-flow problem could be solved if member states, who have an obligation to pay, pay,” U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said this week, without naming specific countries.
The financial crunch arrives as the U.S., under President Donald Trump, has scaled back funding and participation in international bodies. The administration has slashed voluntary funding to U.N. agencies, moved to exit organizations like the World Health Organization, and recently launched a rival “Board of Peace.”
Speaking to Politico, President Trump cast himself as a potential savior for the U.N., stating he could “solve the problem very easily” and get other countries to contribute, but did not commit to paying the outstanding U.S. debt.
A senior State Department official criticized the U.N., accusing it of wasting money on excessive staff salaries, benefits, and bureaucracy. “We have no interest in continuing to spend American tax dollars on such waste, fraud and abuse,” the official said.
Compounding the problem is a U.N. financial regulation that requires the organization to credit back hundreds of millions in unspent dues to member states each year—even if those dues were never paid. Guterres described this requirement as “Kafkaesque” and warned it could drain U.N. coffers by July.
The U.N. General Assembly approved a $3.45 billion regular budget for 2026 in December, roughly 7% lower than the 2025 budget. Guterres has launched a reform task force, UN80, to cut costs and improve efficiency, but officials stress the core issue is a lack of cash.
“Unlike a government, we can’t borrow money and we can’t print money,” a U.N. official said, warning of severe operational disruptions if the situation does not improve.
Contributions are calculated based on the size of a nation’s economy. The U.S. is responsible for 22% of the regular budget, followed by China at 20%. Payments for 2026 were officially due on Feb. 8; so far, only 41 member states have paid in full.
