Accredited official statistics

Statistics on International Development: Final UK Aid Spend 2022

Updated 9 July 2024

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1. Summary

In 2022:

  • the final ODA:GNI ratio was 0.51 per cent
  • in 2022, UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend was £12,786 million, an increase of £1,363 million (11.9 per cent increase) on 2021
  • UK bilateral ODA spend was £9,640 million (75.4 per cent of total UK ODA) while UK core funding to multilaterals was £3,146 million (24.6 per cent of total UK ODA)
  • in 2022, £3,690 million of ODA was in the form of in-donor refugee costs (28.9% of UK total ODA). This represents a £2,638 million increase compared to 2021 when its share of total ODA was 9.2%. The trends presented in this report reflect this increase
  • the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spent £7,635 million on ODA in 2022, compared with £8,175 million in 2021 (a decrease of £540 million). The FCDO’s share of total UK ODA stood at 59.7 per cent in 2022, a decrease from 71.6 per cent in 2021
  • non-FCDO spend on ODA (by Other Government Departments and other contributors of UK ODA) was £5,151 million in 2022, compared with £3,248 million in 2021 (an increase of £1,903 million). The non-FCDO share was 40.3 per cent, up from 28.4 per cent in 2021
  • Africa remained the largest recipient of UK region-specific bilateral ODA in 2022 – accounting for 42.2 per cent.  However, in 2022 ODA to Africa decreased by £486 million (28.1 per cent) to £1,241 million
  • the top 3 recipients of UK bilateral country specific ODA were Afghanistan (£353 million), Ukraine (£342 million) and Nigeria (£110 million)
  • the largest amount of bilateral ODA was focused on the sectors ‘Refugees in Donor Countries’ (£3,690 million), ‘Humanitarian (£109 million) and ‘Health’ (£966 million)

2. Setting the scene on Official Development Assistance

What is ODA?

Official Development Assistance (ODA) is provided according to the standardised definitions and methodologies of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). ODA (also known as aid) is defined as resource flows to developing countries and multilateral organisations, which are provided by official agencies (for example, the UK Government) or their executive agencies, where each transaction meets the following requirements:

  • it is administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objective
  • it is concessional, including grants and soft loans[footnote 1]

Which countries are ODA eligible?

The list of countries eligible to receive ODA is set by the OECD DAC. Gross National Income (GNI) per capita below the World Bank high-income threshold defines the coverage and boundaries of the list. It includes all low, lower-middle and upper-middle income countries, except for those that are members of the G8 or the European Union (including countries with a firm accession date for EU membership). The DAC reviews the list every 3 years. Countries ‘graduate’ if they have surpassed the high-income GNI per capita threshold for the 3 consecutive years prior to a graduation year.

3. About this release

What is in this report?

This report contains the release of finalised UK ODA spend figures for the calendar year 2022, including:

  • total UK spend on ODA, the UK’s ODA:GNI ratio, a breakdown of spend by contributor and by main delivery channel (chapter 4)
  • analysis of UK ODA spend by recipient country or multilateral organisation, as well as type of assistance and sector (chapters 5 to 7)
  • comparisons between the UK and other donor countries (chapter 8)

Comparisons between 2021 and 2022 ODA figures are made, as well as trends over the last 5 years (2018 to 2022 inclusive are shown in most tables). This publication updates previous provisional figures of UK ODA for 2022 published in April 2023.

All data tables included in this report are available to download in spreadsheet format. A full micro-dataset is also available in Open Data Standard format on the Statistics on International Development webpage. If you require any other data or information, or if you have any suggestions on how to improve the publication, please contact the statistics team at: statistics@fcdo.gov.uk

Further information on the technical terms, data sources, quality and processing of the statistics in this publication are found in Annexes 1 to 3 (PDF, 225 KB) on the Statistics on International Development webpage.

We are keen to hear from SID users to help us plan future developments and meet users’ analytical needs as far as possible. We would also be grateful to hear users’ views on a handful of our proposed ideas for improvements. You can contact us by email at statistics@fcdo.gov.uk.

Note to users

Changes to UK ODA expenditure

  • in the Autumn Statement 2022, the UK government announced additional ODA resources of £1 billion in 2022 to 2023 and £1.5 billion in 2023 to 2024, stating these funds were to help meet the significant and unanticipated costs incurred in supporting the people of Ukraine and Afghanistan to escape oppression and conflict and find refuge in the UK
  • please see section 2 for more information and background on the UK’s ODA as a proportion of GNI for 2022

FCDO ODA data

  • during 2022, FCDO launched a new finance and HR system (“Hera”) to serve the merged department. The majority of the FCDO’s ODA data for 2022 (approximately 9 months of the year) was gathered using the same process as previous years. Quality assurance of ODA data from Hera has been carried out as part of our normal processes. See background notes 9.1 and 9.10 for more information

  • during 2023, the OECD DAC implemented changes to the way donors should report their ODA-eligible administrative costs, to be applied to reporting on 2022 ODA flows.  The main change is that donors should not report a ‘recipient country/region’ for administrative costs.  Therefore, care should be taken when comparing country-level trends over time.  Background note 9.10 and an explanatory note (PDF, 200 KB) provides further information about this change

In-donor refugee costs

  • several trends presented in the report are impacted by the increase in in-donor refugee costs seen in 2022

This chapter provides an overview of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA). It covers the total amount of ODA provided by the UK in 2022, the calculation of the ODA:GNI ratio (section 4.1), longer-term spending trends (section 4.2), breakdowns of UK ODA spend by main delivery channel (section 4.3), and by contributors (section 4.4).

4.1 The ODA:GNI ratio

The ODA:GNI ratio presents the total amount of UK ODA as a proportion of UK Gross National Income (GNI).

Key background – the UK’s ODA:GNI ratio

From 2013 to 2020:

The ODA:GNI target of 0.7 per cent was first agreed internationally in 1970 by the United Nations General Assembly. The UK government made a commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of GNI on ODA from 2013. The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 placed this commitment in domestic legislation. The UK spent 0.7 per cent of UK GNI on ODA between 2013 to 2020.

2021 onwards:

In 2020, the UK government announced(a) a temporary reduction to ODA spend from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per cent of GNI, citing a severe economic downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic(b). The UK government committed to returning to spending 0.7 per cent when the fiscal situation allowed.

In July 2021, the government set out(c) the 2 key tests that must be met on a sustainable basis in the fiscal forecast produced by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) before ODA spending can return to 0.7 per cent:

  1. first, when the UK government is not borrowing to support day-to-day spending

2. second, when underlying debt is falling

Until the tests are met, the government’s plans assume ODA spending will be around 0.5 per cent of GNI. Once ODA spending has returned to 0.7 per cent of GNI, the tests will no longer apply and ODA spending will be maintained at 0.7 per cent of GNI each year.

At the 2022 Autumn Statement the government updated that, reflecting a significant shock to the economy and public finances, the independent OBR’s forecasts showed that the principles for a return to 0.7% GNI confirmed by Parliament in 2021 had not been met for 2023 to 2024. In accordance with the International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015, the government will continue to review and confirm each year whether a return to spending 0.7% of GNI on ODA is possible.

At the 2022 Autumn Statement, the government also announced additional ODA resources of £1 billion in 2022 to 2023 and £1.5 billion in 2023 to 2024. See Note to Users.

(a) See the government statement.

(b) The International Development (Official Development Assistance Target) Act 2015 (the 2015 Act) sets out circumstances which may explain why the 0.7 per cent target is not met and FCDO’s accountability to Parliament, See Section 2 of the 2015 Act.

(c) See the government statement.

Table 1 shows that in 2022:

  • the ODA:GNI ratio was 0.51 per cent. This shows that the UK has spent in line with the government’s decision to spend around 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income on ODA in 2022
  • UK ODA was £12,786 million in 2022, an increase of £1,363 million (11.9 per cent) compared to 2021. This was principally due to growth in the size of the UK economy, which grew from £2,267 billion in 2021 to £2,506 billion in 2022[footnote 2] – an annual growth of over 10 per cent – and also the additional resources made available by the government, some of which was spent in 2022

Table 1: UK GNI estimates, total UK ODA and ODA:GNI ratios, 2021 to 2022, current prices (£ millions).

2021 GNI £ million 2021 ODA £ million 2021 ODA:GNI ratio 2022 GNI £ million 2022 ODA £ million 2022 ODA:GNI ratio
2,266,768 11,423 0.50 2,505,567 12,786 0.51

Figure 1 shows the trend in UK ODA since 1970. Overall there has been a steady increase in the volume of UK ODA since 1970, with a peak achieved in 2005 and 2006 which was driven by high levels of debt relief, and a steep increase in 2013 when the UK Government first met the 0.7 per cent ODA:GNI target ratio. As the UK commitment to spend 0.7 per cent on ODA is based on the UK GNI (a key economic measure), when GNI increases/decreases, the UK ODA spend will in turn increase/decrease.

