Britain's foreign aid: Where does the money go?

LONDON - Britain's foreign aid spending has dropped by nearly 1.3 billion pounds ($1.73 billion) last year, mirroring a global decrease in humanitarian funds sent to poorer countries, according to new government figures.

International aid fell in 2024 for the first time in five years and is set to plunge further this year as U.S. President Donald Trump slashes spending and other key donors cut back.

In February, Britain said it would slash its overseas development budget from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in order to boost defence spending, stunning charities and prompting the resignation of the development minister.

Here are the details of Britain's foreign aid spending:

How much does Britain spend on overseas aid?

In 1970, Britain pledged to spend at least 0.7% of GNI on foreign aid as part of a United Nations pact.

It was among 30 wealthy countries, including the United States, Germany and Japan, that vowed to meet this minimum commitment each year.

As the world's third-largest aid donor, Britain spent 14.1 billion pounds in Official Development Assistance in 2024, a decrease of 8% compared to 2023, according to preliminary government statistics released in April.

A fifth of the budget for 2024, about 2.8 billion pounds, was spent on hosting asylum seekers and refugees at home, according to the latest data from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Britain spent 1.4 billion pounds of its aid budget in 2024 on humanitarian assistance, a jump of nearly 60%. Most recipient countries were in Africa and Asia.

How does other countries' aid spending compare?

The United States was the biggest aid donor overall last year, contributing $63.3 billion, nearly a third of the total, according to preliminary data collected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

But Trump has gutted the U.S. Agency for International Development this year, declaring it out of step with his "America First" agenda.

While the U.S. has long given the most in absolute terms, it is not the most generous, contributing far less in proportion to its wealth than many other countries.

Only four countries exceeded the 0.7% U.N. target last year - Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden. The average aid spending by donors was 3.3% of GNI.

How have cuts impacted UK aid recipients?

Since 2020, Britain's aid cuts have impacted almost all international programmes dealing with global health and humanitarian work, charities have said.

Sexual health programmes across Africa faced a 60% cut in funding as a result, according to a 2023 assessment by parliament's International Development Committee, which scrutinises aid spending.   

Other programmes affected by cuts included initiatives to deter female genital mutilation in Somalia, support for women and girls under Taliban rule in Afghanistan and programmes to vaccinate children, the report said. 

Now many international groups are bracing for further layoffs and widespread closures of life-saving programmes for the world's most vulnerable communities. 

($1 = 0.7876 pounds)
    
This article was updated on April 25 to include preliminary figures from the UK and OECD.

(Reporting by Lin Taylor. Additional reporting by Emma Batha. Editing by Clár Ní Chonghaile, Jon Hemming and Ayla Jean Yackley)