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Global Development Aid Plunges 23% as US Cuts Drive $40B Drop in 2025
OECD data reveals global development assistance fell to $174.3B in 2025 from $214.6B in 2024, marking the steepest annual decline on record. The US slashed aid by 57%, dropping from $63B to $29B, accounting for three-quarters of the global shortfall.
International development aid from OECD members dropped 23% between 2024 and 2025, falling from $214.6B to $174.3B—the largest annual decline since records began. The United States drove three-quarters of this shortfall, cutting assistance by 57% from $63B to just under $29B during President Trump's first year back in office.
For the first time, all five top OECD donors—the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, and France—simultaneously reduced foreign aid. Only eight of 34 Development Assistance Committee members met or exceeded 2024 funding levels. OECD official Carsten Staur called the trend "deeply concerning" amid rising humanitarian needs and global uncertainty.
The cuts followed Trump's dissolution of USAID and broader government spending reductions. Analysts at the Center for Global Development estimate these cuts contributed to 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths globally in 2025 alone. The Lancet projects continued funding declines could cause 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030, particularly from HIV-AIDS, malaria, and polio.
The Trump administration claims it's transforming, not abandoning, US aid through bilateral deals with African nations. Critics note these agreements may involve demands for mineral access or health data, though details remain undisclosed.
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