Between 2013 and 2019, UK ODA continued to increase in line with growth in the UK’s GNI. Since the step change seen in 2013, the next relatively large increase in the level of ODA is seen in 2016 (by £1.2 billion) and reflects the switch to the European System of Accounts (ESA) 2010 methodology for measuring GNI. This consequently increases UK ODA spend and meets the 0.7 per cent ODA commitment on that basis. The decrease in 2020 ODA spend reflects the decrease in the size of the economy in 2020 as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The decrease in 2021 ODA spend reflects the government’s decision to reduce ODA from 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income in 2020 to 0.5 per cent in 2021. Since 2021 there has been a 11.9 per cent increase in ODA spend to £12,786 million in 2022, principally reflecting the recent growth in the economy.

Figure 1 shows the levels of ODA in 2022 are broadly similar to levels seen in 2015.

Figure 1: UK ODA levels (£ billions) and ODA:GNI ratios (%), 1970 to 2022

Figure 1 legend: The blue bars represent UK ODA spend from 1970 to 2022, the pink line is the calculated ODA:GNI ratio from 1970 to 2022 and the grey dashed line is the 0.7% ODA:GNI target set by the United Nations General Assembly in 1970. From 2018 onwards, ODA has changed from being measured on a cash basis to being measured on a grant equivalent basis, following a decision taken by the DAC in 2014.

[footnote 3]

4.3 Bilateral and core multilateral ODA in 2022

UK ODA delivery channels

  • £9,640 million of UK ODA was delivered through bilateral channels. This was a 33.3 per cent increase (£2,406 million) compared to 2021.  One of the key reasons for this was an increase in in-donor refugee costs
  • bilateral ODA accounted for 75.4 per cent of the UK’s ODA spend in 2022, up from 63.3 per cent in 2021 – see Figure 2 [footnote 4] [footnote 5]
  • £3,146 million of UK ODA in 2022 was delivered through core contributions to multilateral organisations – a 24.9 per cent decrease (£1043 million) compared to 2021
  • multilateral ODA accounted for around a quarter of total ODA spend (24.6 per cent) in 2022, this is a decrease to its share in 2021 where over a third of ODA was spent through multilaterals (36.7 per cent). This is the lowest share of multilateral ODA in recent years

Figure 2: Total UK ODA by main delivery channel (%), 2018 to 2022

Figure 2 legend: Total UK ODA by main delivery channel. The bars for each year represent 100% of total UK ODA spend. The dark blue section represents the proportion of total UK ODA delivered through ‘Other Bilateral’ channels. The lighter blue represents the same measure but for ODA delivered through the ‘Bilateral through Multilateral’ channel. The grey section represents the proportion of total UK ODA that was channelled as core contributions to multilaterals, ‘Core Multilateral’. Note, percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

COVID-19

In March 2020, the World Health Organisation declared that the COVID-19 outbreak was a global pandemic. Since then, a proportion of UK ODA has been directed to support the international response to COVID-19 including helping developing countries counter its health, humanitarian and socio-economic impacts and supporting vaccination efforts.

The COVID-19 figures reported here reflect only spend on activities that were specifically designed to address the pandemic[footnote 6]. In light of the UK’s significantly reduced COVID-19 expenditure, the next publication of Statistics on International Development in 2024 will not contain information about ODA spend on COVID-related activities.

In 2022, approximately £270 million of UK bilateral ODA was spent on activities which specifically addressed the COVID-19 pandemic (see Table 2 of published tables). FCDO accounted for 96 per cent of this ODA. This included the UK’s donation of excess vaccine doses, both directly and through COVAX[footnote 7], to developing countries (estimated at £228 million).[footnote 8] UK bilateral ODA for COVID-19 activities was highest in 2020 (£1,055 million) at the peak of the pandemic and has declined annually as the pandemic evolved.

4.4 UK ODA by government department and other contributors

Table 2 shows UK ODA spend broken down by government department and other official sector contributors in 2022. It also shows changes in spend from 2021.

The overall amount of ODA spent in any given calendar year is determined by the size of GNI, however shifts in the percentage shares of departments and other ODA contributors depend on their spending in the given year. See ’Note to Users’ (Page 8) for more information on the increase in in-donor refugee costs in 2022 and the impact of this on trends in UK ODA spend.

Contributors of UK ODA in 2022

  • the FCDO spent £7,635 million of ODA in 2022, a decrease of £540 million (6.6 per cent) compared with 2021. Whilst FCDO continues to hold the greatest share (59.7 per cent of total UK ODA), it’s share has reduced by 11.9 percentage points since 2021 (Figure 3)
  • ODA spend by all contributors other than FCDO (referred to as non-FCDO) totalled £5,151 million in 2022, an increase of 58.9 per cent (or £1,903m) on 2021

  • ODA spend by non-FCDO contributors now constitutes 40.3 per cent of the total ODA spend in 2022 (up from 28.4 per cent in 2021).  Home Office holds the second highest share of ODA of total UK ODA (18.7 per cent). Of this:

    • spend by government departments other than FCDO (known as Other Government Departments) totalled £4,824 million in 2022, an increase of 70.7 per cent (or £1,998 million) on 2021
    • spend by Other Contributors of UK ODA totalled £327 million in 2022, a decrease of 22.4 per cent (or £95 million) compared to 2021

The largest year on year changes amongst non-FCDO contributors are shown below. Where there has been an increase, this has primarily been driven by in-donor refugee costs:

  • Home Office, which spent £2,397 million of ODA in 2022, an increase of £1,356 million (130.2 per cent) compared to 2021
  • Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spent £524 million, the first time they have spent ODA
  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy[footnote 9] spent £554 million in 2022, a reduction of £381 million (40.8 per cent)
  • Department for Health and Social Care, spent £465 million of ODA in 2022, an increase of £239 million

Table 2: Breakdown of UK ODA by government department and other contributors of UK ODA[footnote 10]

Year 2018 2018 2021 2021 2022 2022 Change since 2018 Change since 2018 Change since 2021 Change since 2021
£million % UK ODA £million % UK ODA £million % UK ODA £million % £million %
Total FCDO [note 2] 11,530 79.30% 8,175 71.60% 7,635 59.70% -3,895 -33.80% -540 -6.60%
Of which: EU Attribution [note 3] 452 3.10% 684 6.00% 532 4.20% 81 17.80% -152 -22.20%
Total non-FCDO 3,012 20.70% 3,248 28.40% 5,151 40.30% 2,139 71.00% 1,903 58.60%
Sub-total other government departments 2,320 16.00% 2,826 24.70% 4,824 37.70% 2,503 107.90% 1,998 70.70%
Home Office 333 2.30% 1,041 9.10% 2,397 18.70% 2,064 619.70% 1,356 130.20%
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy [r] 847 5.80% 935 8.20% 554 4.30% -294 -0.347 -381 -0.408
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 524 4.10% 524 z 524 z
Department of Health and Social Care 195 1.30% 226 2.00% 465 3.60% 270 138.30% 239 105.40%
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) [r] 603 4.10% 426 3.70% 314 2.50% -290 -48.00% -112 -26.40%
Department for Education 20 0.10% 21 0.20% 218 1.70% 198 969.60% 197 930.70%
Department for Work and Pensions 25 0.20% 13 0.10% 171 1.30% 146 586.20% 158 1209.40%
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs 70 0.50% 76 0.70% 90 0.70% 21 29.70% 14 18.60%
Cabinet Office 21 0.10% 18 0.20% 51 0.40% 30 139.30% 33 180.60%
HM Revenue & Customs 11 0.10% 3 0.00% 27 0.20% 16 1.476 24 8.484
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports 9 0.10% 6 0.10% 4 0.00% -5 -0.525 -2 -0.332
Ministry of Defence 5 0.00% 3 0.00% 4 0.00% -1 -24.80% 0 8.20%
HM Treasury 83 0.60% 2 0.00% 3 0.00% -80 -96.10% 1 48.90%
Office for National Statistics [note 4] [low] 0.00% 2 0.00% 3 0.00% 3 1035.20% 2 102.20%
Department for Transport [note 6] 0 0.00% 0 0.00% [low] 0.00% 0 z 0 z
Cross- Government Prosperity Fund 94 0.60% 53 0.50% 0 0.00% -94 -100.00% -53 -100.00%
Department of International Trade [note 5] 0 0.00% [low] 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 z 0 z
Export Credit Guarantee Department 4 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00% -4 -100.00% 0 100.00%
Sub-total other contributors of UK ODA 692 4.80% 422 3.70% 327 2.60% -365 -52.70% -95 -22.40%
Gift Aid 148 1.00% 158 1.40% 170 1.30% 22 14.50% 12 7.60%
Other In-Donor Refugee Costs [note 7] 5 0.00% 4 0.00% 109 0.90% 104 1974.30% 105 2388.50%
BBC World Service 27 0.20% 25 0.20% 29 0.20% 2 8.00% 5 19.60%
Scottish Government [r] 11 0.10% 26 0.20% 16 0.10% 5 43.40% -11 -39.90%
Welsh Government [note 8] 1 0.00% 3 0.00% 2 0.00% 1 69.10% -1 -33.30%
Colonial Pensions administered by FCDO 2 0.00% 1 0.00% 1 0.00% -1 -39.60% 0 -15.00%
IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) 26 0.20% 204 1.80% 0 0.00% -26 -100.00% -204 -100.00%
Other EU Attribution [note 3] 471 3.20% 0 0.00% z 0.00% z z z z
Total UK Net ODA 14,542 100.00% 11,423 100.00% 12,786 100.00% -1,756 -12.10% 1,363 11.90%

z = not applicable

Figure 3: Breakdown of UK ODA by contributor (2018, 2021 and 2022)

