Development Co‑operation Profiles: United Kingdom
Table of contents
The United Kingdom’s development co-operation is pursuing a mission statement of “a world free from poverty on a liveable planet”, based on modern, mutually beneficial partnerships. The United Kingdom has retained the significant changes to its development co-operation architecture and policy over recent years, including the creation of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). It remains a top provider, with a strong focus on fragile contexts and humanitarian assistance. The United Kingdom’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 17.2 billion, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.43% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on the United Kingdom’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The United Kingdom set out innovative development reforms in 2026 that placed tackling conflict and supporting fragile states at the centre of the government’s new approach to development. It also prioritises contexts with the greatest humanitarian need, including Ukraine, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Sudan, women and girls, and international action on climate change and nature loss with a new focus on unlocking private investment for development. It emphasises the importance of partnership and marks a shift for the United Kingdom as an investor. In parallel, in-donor refugee costs account for a significant share of its bilateral ODA.
The United Kingdom’s multilateral priorities include support for the World Bank’s International Development Association to deliver two-thirds of its work in Africa. Multilateral organisations remain an important channel for the United Kingdom’s ODA, with significant support to both core and earmarked funding. The United Nations system received around one-third of these contributions.
The 2023 mid-term review found that the United Kingdom had made good progress on two of the ten recommendations made in the 2020 Peer Review and some progress against a further six, such as on policy coherence, whole-of-government or private finance’s poverty focus. It found that recent institutional changes and the new international development white paper provide opportunities that enable the United Kingdom to play a leading role in international development. However, it also found that the benefits of an integrated development and diplomacy ministry have not yet been realised and capacity constraints persisted. The review suggests a greater focus on ODA quality and poverty reduction and encourages stronger cross-governmental engagement and coherent policies as important to deliver on the United Kingdom’s development aspirations. The next review is scheduled for 2028.
Discover insights from the United Kingdom’s 2023 mid-term review and 2020 Peer Review. Learn from the United Kingdom’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices.
The United Kingdom provided USD 17.2 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 16 billion in constant terms), representing 0.43% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 10.8% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. On 25 February 2025, the Prime Minister announced that the United Kingdom would reduce ODA spending from 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.3% in 2027 to fully fund increased investment in defence. The United Kingdom is not in line with its domestic and international to achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio. The United Kingdom has committed to return to a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio when two fiscal tests are met on a sustainable basis. However, budget cuts in 2025 and 2026 will take spending down to 0.3% GNI by 2027, reflecting a dramatic change in ODA allocation. Within the United Kingdom’s ODA portfolio in 2024, 99.9% was provided in the form of grants, 0% was extended as loans and 0.1% in equity.
In 2025, the United Kingdom ranked 4th among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members in terms of ODA volume and 9th when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. In-donor refugee costs represented 27.8% of the United Kingdom’s gross bilateral ODA in 2024. It also had the sixth highest percentage of gross bilateral ODA disbursements to the humanitarian pillar of the humanitarian development-peace nexus in fragile contexts in 2024.
The United Kingdom is committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
The United Kingdom provided most of its ODA bilaterally in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 78.4% of total ODA disbursements. Of this, 28.3% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, the United Kingdom provided USD 7.3 billion of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 22.7% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 3.6 billion was core multilateral ODA (21.6% of total ODA), while USD 3.7 billion was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 15.8% of the United Kingdom’s non-core contributions, and 84.2% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The United Nations (UN) system received 33.9% of the United Kingdom’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 1.7 billion (70.8%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 2.5 billion to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of the United Kingdom’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the World Food Programme (USD 472.1 million), the United Nations Children’s Fund (USD 412.2 million) and the World Health Organization (USD 251 million).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the DAC members’ use of the multilateral system dashboard.
In 2024, the United Kingdom’s bilateral spending increased compared to the previous year. It provided USD 13 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented an increase of 0.7% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 3.1 billion, or 23.7% of the United Kingdom’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 46.5%.
The United Kingdom’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 3.6 billion (27.8% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 1.4 billion, or 10.9% of gross bilateral ODA.
In 2024, the United Kingdom channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through public sector, multilateral organisations and NGOs. Technical co-operation made up 5.8% of gross ODA in 2024.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 1.8 billion of gross bilateral ODA, of which 8.2% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 2.6% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 11% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the provider (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs increased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 11.4% to 13.6%.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and by exploring the ODA to civil society organisations dashboard.
In 2024, the United Kingdom’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on countries in Africa. USD 2.4 billion was allocated to countries in Africa and USD 969.6 million to Asia (excluding the Middle East), accounting respectively for 18.6% and 7.5% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 818.9 million was allocated to Middle East. Countries in Africa were also the main recipient of the United Kingdom’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, in line with its policy priorities.
