Global Aid Falls 23.1% in 2025 to 2015 Levels

Official development assistance from wealthy nations plummeted by 23.1 percent in real terms in 2025, marking the largest annual decline since records began and returning global aid levels to those of 2015, according to preliminary figures released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The Paris-based OECD reported that members and associates of its Development Assistance Committee provided a total of $174.3 billion in official development assistance, equivalent to 0.26 percent of their combined gross national income. This followed a 9.8 percent drop in 2024, when aid totaled $214.6 billion, or 0.34 percent of gross national income. The 2025 figure represents a contraction of nearly $60 billion from 2023 levels of $223.7 billion.

Germany emerged as the top donor for the first time, contributing $29.1 billion, narrowly ahead of the United States at $29.0 billion. Other major providers, including the United Kingdom with $17.2 billion, Japan with $16.2 billion, and France with $14.5 billion, all recorded reductions. These five countries accounted for 95.7 percent of the overall decline. The United States alone saw its aid fall by 56.9 percent, the sharpest...