Figure 3 legend: A) Percentage of UK ODA spend by FCDO, Other Government Departments (OGDs) and Other UK Contributors (Other Contributors) in 2018 (dark blue), 2021 (light blue) and 2022 (grey). B. Top 4 other government departments (OGD) in 2022. BEIS=Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; CSSF=Conflict, Stability and Security fund; DHSC=Department for Health & Social Care. Remaining OGDs make up 0.7% of UK ODA: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Prosperity Cross-Government Fund, Department for Education, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, Ministry of Defence, HM Revenue and Customs, HM Treasury, Office for National Statistics, Department for International Trade. C. Top 4 other UK contributors in 2022. Remaining other contributors make up 0.04% of UK ODA: Other In-Donor Refugee Costs, Welsh Government and Colonial Pensions administered by FCDO.

B. Top 4 other government departments (OGD) in 2022. BEIS=Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy; CSSF=Conflict, Stability and Security fund; DHSC=Department for Health & Social Care. Remaining OGDs make up 0.7% of UK ODA: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Prosperity Cross-Government Fund, Department for Education, Cabinet Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports, Ministry of Defence, HM Revenue and Customs, HM Treasury, Office for National Statistics, Department for International Trade.

C. Top 4 other UK contributors in 2022. Remaining other contributors make up 0.04% of UK ODA: Other In-Donor Refugee Costs, Welsh Government and Colonial Pensions administered by FCDO.

5. Analysis of UK ODA spend by region/country

Bilateral ODA is ODA given for a specific purpose (e.g. a specific country/region or sector). In 2022, 30.5 per cent of the UK’s bilateral ODA targeted a specific country or region ([sections 5.1.1). The remaining 69.5 per cent of the UK’s bilateral ODA was ODA which either aimed to benefit multiple countries and/or regions[footnote 11], or targeted specific sectors for which no benefitting country or region should be assigned, or where the benefitting country/region is not known until the end of the programme[footnote 12] (section 5.1.5).

5.1 Regional/country breakdowns of bilateral ODA spend

In 2022, 30.5 per cent (£2,941 million) of the UK’s bilateral ODA was allocated to a specific country or region, a reduction from 47.1 per cent (£3,410million) in 2021.  This reduction in share was predominantly due to an increase in in-donor refugee costs which, by definition, are not allocated a benefitting country or region.

5.1.1 Changes in UK bilateral ODA by region

Figure 4: UK bilateral ODA by recipient region (£ millions), 2009 to 2022

Figure 4 legend: UK bilateral ODA by receiving region (£ millions), 2009 – 2022. Dark blue = Africa, light blue = Asia, grey = Americas, pink = Europe, teal = Pacific.

5.1.1.1 Africa

2022: As a region, Africa continues to receive the largest, albeit reduced, share of UK bilateral ODA allocated to a specific country or region (42.2 per cent). Bilateral ODA to Africa decreased by £486 million (28.1 per cent) from £1,727 million in 2021 to £1,241 million in 2022 (Figure 4). This is the lowest level of ODA to Africa in recent years.

Over 5 years: Africa has consistently received the largest amount of UK ODA allocated to a specific country or region. Apart from a slight increase in 2019, bilateral ODA to Africa has been decreasing since 2018.

5.1.1.2 Asia

2022: In 2022, Asia remains the second largest recipient of UK bilateral ODA with a share of 35.7 per cent (down from 38.8 per cent in 2021). The volume of bilateral ODA to Asia was £1,050 million in 2022, a decrease of £274 million (20.7 per cent) compared to 2021 (Figure 4).

Over 5 years: Similar to Africa, bilateral ODA to Asia has been decreasing since 2019. The £274 million reduction between 2021 and 2022 leads to the lowest ODA volume to Asia since 2009.

5.1.1.3 The Americas

The Americas received £188 million of UK bilateral ODA in 2022 a decrease of £8 million or 4.2 per cent compared to 2021 (Figure 4). ODA spent in the America’s accounted for 6.4 per cent of country or region-specific bilateral ODA.

Over 5 years: UK ODA to the Americas is on a smaller scale than to Africa or Asia. After an increase from 2019 to 2020, bilateral ODA to the Americas has been decreasing.

5.1.1.4 Europe

2022: Europe received £452 million of UK bilateral ODA in 2022, an increase of £298 million compared to the previous year (Figure 4). ODA spent in Europe accounted for 15.4 per cent of country or region-specific bilateral ODA compared to 4.5 per cent in 2021.  This increase was driven by increased support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022.

Over 5 years:  Like the Americas, ODA spend in Europe is smaller compared to Asia and Africa. Bilateral ODA to Europe has been declining since 2017 until the increase in 2022.

5.1.1.5 Pacific

A small proportion of UK bilateral ODA goes to the Pacific (Figure 4). In 2022, UK bilateral ODA to the region was £10 million, 0.3 per cent of total UK bilateral ODA spend allocated to a region or country. This is a slight increase from 2021, where UK bilateral ODA to the region was also £10 million.

5.1.2 Bilateral ODA spend by country

In 2022, the UK provided bilateral assistance to 131 countries (Figure 5), broadly the same number as previous years, with spend primarily concentrated in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and East Africa.

Figure 5: Map of UK bilateral ODA spend by recipient country: 2022

Figure 5 legend: World Map coloured by amount of bilateral ODA spend in recipient country (£ million) in 2022. Highlighted countries are those in receipt of UK bilateral ODA, and colours are based on amount received (dark blue=higher amounts UK Bilateral ODA received, light blue=lower amounts UK Bilateral ODA received).

5.1.2.1 Top 10 country-specific recipients of UK ODA       

A change to the OECD DAC rules on reporting ODA-eligible administrative costs has contributed to a reduction in ODA assigned to a specific country/region (See section 5.1), as these costs are no longer assigned to individual countries but are included in the category “Developing countries, unspecified”. Users should bear this in mind when making comparisons over time for individual countries. See explanatory note for more information about the impact of the changes at the country level.

Figures 6 and 7 show:

  • in 2022 the top 3 recipients of UK bilateral country specific ODA were Afghanistan (£353 million), Ukraine (£342 million) and Nigeria (£110 million). Spend to these countries accounted for 27.4. per cent of total country-specific UK bilateral ODA
  • Afghanistan is the top recipient of UK bilateral ODA for the second consecutive year, after being the fourth largest recipient in 2020. This coincides with the military takeover by the Taliban and subsequent humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan has been in the top 5 since 2015, although 2021 was the first time it was the top recipient. Bilateral ODA to Afghanistan increased by £165 million (88 per cent) in 2022 compared to 2021
  • Ukraine experienced the largest increase in ODA to a specific country (£311 million) out of all 131 countries, moving from 32nd place in 2021 to being the second largest recipient in 2022 at £341.8 million. This coincides with increased ODA support for Ukraine due to the Russian invasion
  • Nigeria is the third largest recipient of bilateral ODA in 2022 (£110 million) despite a continued decline in ODA since 2017, and a decrease of £30 million since 2021
  • in 2022, Somalia became the fourth largest recipient of bilateral ODA (£99.8 million), with a £0.9 million reduction from 2021
  • the UK provided £90 million of bilateral ODA to Ethiopia, a £30 million reduction from 2021, making it the fifth largest recipient of UK ODA in 2021
  • Pakistan experienced the largest decrease of the top 10 countries, with a £70 million reduction from 2021

Figure 6: Top 5 country-specific bilateral ODA recipients in 2022, 2009 to 2022

Figure 6 legend: Top 5 Recipients of 2022 UK Bilateral ODA (£ millions), 2009 to 2022. Dark blue = Afghanistan, teal = Ukraine, light blue = Nigeria, grey = Somalia, pink = Ethiopia

Figure 7: Top 10 recipients of country-specific UK bilateral ODA in 2022

Figure 7 legend: Top 10 Recipients of UK Bilateral ODA in 2022 . The rank (1:10) is on the y-axis, ODA spend (million £) is on the x-axis. The country names and numbers inside each bar are how the rank for that country compared to last year (2021), coloured in red if it’s decreased, green if it’s increased and black if its unmoving. For example, Ukraine in 2021 was in 32nd position, and in 2022 is in 2nd position (a change of +30).