In 2024, 16.1% of gross bilateral ODA went to the United Kingdom’s top 10 recipients. Its top 10 recipients are all in fragile contexts, with Ukraine, Afghanistan and Ethiopia as the top three, reflecting the United Kingdom’s policy priorities. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 69.6%, of which 39.9% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, the United Kingdom allocated 0.09% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). The United Kingdom allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (15.8%) to least developed countries in 2024, noting that 69.6% was unallocated by income group. Additionally, the United Kingdom allocated 8.7% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 1.1 billion. The United Kingdom allocated 1.2% of gross bilateral ODA to small island developing states (SIDS) in 2024, equal to USD 153.1 million.
The distribution of the United Kingdom’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 3.4 in the LDCs, USD 3.7 in lower middle-income countries and USD 5.6 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2025, the United Kingdom provided USD 413.2 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 12% increase from 2024 in real terms. USD 116 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, a 34.8% decrease in real terms from 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 3 billion in 2024, representing 22.8% of the United Kingdom’s gross bilateral ODA. Of this ODA, 37.5% was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 32.8% in 2023, while 11.8% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 13% in 2023. Conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, represented 4.9% of gross bilateral ODA, decreasing from 6% in 2023.
Learn more about the States of Fragility platform.
In 2024, the largest focus of the United Kingdom’s bilateral ODA was other macro sectors, in particular support for in-donor refugee costs (USD 3.4 billion). ODA for social infrastructure and services totalled USD 3.7 billion, with a focus on health and population (USD 1.4 billion). Multi-sector amounted to USD 1.7 billion (13.4% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations focused on social sectors and other macro sectors in 2024.
In the period 2023-2024, the United Kingdom committed 75.6% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment compared to 56.9% in 2021-2022 and a DAC average of 48.2% in 2023-2024. This is equal to USD 5 billion of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 8.9% in 2023-2024, compared with the DAC average of 4.2%.
The United Kingdom includes gender equality objectives in 88.1% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2023-2024 DAC average of 21.4%.
The United Kingdom screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA against the DAC gender equality policy marker (92% in 2023-2024).
The United Kingdom committed USD 97.1 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls, and USD 68.7 million to support women’s rights organisations and movements, and government institutions on average per year in 2023-2024.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the development finance for gender equality dashboard.
In 2023-2024, the United Kingdom committed 44.3% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 3.2 billion) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 38.4% in 2021‑2022. The DAC average was 39%. In addition:
25.4% of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 11.2%.
38.7% of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 2.8 billion) focused on climate change overall (the DAC average was 35.4%), up from 35.4% in 2021-2022. The United Kingdom had a greater focus on mitigation (31.5%) than on adaptation (30.2%) in 2023-2024.
15% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 978.6 million) focused on biodiversity overall (the DAC average was 8.6%), up from 8.5% in 2021-2022.
6.7% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 437.3 million) focused on desertification overall (the DAC average was 4.2%), up from 3.1% in 2021-2022.
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The OECD’s tracking of ODA for the sustainable ocean economy shows that the United Kingdom committed USD 97.9 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2024, USD 20.8 million less than in 2023. The 2024 value is equivalent to 1.1% of the United Kingdom’s bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2024, the United Kingdom:
Allocated 4.5% of its bilateral ODA (USD 587.9 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (such as basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 1.3% of bilateral ODA (USD 169.8 million) went to social protection support. Learn more by exploring the Reducing poverty and inequalities through ODA data explainer.
Committed USD 1.9 billion (22.5% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition in developing countries across a variety of sectors, such as emergency response, health, and other social infrastructure and services.
Committed USD 2.8 billion (32.8% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Committed USD 29.8 million (0.3% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries. Regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services, the United Kingdom does not seek exemptions. It does not have a general policy and it makes information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 1.3 billion (15.8% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. The United Kingdom is among the top 10 official providers of aid for trade globally. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
In 2024, total official and private flows from the United Kingdom to developing countries amounted to USD 18.5 billion in net terms. Official sources accounted for USD 16.4 billion while USD 2.1 billion originated from private sources.
To help build markets in developing countries and incentivise greater mobilisation of private resources for development, many providers, including the United Kingdom, have established development finance institutions and similar vehicles that extend private sector instruments (PSI). British International Investment Plc (BII), Mobilising Finance for Forests (MFF), Mobilising Institutional Capital Through Listed Product Structures (MOBILIST), United Kingdom India Development Cooperation Fund (UKIDCF) and FSD Africa Investments Ltd. (FSDAi) were assessed as ODA-eligible PSI vehicles. PSI represented 9.1% of the United Kingdom’s ODA in 2024 while the DAC average stood at 1.9%.
