World Humanitarian Data and Trends presents global and country-level data and trend analysis about humanitarian crises and assistance. Its purpose is to consolidate this information and present it in an accessible way. It is intended to establish a common baseline of data that can be used to make comparisons across time. The information can be used for analysis of humanitarian crises and assistance, to support humanitarian policy decisions and to provide context for operational decisions. The information presented covers three main areas: 1) humanitarian needs in 2012; 2) humanitarian assistance in 2012; 3) humanitarian trends and analysis. It is intended to provide as comprehensive a picture as possible of global humanitarian needs and assistance and to highlight major trends in the nature of humanitarian crises, their drivers and the actors that participate in prevention, response and recovery. The 2013 edition includes more analysis, including a new ‘Highlights' section (page 2 – 3), as well as new, non-traditional sources of information.