5.1.3 Income groups

Country income groups

ODA eligible countries are classified into 4 groups – Least Developed Countries (LDC), Other Low-Income Countries (Other LIC), Lower Middle Income Countries (LMIC) and Upper Middle Income Countries (UMIC). The threshold for each income group is based on gross national income per capita published by the World Bank. The list of countries is reviewed every 3 years by the OECD-DAC, and countries exceeding the high-income threshold for 3 consecutive years are no longer ODA eligible.

5.1.3.1 Income groups: country-specific ODA

Figure 8 presents country-specific bilateral ODA by income group.

  • ODA has decreased across all income groups.
  • the largest decrease was for UMICs which reduced by £208 million to £352 million.
  • LDCs and Other LICs continue to account for the largest share of bilateral country-specific ODA spend in 2022 – at 53.3 per cent. UK ODA to UMICs represented 14.9 per cent of UK country-specific bilateral ODA in 2022, a reduction from 20.0 per cent in 2021

Figure 8: Country-specific bilateral ODA by income group, 2009 to 2022

Figure 8 legend: Breakdown of Country-Specific UK Bilateral ODA by Country Income Group, 2009-2022. Dark blue = LDCs/Other LICs (Least Developed Countries/Other Low Income Countries), light blue = LMICs (Lower Middle Income Countries), grey = UMICs (Upper Middle Income Countries).

5.1.3.2 Income groups: FCDO - non-FCDO comparison 2022

Figure 9 presents country-specific bilateral ODA broken down by income group for FCDO and non-FCDO.

  • FCDO spent £2,089 million of UK bilateral country-specific ODA - accounting for 88.3 per cent of total UK bilateral country-specific ODA in 2022
  • the majority of FCDO’s country-specific ODA was provided for the benefit of LDCs or Other LICs in 2022 – 57.6 per cent (£1,203 million) (Figure 9A)
  • non-FCDO contributors spent £277 million of UK bilateral country-specific ODA in 2022
  • the majority of non-FCDO country-specific ODA was channelled to Middle Income Countries – 78.9 per cent (£136 million to LMICs and £81 million to UMICs) (Figure 9B)

Figure 9: Breakdown of country-specific bilateral ODA by income group split by contributor, 2022

Figure 9 legend: (A) FCDO and (B) non-FCDO. Breakdown of Country-Specific UK Bilateral ODA by Country Income Group, 2022. Dark blue = LDCs/Other LICs (Least Developed Countries/Other Low Income Countries), light blue = LMICs (Lower Middle Income Countries), grey = UMICs (Upper Middle Income Countries).

5.1.4 Bilateral ODA spend by region and government department and other contributors of UK ODA

Africa has consistently been the largest recipient of FCDO region-specific ODA with a share of 42.9 per cent in 2022. Asia was the second largest recipient region at 37.4 per cent (see Figure 10A). Compared with 2018 (5 years ago), the percentage share of FCDO’s region-specific bilateral ODA to Africa decreased by 11.8 percentage points, and Asia decreased by 0.9 percentage points. The share received by Europe increased by 11 percentage points and Americas by 1.5 percentage points.

In 2022, Africa was also the largest recipient of non-FCDO region-specific ODA at 38.2 per cent. Asia was the largest recipient up to 2020, now at 26.9 per cent in 2022.(Figure 10B). Compared with 2018, Africa’s share of non-FCDO region specific bilateral ODA increased by 8.8 percentage points, while the share received by Asia decreased by 19.1 percentage points over the same period. The share received by Europe increased by 17 percentage points.

Figure 10: Breakdown of region-specific UK bilateral ODA, 2018 and 2022

Figure 10 legend: Breakdown of FCDO (A) and Non-FCDO (B). Country/region-Specific proportion of Bilateral ODA by Region, 2018 & 2022. In light blue are the proportions of UK bilateral ODA by region in 2018, in dark blue are the proportions of UK bilateral ODA by region in 2022. Different regions are on the horizontal axis (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Pacific).

5.1.5 Bilateral ODA spend with no single benefitting country or region

Some of the UK’s bilateral spend is not assigned to a single benefitting country or region. Such spend comprises of, for example, centrally-funded research or programmes that develop policies which aim to benefit several developing countries. It also consists of ODA-eligible expenditure within donor countries, such as the ODA-eligible portion of costs to support asylum seekers and refugees in the UK and ODA-eligible administrative costs. See the In-Donor Refugee Cost Methodology document and the explanatory note (PDF, 200 KB) on the change to the method for reporting ODA-eligible administrative costs.

In 2022, 69.5 per cent (£6,699 million) of UK bilateral ODA was made up of spend that was not assigned to a single benefitting country or region (Figure 11, Table C8), up from 52.9 per cent (£3,824 million) in 2021.  Part of this increase is driven by the rise in in-donor refugee costs which, by definition, are not assigned to a recipient country. It is also affected by the change to the OECD DAC rules on reporting ODA-eligible administrative costs which means that these costs are also not assigned to a developing country.

  • 65.7 per cent of spend within the country/region not specified category consists of expenditure in the UK or another donor country (includes part of the running costs of FCDO, refugees living in the UK spend, raising development awareness, cost of UK experts and UK scholarships) and compares to 38.1 per cent in 2021. The increased share is driven by an increase in in-donor refugee costs (see section 6.1)
  • 16.4 per cent of spend within this category consists of project-type interventions and includes expenditure on multi-country or multi-region projects. As outlined above, these include programmes where there are designated benefitting countries or regions, but it is not possible to directly assign exact spend to them in the current administrative system
  • 7.9 per cent was for specific programmes or funds managed by international organisations in a specific sector with no designated benefitting countries
  • 5.3 per cent consists of core support to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) or other delivery partners, such as research institutions, where funds are not earmarked for a particular country/region and work may benefit a wide range of developing countries
  • a further 4.7 per cent was classed as ‘Other’, which includes Other Technical Assistance (includes training and research), Basket Funds and Debt Relief

Figure 11: Breakdown of UK 2022 non-region-specific bilateral ODA

Figure 11 legend: Breakdown of UK non-region-specific bilateral ODA, 2022. Total bilateral ODA = £9.6 billion, of which £6.7 billion (69.5%) is spent in unspecified countries/regions. “Spend in UK or other donor country” includes donor country personnel, scholarships/training in donor country, admin costs not included elsewhere, development awareness and refugees/asylum seekers in donor countries (D01, E01, G01, H01, H02). “Other” includes basket funds/pooled funding, other technical assistance, and debt relief (B04, D02, F01).

6. Analysis of UK ODA spend by sector

6.1 Bilateral ODA spend by sector in 2022

UK ODA is classified into sectors according to its purpose, e.g. the social, economic or humanitarian assistance area it aims to support. There are multiple levels of sector classification used: at the lowest level are sector codes[footnote 14] that describe specific areas; these are then grouped together into OECD DAC broad sectors. These broad sectors can then be further grouped into major sectors, bringing together related themes to help simplify the key messages. See Annex 1 (PDF, 225 KB) for more information on what is included in each sector level.

Figure 12: Bilateral ODA by major sector, 2021 and 2022

Figure 12 legend: Major Sector Spend – comparison between 2021 and 2022 bilateral ODA (£ millions). Major sectors are ordered from top to bottom by largest 2022 ODA spend. 2022 spend coloured in dark blue, 2021 spend in grey.

Figure 12 provides an overview of bilateral ODA by major sector in 2022 and shows that UK ODA is spent across a broad range of sectors.  

In 2022, UK ODA spend increased across half of sectors, and decreased across half of sectors. The top 5 sectors were ‘Refugees in Donor Countries’ (£3,690 million), ‘Humanitarian’ (£1,109 million), ‘Health’ (£966 million), ‘Multisector/Cross-cutting’ (£840 million) and ‘Government and Civil Society’ (£727 million).

Outside of the top 5 sectors, the largest changes between 2021 and 2022 were in ‘Economic Infrastructure and Services’ (decreased by £253 million, 27.9 per cent), ‘Production’ (decreased by £164 million, 33.6 per cent) and ‘Education’ (decreased by £103 million, 22.5 per cent).

A more detailed breakdown of the broad sectors is given in Additional Table A7.

The ‘Refugees in Donor Countries’ sector covers “costs incurred in donor countries for providing basic assistance to asylum seekers and refugees from developing countries during the first 12 months of their stay”[footnote 15]. The UK’s methodology  for reporting these costs is published alongside this report.