In 2024, BII, MFF, MOBILIST, FSDAi and UKIDCF extended USD 1.6 billion in the form of PSI to developing countries.3 Of this, loans accounted for 50%, whereas equities accounted for 42.7%. Other private sector instruments included grants, mezzanine finance instruments, equity and shares in collective investment vehicles.
In 2024, USD 263.1 million (16.6%) of the United Kingdom’s private sector instruments were allocated to the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs). By contrast, 55.1% was received by middle-income countries, notably lower middle-income countries (41.7%). USD 448 million was unallocated by income. The United Kingdom’s PSI primarily supported projects in the banking and financial services (41.2%) and other social infrastructure and services (17.3%) sectors.
The United Kingdom uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2024, the United Kingdom’s BII, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FSDA, Mobilising Institutional Capital Through Listed Product Structures and UK-India Tech Start-up Fund mobilised USD 2.1 billion from the private sector through direct investment in companies and special purpose vehicles, shares in collective investment vehicles, simple co-financing, credit lines, guarantees and syndicated loans. This constituted a 30.5% increase compared to 2023.
Private finance mobilised by the United Kingdom in 2023-2024 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 54.8% of its total mobilised. Only 8.8% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs), noting that 36.4% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by the United Kingdom in 2023-2024 related mainly to activities in banking and financial services (25.1%), as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 44.9% of the United Kingdom’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
Learn more by exploring the Mobilisation of private finance for development dashboard.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by the United Kingdom as TOSSD totalled USD 18.3 billion, marking an 18% decrease compared with the previous year.4 The United Kingdom’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being) and SDG 5 (gender equality).
Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
Since September 2020, the FCDO has managed the bulk of the United Kingdom’s ODA. Under a dedicated whole-of-government approach, several departments are active in development co-operation and specific cross-governmental funds exist. The FCDO seeks to maximise the benefits of the merger of diplomacy and development into one department, notably with the Minister for International Development attending Cabinet, a second permanent secretary in the FCDO to oversee development priorities, and a new FCDO-HM Treasury governance structure to improve the oversight of all ODA spending. The International Development Committee in parliament continues to be responsible for scrutiny of UK aid and ODA expenditure, including by the FCDO, and taking forward the work of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. Additionally, BII is the United Kingdom’s development finance institution, focusing on mobilising private capital for development in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.
The FCDO employs 17 326 staff in its diplomatic and development offices worldwide. Roughly half are UK‑based civil servants, whose careers typically include roles both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Around half of them are employed locally in other countries. The FCDO has ten full-time staff working at BII.
The United Kingdom draws upon the expertise of the private sector, civil society and academia to advise and challenge its implementation of the international development policy. UK-based CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate under the umbrella body BOND.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development placed a renewed emphasis on strengthening the effectiveness of all forms of development co-operation by upholding and elevating the Effectiveness Principles. Adherence to these principles is measured through the partner country-led monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC).
Notes: The global aggregate results of the 4th GPEDC monitoring round (2023-2026) will be published in the forthcoming 2026 GPEDC Global Monitoring Report. Learn more about partner countries’ participation, progress and country-specific results by exploring the GPEDC Global Dashboard. CRS: Creditor Reporting System; IATI: International Aid Transparency Initiative.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the delivery of the United Kingdom’s development co‑operation. The table below highlights select features.
Access the full list of development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
2023 OECD-DAC Mid-term review of the United Kingdom letter: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/17/en/pdf
2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review of the United Kingdom: https://doi.org/10.1787/43b42243-en
British International Investment (former CDC Group), the United Kingdom’s development finance institute: https://www.bii.co.uk
CSO platform Bond: https://www.bond.org.uk
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO): https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office
Integrated Review Refresh 2023: Responding to a more contested and volatile world: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/integrated-review-refresh-2023-responding-to-a-more-contested-and-volatile-world
International development in a contested world: Ending extreme poverty and tackling climate change, a white paper on international development: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-development-in-a-contested-world-ending-extreme-poverty-and-tackling-climate-change
The United Kingdom has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1961.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
Note by the Republic of Türkiye
The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiye shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.
Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union
The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 3. In 2023, the DAC agreed on revised reporting methods for measuring PSI in ODA based on ODA grant equivalents. Members may, however, take up to two years to transition to the new methods, with their PSI continuing to be accounted for on a net ODA basis during the transition period.
← 4. This amount does not include mobilised private finance by United Kingdom.