The Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with first cases notified in March 2014, was the largest and most complex outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976. There were more cases and deaths stemming from this outbreak than all other known instances combined. The World Health Organization (WHO) first reported an outbreak in Guinea, with cases suspected along the border with Sierra Leone and Liberia.

An international emergency was declared on 8 August 2014, when the international community began scaling up its response. The DEC Ebola Crisis appeal raised £37 million, including £5 million from UK Aid Match. This report details the response of DEC member charities, which reached an estimated 2.8 million people in the first phase of the response, and 1.6 million in the second phase.