In 2022, £3,690 million of UK ODA, (28.9 per cent of overall ODA and 38.3 per cent of bilateral ODA) was spent supporting ‘refugees in donor countries’[footnote 16] compared to £1,052 million in 2021 (9.2 per cent of overall ODA). The increase was driven by increased accommodation costs for asylum seekers and the introduction of the Ukraine temporary protection visa schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Visa Scheme and the Ukraine extension Scheme).

This was the largest sector to receive UK bilateral ODA spend in 2022 (Figure 12) and is the second consecutive year this sector has been the UK’s top sector.

Note that ODA spent in this sector is not assigned to a developing country or region, since it is spent in donor countries. This spend therefore contributes to the increased volume of ODA that is not country-region specific in Figure 11.

Humanitarian had the second largest sector share (11.5 per cent) of UK bilateral ODA spend in 2022, increasing by £366 million to £1,109 million. Part of this increase is due to increased levels of spend to the humanitarian sector in Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Health had the third largest sector share (10.0 per cent) and saw a decrease of £4 million to £966 million. Within Health, the top spending areas in 2022 were COVID-19 control (£233 million) and Medical Research (£224 million).

6.2 Broad sector breakdown of bilateral ODA spend by government department and other contributors of UK ODA

Figure 13 provides a breakdown of sector spend by FCDO and all Other Government Departments and other contributors of ODA (non-FCDO).

  • for FCDO, the sector spend profile shows the largest spend in Humanitarian Aid (£1,097 million), Health, (£722 million), Administrative Costs of Donors (£622 million), Government and Civil Society (£466 million) and Multisector / Cross-Cutting (£454 million)
  • non-FCDO UK bilateral ODA spend overall is £425 million larger than FCDO. ‘Refugees in Donor Countries’ (£3,690 million) was the largest Non-FCDO sector in 2022

Figure 13: Bilateral ODA by government department and major sector, 2022

Figure 13 legend: A) FCDO and B) Other Government Departments’ and Other Contributors of ODA (non-FCDO – grey) spend by sector, 2022 (£ million). Major sectors are ordered from top to bottom by largest 2022 ODA spend.

6.3 Sector breakdown of bilateral ODA spend by top 10 recipients of UK bilateral ODA

Figure 14 provides an overview of the highest spending sector for each of the top 10 recipient countries of UK bilateral ODA in 2022. The size of the circles indicates the amount of ODA spent on that sector in that country relative to the other sectors and other countries.

Figure 14: Bilateral ODA by largest major sector for the top 10 country-specific ODA recipients, 2022

Figure 14 legend: Top ten recipients of UK country-specific bilateral ODA 2022 and largest sector spend (£ millions). The size of the circles corresponds to the total amount of ODA spent in each country sector.

  • the sector Humanitarian Aid received the largest amount of UK ODA in 8 of the top 10 recipient countries in 2022 (Figure 14)
  • in Afghanistan, Humanitarian Aid was the largest sector in 2022 (£336 million). Prior to 2021, Government and Civil Society has consistently been the largest sector in Afghanistan
  • in Ukraine, Humanitarian Aid was the largest sector in 2022 (£199 million), this was followed by Government and Civil Society (£114 million). Government and Civil Society was the top spending sector from 2019 to 2021
  • in Nigeria, Education was the largest sector in 2022 (£25 million). Humanitarian Aid was the top spending sector from 2018 to 2021, where previously Health was the largest sector

Figure 15: Bilateral ODA by income group for the major sectors, 2022

Figure 15 legend: Comparison of sector spend for 2022 UK bilateral ODA between countries of different income groups (£ million). The size of the circles corresponds to the total amount of ODA spent in each income groups sector.

Figure 15 summarises the differences in the main sectors of 2022 UK bilateral ODA spend between countries of different income groups. Least Developed Countries (LDCs/Other LICs) received more Humanitarian Aid (£655 million, 52.0 per cent of total bilateral ODA to LDCs/Other LICs) and Health support (£180 million, 14.3 per cent of total bilateral ODA to LDCs/Other LICs), whereas spend and share in these sectors was lower for Middle Income Countries (Upper and Lower) (£262 million and 23.7 per cent of total bilateral ODA to MICs for Humanitarian Aid, £91.9 million and 8.3 per cent of total bilateral ODA to MICs for Health). ‘Government and Civil Society’ was the top sector for MICs in 2022 (£280 million, 25.3 per cent of total bilateral ODA to MICs), followed by ‘Humanitarian’ sectors (£262 million, 23.7 per cent of total bilateral ODA to MICs).

7. Multilateral funding

7.1 UK multilateral funding by organisation

Multilateral organisations[footnote 17] are an essential part of the international system for humanitarian and development ODA. The UK works with a wide range of organisations, for example to respond to humanitarian need; develop infrastructure; support economic growth; or ensure that particular diseases are tackled in line with the best available evidence. Multilateral organisations offer economies of scale in their operations and expertise, and often have the mandate and legitimacy to work in politically sensitive situations. Accordingly, they enable individual donor governments, such as the UK, to support development and humanitarian work in a wider range of countries.

Table 3 below shows the 20 multilateral organisations that received the most core funding (referred to as “Multilateral ODA”) from the UK in 2021 and 2022. Core contributions will fluctuate year-to-year in part due to the payment schedules of the receiving multilateral organisation.

  • the amount of UK ODA to the top 5 multilaterals represented 59.9 per cent of total multilateral ODA in 2022
  • the EU remains the recipient of the largest core contribution from the UK. The UK’s share of the EU ODA budget in 2022 was £532 million, down from to £684 million in 2021. EU attribution fluctuates from year to year because the EU works on a 7-year programming cycle and so EU disbursements in any given year can vary. The UK’s share of EU ODA spend (European Development Fund and the Development share of the EU Budget), will continue on a declining scale until approximately 2029, in line with UK commitments
  • 4 of the 5 organisations in receipt of the highest volumes of UK multilateral ODA were the same in 2022 as they were in 2021, with the African Development Fund moving into the top 5 (from eighth position in 2021 after funding was increased by an additional £123 million in 2022) following the exit of the Green Climate Fund Development Fund
  • the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the UN Department of Peace Operations also saw significant increases in funding levels compared to 2021 (with an increase of £87 million, £54 million and £23 million respectively)
  • 3 of the top 5 multilateral organisations saw decreases in funding from last year. These include the International Development Association (with a reduction of £354 million), EC’s European Development Fund (£331 million), and the EC’s Development Share of Budget (£152 million)

Table 3: Top 20 recipients of UK core funding to multilateral organisations (Multilateral ODA) [footnote 18] 2021 and 2022

