In 2024, for the first time since 2020, public help has decreased. A 7.1% decline in real terms that interrupts five years of continuous growth and that arrives at a time when emergencies multiply. The data are from the OECD, which has released a difficult picture: development assistance stopped at 212.1 billion dollars, equal to 0.33% of gross national income of donor countries. 0.7%, the historical objective of Agenda 2030, seems more and further away.
The cuts are not abstract. Mean less funds for refugees, less humanitarian aidless resources for Ukraine, which has seen a drop of 16.7% of the contributions. They also mean less hospitals, less schools, less access to water in many corners of the world. And while the pressure of climatic crises, wars and poverty grows, funding slows down. The OECD warns: in 2025 we could lose another 9-17%, if the cuts Already announced by the United States and other great donors.
The end of the growth of development aid
The decline in the Oda (Public help to development) is not just a technical question: it is a political step back. After years in which international cooperation had held up to the impact of the pandemic, now the attention shifts elsewhere. Of the 22 donor countries, only 10 have increased the contributions, while the remaining have reduced, some drastically, their commitment.
Global humanitarian assistance collapsed by 43% in one year, just as the crisis areas increase. Also i funds intended for reception Refugees dropped by 17.3%. In countries like Italy, these costs represent even more than a quarter of the total aid. Less resources simply means that fewer people will receive help.
The countries that give (and those who cut)
The United States, net of the drop, remain the first absolute donor, with 63.3 billion dollars. But their share in relation to gross national income is only 0.22%. Follow:
- Germany
- United Kingdom
- Japan
- France
Few, indeed very few, exceed the symbolic threshold of 0.7%. They are: Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark. Italy increased by 6.7% Its aid, but remains at the bottom of the ranking with only 0.28% of gross national income. Despite the improvement, we are far from international objectives. And this has a price: less presence in international contexts, less cooperation, less influence.
New cuts coming in 2025
The prospects for the future are not encouraging. If the cuts promised by some large donors are confirmed, in particular by the United States (already outside the WHO), 2025 could mark a further collapse between 9% and 17% of international aid. The more of the health, educational and environmental programs are risks more than in the poorest countries or affected by conflicts.
For the OECD, the moment is decisive: you have to “do more with less” and invest aid where they are really necessary, without dispersing less and less resources. These would be: sustainable development, climatic resilience and local governance are the three pillars on which to concentrate the action.