    2021 Multilateral ODA FCDO £ thousand 2021 Multilateral ODA Other extending agencies £ thousand 2021 Multilateral ODA Total £ thousand 2021 Bi through multi ODA FCDO £ thousand 2021 Bi through multi ODA Other extending agencies £ thousand 2021 Bi through multi ODA Total £ thousand Total UK ODA, 2021 £ thousand 2022 Multilateral ODA FCDO £ thousand 2022 Multilateral ODA Other extending agencies £ thousand 2022 Multilateral ODA Total £ thousand 2022 Bi through multi ODA FCDO £ thousand 2022 Bi through multi ODA Other extending agencies £ thousand 2022 Bi through multi ODA Total £ thousand Total UK ODA, 2022 £ thousand
European Commission - Development Share of Budget 42001 684,224 0 684,224 0 0 0 684,224 532,480 0 532,480 0 0 0 532,480
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria  [r] 47045 380,000 0 380,000 0 0 0 380,000 434,000 0 434,000 0 0 0 434,000
World Food Programme 41140 37,000 0 37,000 237,472 0 237,472 274,472 40,000 0 40,000 336,082 0 336,082 376,082
European Commission - European Development Fund 42003 635,056 0 635,056 725 0 725 635,781 303,907 0 303,907 0 0 0 303,907
African Development Fund 46003 177,115 0 177,115 4,028 0 4,028 181,144 299,769 0 299,769 3,634 0 3,634 303,404
Green Climate Fund 41317 87,200 193,733 280,933 0 0 0 280,933 278,500 9,615 288,115 4,800 0 4,800 292,915
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 44001 40,426 0 40,426 178,981 20,950 199,932 240,358 46,358 0 46,358 172,554 17,004 189,558 235,916
International Finance Facility for Immunisation 47107 140,021 0 140,021 0 0 0 140,021 227,047 0 227,047 1,542 0 1,542 228,589
United Nations Children’s Fund  [r] 41122 24,000 0 24,000 182,877 18,663 201,541 225,541 8,000 0 8,000 191,360 10,880 202,240 210,240
International Development Association - Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative 44007 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 160,610 0 160,610 0 0 0 160,610
International Development Association 44002 670,000 0 670,000 0 0 0 670,000 155,000 0 155,000 37 0 37 155,037
Clean Technology Fund 47134 0 0 0 0 88,200 88,200 88,200 0 0 0 0 141,674 141,674 141,674
World Health Organisation - core voluntary contributions account 41143 97,600 0 97,600 24,373 11,155 35,528 133,128 97,750 0 97,750 32,732 10,921 43,653 141,403
United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Trust Fund in Support of Political Affairs. 41148 0 0 0 1,500 0 1,500 1,500 0 0 0 109,176 0 109,176 109,176
United Nations Population Fund 41119 8,000 0 8,000 53,595 3,728 57,323 65,323 8,000 0 8,000 90,130 7,380 97,510 105,510
United Nations Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs 41127 25,000 0 25,000 105,098 200 105,298 130,298 21,000 0 21,000 60,497 0 60,497 81,497
Private Infrastructure Development Group  [r] 47086 0 0 0 70,669 0 70,669 70,669 0 0 0 80,538 0 80,538 80,538
United Nations Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 41121 29,000 0 29,000 22,839 0 22,839 51,839 33,000 0 33,000 43,172 0 43,172 76,172
Global Environment Facility Trust Fund 47044 62,500 0 62,500 0 0 0 62,500 62,500 0 62,500 0 0 0 62,500
International Organisation for Migration 47066 6,040 0 6,040 29,734 3,634 33,368 39,408 6,222 0 6,222 46,980 3,380 50,359 56,581
Central Emergency Response Fund 41147 63,500 0 63,500 0 0 0 63,500 52,000 0 52,000 0 0 0 52,000
United Nations Department of Peace Operations – UN peacekeeping operations 41310 0 27,474 27,474 0 615 615 28,089 0 50,248 50,248 0 503 503 50,751
Inter-American Development Bank, Inter-American Investment Corporation and Multilateral Investment Fund 46012 700 0 700 0 0 0 700 0 0 0 41,158 9,500 50,658 50,658
United Nations Office for Project Services 41502 0 0 0 25,322 6,575 31,897 31,897 0 0 0 45,408 4,633 50,041 50,041
United Nations 41305 37,182 13,289 50,471 0 892 892 51,363 36,669 11,463 48,132 0 1,605 1,605 49,737
International Finance Corporation 44004 38,261 0 38,261 80 29,922 30,002 68,263 39,908 0 39,908 0 3,958 3,958 43,866
World Bank Group (WB) 44000 0 0 0 14,471 22,457 36,928 36,928 0 0 0 33,844 5,611 39,455 39,455
Caribbean Development Bank 46009 5,250 0 5,250 6,685 0 6,685 11,935 5,250 0 5,250 28,991 0 28,991 34,241
African Development Bank 46002 35,464 0 35,464 4,900 0 4,900 40,364 26,963 0 26,963 4,867 0 4,867 31,830
United Nations Development Programme  [r] 41114 22,000 0 22,000 62,061 29,460 91,521 113,521 0 0 0 39,781 -[low] 30,449 30,449
Asian Development Fund 46005 29,409 0 29,409 0 0 0 29,409 29,409 0 29,409 0 0 0 29,409
Food and Agricultural Organisation 41301 13,440 0 13,440 10,414 3,664 14,078 27,518 15,163 0 15,163 6,553 5,783 12,335 27,499
European Union Institution (EU) 42000 0 0 0 22,955 0 22,955 22,955 0 0 0 22,872 0 22,872 22,872
United Nations Environment Programme  [r] 41116 0 3,300 3,300 0 9,613 9,613 12,913 0 13,800 13,800 -[low] 8,605 8,119 21,919
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 46015 0 0 0 814 0 814 814 0 0 0 21,345 0 21,345 21,345
CGIAR Fund 47015 21,000 0 21,000 0 0 0 21,000 18,875 0 18,875 0 0 0 18,875
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 41130 11,053 0 11,053 6,420 11,199 17,619 28,672 13,000 0 13,000 5,700 0 5,700 18,700
United Nations agency, fund or commission (UN) 41000 0 0 0 13,586 24,593 38,179 38,179 0 0 0 10,049 6,103 16,152 16,152
Adaptation Fund 47111 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15,000 0 15,000 0 0 0 15,000
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 47131 3,781 5,689 9,470 0 6,293 6,293 15,763 3,692 5,712 9,404 0 5,131 5,131 14,535
International drug purchase facility 30010 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14,000 0 14,000 0 0 0 14,000
World Health Organisation - assessed contributions 41307 0 12,487 12,487 0 0 0 12,487 0 13,397 13,397 0 0 0 13,397
Global Environment Facility - Least Developed Countries Fund 47129 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13,040 0 13,040 13,040
Council of Europe 47138 11,867 0 11,867 0 0 0 11,867 11,541 0 11,541 0 0 0 11,541
OECD Development Centre 47081 1,027 0 1,027 4,717 0 4,717 5,744 145 0 145 9,662 0 9,662 9,807
Other multilateral institution 47000 0 0 0 0 8,869 8,869 8,869 0 0 0 299 9,451 9,749 9,749
International Labour Organisation - Regular Budget Supplementary Account 41144 0 0 0 6,865 1,000 7,865 7,865 0 0 0 8,855 0 8,855 8,855
Commonwealth Secretariat (ODA-eligible contributions only) 47132 12,604 0 12,604 558 862 1,420 14,024 7,248 0 7,248 524 564 1,089 8,336
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 41110 2,500 0 2,500 0 0 0 2,500 8,000 0 8,000 0 0 0 8,000
International Labour Organisation - Assessed Contributions 41302 0 8,616 8,616 0 0 0 8,616 0 7,982 7,982 0 0 0 7,982
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation 41304 6,753 0 6,753 2,135 0 2,135 8,888 7,170 0 7,170 405 0 405 7,575
MULTILATERAL ORGANISATIONS [r] 40000 0 0 0 0 4,795 4,795 4,795 0 0 0 6,285 0 6,285 6,285
United Nations Development Coordination Office 41149 1,800 0 1,800 0 0 0 1,800 5,200 0 5,200 0 0 0 5,200
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women 41146 5,750 0 5,750 487 2,947 3,434 9,184 0 0 0 3,012 1,692 4,704 4,704
International Atomic Energy Agency - assessed contributions [r] 41312 0 14,653 14,653 0 0 0 14,653 0 4,163 4,163 0 0 0 4,163
International Monetary Fund (IMF) [r] 43000 0 0 0 999 0 999 999 0 0 0 3,933 0 3,933 3,933
United Nations Peacebuilding Fund 41141 15,000 0 15,000 0 0 0 15,000 3,800 0 3,800 0 0 0 3,800
Asian Development Bank 46004 0 0 0 7,716 0 7,716 7,716 0 0 0 3,025 0 3,025 3,025
UN entities (core contributions reportable in full) 41100 0 0 0 0 9,282 9,282 9,282 0 0 0 0 2,039 2,039 2,039
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation 47036 0 219 219 0 0 0 219 0 114 114 0 1,862 1,862 1,976
Global Green Growth Institute 47136 0 0 0 2,500 0 2,500 2,500 0 0 0 1,618 0 1,618 1,618
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  [r] 41316 0 2,815 2,815 0 0 0 2,815 0 1,481 1,481 0 0 0 1,481
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 41128 0 0 0 291 3,104 3,396 3,396 0 0 0 -[low] 1,389 1,382 1,382
World Intellectual Property Organisation  [r] 41308 0 28 28 0 0 0 28 0 0 0 0 1,216 1,216 1,216
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 41112 0 0 0 115 0 115 115 0 0 0 200 551 751 751
African Union (excluding peacekeeping facilities) 47005 0 0 0 15,000 0 15,000 15,000 0 0 0 0 726 726 726
Organisation of American States 47079 0 0 0 0 860 860 860 0 0 0 0 700 700 700
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 47058 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 663 0 663 663
World Organisation for Animal Health 47148 0 0 0 0 1,578 1,578 1,578 0 0 0 0 660 660 660
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (Contributions to special funds for Technical Co-operation Activities Only) 47080 0 0 0 0 1,198 1,198 1,198 0 0 0 0 538 538 538
International Telecommunications Union 41303 0 465 465 0 0 0 465 0 470 470 0 0 0 470
Association of South East Asian Nations: Economic Co-operation  [r] 47003 0 0 0 0 983 983 983 0 0 0 89 328 417 417
World Customs Organization Customs Co-operation Fund 47139 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 374 374 374
World Trade Organisation - International Trade Centre  [r] 45001 0 0 0 6,295 866 7,162 7,162 0 0 0 356 0 356 356
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (extrabudgetary contributions only) 41313 2,640 0 2,640 1,206 0 1,206 3,846 0 0 0 350 0 350 350
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces 47106 0 0 0 651 0 651 651 0 0 0 300 0 300 300
Convention to Combat Desertification 41101 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 284 0 284 0 0 0 284
World Trade Organisation - Advisory Centre on WTO Law 45002 0 0 0 125 0 125 125 0 0 0 175 0 175 175
Strategic Climate Fund 47135 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 146 146 146
Secretariat of the Pacific Community 47096 0 0 0 0 263 263 263 0 0 0 0 140 140 140
World Meteorological Organisation  [r] 41309 0 105 105 0 974 974 1,079 0 104 104 0 0 0 104
Global Partnership for Education [r] 47501 0 0 0 60 0 60 60 0 0 0 57 0 57 57
International Fund for Agricultural Development 41108 19,211 0 19,211 50 0 50 19,261 0 0 0 50 0 50 50
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization 47122 222,000 0 222,000 1,602 0 1,602 223,602 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
UN-Multi Partner Trust Fund Office 41401 0 0 0 500 1,299 1,799 1,799 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
International Atomic Energy Agency (Contributions to Technical Cooperation Fund Only) 41107 0 3,402 3,402 0 0 0 3,402 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 47067 0 115 115 0 0 0 115 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna 47022 0 0 0 0 915 915 915 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol 47078 0 8,526 8,526 0 0 0 8,526 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Commonwealth of Learning 47025 2,000 0 2,000 0 0 0 2,000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Commonwealth Foundation 47013 2,164 0 2,164 0 0 0 2,164 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
United Nations Human Settlement Programme 41120 0 0 0 1,255 0 1,255 1,255 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
International Monetary Fund - Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust 43001 0 204,266 204,266 0 0 0 204,266 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
United Nations Capital Development Fund 41111 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -[low] 0 -[low] -[low]
International Development Law Organisation 47059 0 0 0 125 0 125 125 0 0 0 -[low] 0 -[low] -[low]
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (extrabudgetary contributions only) 41314 0 0 0 0 10 10 10 0 0 0 -[low] 0 -[low] -[low]

z = not applicable

7.2 UK multilateral funding by extending agency

Table 4 shows UK funding being channelled through and to multilaterals in 2018, 2021 and 2022 by government agency and delivery channel i.e. bilateral through multilateral ODA (earmarked funding) and core contributions to multilateral organisations (un-earmarked funding).

Core contributions to multilateral organisations:

  • FCDO provided the majority of the UK’s core multilateral ODA, accounting for 96.2 per cent (£3,027 million), an increase in terms of FCDO’s percentage share on 2021 for overall multilateral ODA (88.1 per cent), although a £662 million (17.9 per cent) decrease in volume of spend compared to last year. This increase in FCDO’s percentage share can mainly be attributed to the reduction in ODA being reported through the International Monetary Fund’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (IMF PRGT). The reason is that loans of Special Drawing Rights, which the UK made through the PRGT, are no longer ODA-eligible under new DAC rules
  • Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF)was the largest non-FCDO department to provide core multilateral ODA in 2022, accounting for 2.1 per cent (£67 million)
  • the amount of UK core funding to multilateral organisations from non-FCDO contributors has continued to fall, reducing by £621 million since 2018 and reducing by £381 million in the latest year to £119 million in 2022

A full breakdown of UK ODA by Government Department and Other Contributors of UK ODA and delivery channel in 2018, 2021 and 2022 is available online in Table 10.

Table 4: Multilateral funding, by government departments and other contributors, 2018, 2021 and 2022 [footnote 19]

Year 2018 2018 2021 2021 2022 2022 Change since 2018 Change since 2018 Change since 2021 Change since 2021
£million % UK ODA £million % UK ODA £million % UK ODA £million % £million %
Total FCDO [note 2] 11,530 79.3% 8,175 71.6% 7,635 59.7% -3,895 -33.8% -540 -6.6%
Of which: EU Attribution [note 3] 452 3.1% 684 6.0% 532 4.2% 81 17.8% -152 -22.2%
Total non-FCDO 3,012 20.7% 3,248 28.4% 5,151 40.3% 2,148 71.3% 1,913 58.9%
Sub-total Other Government Departments 2,320 16.0% 2,826 24.7% 4,824 37.7% 2,513 108.3% 2,007 71.0%
Home Office 333 2.3% 1,041 9.1% 2,397 18.7% 2,064 619.7% 1,356 130.2%
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 847 5.8% 935 8.2% 554 4.3% -284 -33.6% -372 -39.8%
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) 603 4.1% 426 3.7% 314 2.5% -290 -48.0% -112 -26.4%
Department of Health and Social Care 195 1.3% 226 2.0% 465 3.6% 270 138.3% 239 105.4%
Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs 70 0.5% 76 0.7% 90 0.7% 21 30.2% 15 19.1%
Cross- Government Prosperity Fund 94 0.6% 53 0.5% 0 0.0% -94 -100.0% -53 -100.0%
Department for Education 20 0.1% 21 0.2% 218 1.7% 198 969.6% 197 930.7%
Cabinet Office 21 0.1% 18 0.2% 51 0.4% 30 139.3% 33 180.6%
Department for Work and Pensions 25 0.2% 13 0.1% 171 1.3% 146 586.2% 158 1209.4%
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports 9 0.1% 6 0.1% 4 0.0% -5 -52.5% -2 -33.2%
HM Revenue & Customs 11 0.1% 3 0.0% 27 0.2% 16 147.6% 24 848.4%
Ministry of Defence 5 0.0% 3 0.0% 4 0.0% -1 -24.8% 0 8.2%
HM Treasury 83 0.6% 2 0.0% 3 0.0% -80 -96.1% 1 48.9%
Office for National Statistics [note 4] [low] 0.0% 2 0.0% 3 0.0% 3 1035.2% 2 102.2%
Department of International Trade [note 5] 0 0.0% [low] 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 z 0 z
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 524 4.1% 524 z 524 z
Department for Transport [note 6] 0 0.0% 0 0.0% [low] 0.0% 0 z 0 z
Export Credit Guarantee Department 4 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% -4 -100.0% 0 100.0%
Sub-total Other contributors of UK ODA 692 4.8% 422 3.7% 327 2.6% -365 -52.7% -95 -22.4%
IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PRGT) 26 0.2% 204 1.8% 0 0.0% -26 -100.0% -204 -100.0%
Gift Aid 148 1.0% 158 1.4% 170 1.3% 22 14.5% 12 7.6%
Scottish Government 11 0.1% 26 0.2% 16 0.1% 5 43.0% -11 -40.1%
BBC World Service 27 0.2% 25 0.2% 29 0.2% 2 8.0% 5 19.6%
Other In-Donor Refugee Costs [note 7] 5 0.0% 4 0.0% 109 0.9% 104 1974.3% 105 2388.5%
Welsh Government [note 8] 1 0.0% 3 0.0% 2 0.0% 1 69.1% -1 -33.3%
Colonial Pensions administered by FCDO 2 0.0% 1 0.0% 1 0.0% -1 100.0% 0 100.0%
Other EU Attribution [note 3] 471 3.2% 0 0.0% z 0.0% z z z z
Total UK Net ODA 14,542 100.0% 11,423 100.0% 12,786 100.0% -1,747 -12.0% 1,373 12.0%

z = not applicable

7.3 Multilateral core funding and imputed multilateral shares

When FCDO or other UK government departments provide core funding to multilateral organisations, the funding is pooled with other donors’ funding and disbursed as part of the core budget of the multilaterals. It is therefore not possible to directly track the use of UK core multilateral funding. However, to provide an indication of the destination and sector of UK multilateral ODA, overall percentages of ODA disbursements by the relevant multilateral organisations are used to impute a UK estimate.

The UK uses data on ODA spend by sector and country/region which is reported by each multilateral organisation to the OECD DAC to estimate what percentage of UK core contributions are spent in each country and sector. Where a multilateral organisation does not report to the DAC but the multilateral is only mandated to work in a particular country, region or sector, we allocate all of its core contributions to the relevant country, region or sector. If a multilateral organisation does not report to the DAC but works in multiple sectors and/or countries, then its core contributions are not allocated to a country or sector.

The DAC publish detailed information of the multilaterals’ country and sector spending in December. Because of this timing the latest estimates that are available are for 2021. These shares should be taken as indicative estimates rather than exact amounts of funding, and they are dependent upon multilateral organisations returning disbursement data to the DAC.

The estimates for 2021 can be found in our published tables A9 and A10.

8. Comparisons between the UK and other international donors

Key definitions

Figures are based on provisional [footnote 20] 2022 ODA data from all 29 Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries [footnote 21] except the UK, for which final 2022 ODA data is used.

Prices in nominal terms [footnote 22]

This represents ODA in the monetary value disbursed during year. It does not account for inflation and exchange rates. In most cases, nominal prices have been converted from US dollars (as published by the OECD) to pounds sterling. ODA totals between years will be affected by inflation and exchange rate fluctuations and therefore are not directly comparable.

Prices in real terms [footnote 23]

This represents how much money was disbursed each year, accounting for inflation and exchange rates. These figures provide a guide to actual purchasing power – they are adjusted from the original value so that $1 in a single year would buy the same amount of goods as $1 in every other year. Real term figures are presented as US dollars to remove exchange rate fluctuations. This means that ODA spending in different years are directly comparable. The figures included are fixed at 2021 prices.

8.1 ODA flows and ODA:GNI ratios by DAC donors

Figure 16: Total ODA from DAC donors, 2000 to 2022

Figure 16 legend: Comparing the UK ODA (billion $) spend with other DAC donor countries for 2000 to 2022. The UK spend is highlighted in turquoise with the other donors in dark blue. This chart uses provisional 2022 spend for other DAC donors. ODA figures are in US dollars at 2020 prices to allow comparison between years.

In general, total ODA provided by DAC country donors has risen over the last decade, as shown in Figure 16. Net ODA is more than double the amount it was in 2000 in real terms. Total ODA from DAC country donors in 2022 was £155.8 billion (grant-equivalent measure[footnote 24], an increase from £130.1 billion in 2021. Total ODA from DAC country donors in 2022 is the highest level on record. The OECD notes from the analysis of donors’ provisional 2022 ODA spend, that the increase from 2021 was primarily due to in-donor refugee costs.  ODA to Ukraine also contributed to the increase.  DAC members’ support for COVID-19 activities decreased by 45 per cent compared to 2021.

Despite the increase in its ODA spend, Figure 17 shows the UK moving from fourth to fifth largest DAC donor by value in 2022, behind the United States (£44.8 billion), Germany (£28.4 billion), Japan (£14.2 billion) and France (£12.9 billion)[footnote 25].

Figure 17: Provisional ODA from DAC donors, 2022

Figure 17 legend: Comparing the UK ODA (billion £) spend with other DAC donor countries in 2022. The UK spend is highlighted in pink with the other donors in dark blue. Note that provisional 2022 spend from other DAC donors is used in this chart.

Figure 18 shows ODA spend as a proportion of gross national income (GNI) in 2022. It highlights that although the United States spent the greatest volume of ODA of any DAC donor (£44.8 billion), this represented a smaller share of its national income when compared with most other donors (0.22 per cent of its GNI, in comparison with a DAC-wide ratio of 0.36 per cent).

Luxembourg, Sweden and Norway each provided considerably less ODA than the United States in 2022, at £430.7 million, £4.4 billion and £4.2 billion respectively, but their ODA contributions each equate to over 0.8 per cent of their national income. Sweden’s ODA:GNI ratio was 0.90 per cent and Norway’s was 0.86 per cent. Luxembourg had the highest ODA:GNI ratio at 1.00 per cent.

Along with Luxembourg, Sweden and Norway, only Germany (0.83 per cent), and Denmark (0.70 per cent) met or exceeded the UN’s target of an ODA:GNI ratio of 0.7 per cent in 2022, since the UK reduced its target to around 0.5 per cent. These same countries also met or exceeded the target between 2018 to 2021.

Figure 18: DAC donors’ provisional ODA:GNI ratio, 2021 and 2022

Figure 18 legend: ODA spend in terms of GNI comparing 2021 and 2022 spend for each DAC donor country (ODA:GNI ratio). In dark blue is the 2022 ODA:GNI ratio and in grey is 2021 ratio. The vertical dashed line indicates the 0.7% ODA:GNI UN target. Note that provisional 2022 spend from other DAC donors is used in this chart and Lithuania became a member of the DAC in 2022 and therefore did not report ODA spend in 2021.

As a combined total, DAC members provided 0.36 per cent of GNI as ODA in 2022. This was up from 0.33 per cent in 2021 and 0.32 per cent in 2020.

8.2 ODA flows by recipient countries

The data used for ODA flows by recipient countries is for 2021, the latest year currently available. For comparability, UK ODA data by recipient countries is also for 2021.

Figure 19 shows the top fifteen recipient countries of total ODA from the DAC donor countries in 2021 and the UK’s share of ODA in these recipient countries. It shows:

  • 13 of the 15 top recipient countries in 2021 were also in the top 15 in 2020, although the order has moved around. India became the largest recipient of DAC donor ODA in 2021. The top recipient in 2020, Bangladesh, moved down to become the 3rd largest recipient in 2021, after Afghanistan
  • the UK’s greatest share of the contribution to these countries in 2021 was for Nigeria at 12 per cent (the UK provided £140 million) followed by South Sudan and Yemen (the UK provided £96 million and £114 million respectively). At the other end of the scale, the UK contributed a relatively small proportion of total DAC ODA to the Philippines (1 per cent with £14 million from the UK) and Indonesia (2 per cent at £29 million)
  • receiving £2.4 billion in 2021, India became the largest recipient of DAC country donor’s ODA. The UK contributed £91 million (3.7 per cent of the DAC total) of this

Figure 19: Map of the top 15 highest recipients of total DAC members bilateral ODA spend and UK’s share by country, 2021

Figure 19 legend: Top 15 recipient countries of total ODA from the DAC donor countries in 2021 and the UK’s share of ODA in these recipient countries (red) compared to other DAC countries ODA share (blue).

9. Background notes

9.1 Definitions and sources

1. Information on the main definitions and sources used in this publication can be found in Annexes 2 and 3 (PDF, 225 KB) of the Statistics on International Development publication.

2. UK ODA figures for this publication are derived from:

  • former DFID’s ‘ARIES’ database of financial transactions relating to payments and receipts, which is quality assured centrally to ensure that data is complete, coding is correct and spend is in line with OECD definitions of ODA. Former FCO’s data is collected in a similar manner from financial transactions data. As explained in the Note to Users (page 4), FCDO launched a new finance and HR system (“Hera”) during 2022. These administrative sources comprise around 9/12 of the FCDO data in 2022. Comparisons in the report to historic FCDO figures are based on the sum total of former DFID and former FCO spend.  Background note 9.10 has more information on the quality assurance of data from the Hera finance system

  • non-FCDO sources are largely derived from financial transaction data. ODA contributors also assess whether the spend is in line with the OECD definitions of ODA. A small proportion of non-FCDO spend is estimated, for example Gift Aid on ODA eligible activity. Non-FCDO sources account for around 40.3 per cent in 2022

9.2 Scope

3. This publication presents information on the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) spend in calendar year 2022. Comparisons are made to calendar year 2021. It includes data from UK government departments as well as the Devolved Administrations of the UK and other sources of UK ODA such as the portion of the UK’s contribution to the EU that is spent on ODA and the ODA eligible proportion of Gift Aid. Data relating to both Bilateral and Multilateral ODA are included in the scope of this publication.

This publication does not include information on:

  • private spending or donations made in support of developing countries, for example by the public, the voluntary sector or through remittances. These are not part of the ODA definition and are not covered in this publication
  • financial year ODA budget allocations, which are set by HM Treasury. Users are advised to use caution when making comparisons between the calendar year figures reported in SID with financial year ODA budget allocations

9.3 ODA spending and reporting

4. In a calendar year, FCDO and HM Treasury will monitor spend by other departments and funds, and movements in GNI during the year[footnote 27]. The UK’s performance against the legislated commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA is reported the year following the spend based on confirmed ODA outturn, and GNI estimates published by the Office for National Statistics.

5. While FCDO will manage its own spending on ODA, FCDO has no control over GNI nor the spending by other government departments and other sources of ODA. After final decisions on UK ODA spending are made the GNI estimate can still shift due to later economic data for the year becoming available and so can the amount of ODA spent by other government departments and ODA contributions from non-departmental sources.

6. Between the spring and the autumn, the previous year’s ODA spending of government departments are finalised. Government departments will provide project-level details that allow the ODA spend to be quality assured by FCDO statisticians. The ONS will release further updates of GNI throughout the year.

7. FCDO is responsible for collating data and reporting spend on ODA to the Organisation of Economic Development and Co-operation (OECD), including the ODA:GNI ratio.

9.4 Difference between provisional and final publications

8. The “Statistics on International Development: Provisional Aid Spend 2022” publication outlines provisional ODA spend information and an estimate of GNI for 2022 published by ONS in March to calculate a provisional estimate of the ODA:GNI ratio. Between the spring and the autumn, the ODA spending of government departments and other ODA contributors are finalised, as outlined above.

9. As part of this, other government departments will provide project-level data which will have codes that allocate for each project: sectors, delivery partner, type of aid and other key variables. A project title and description are also provided.  These extra details allow the ODA spend to be quality assured using guidance from OECD.

10. The final ODA data and an updated GNI estimate for 2022 released by the ONS in June 2023 have been used to calculate the final ODA:GNI ratio in this publication and to report to the OECD. Further information on the data sources, quality and processing of the statistics in this publication are found in Annexes 1 to 3 (PDF, 225 KB) on the Statistics on International Development webpage.

9.5 ODA:GNI ratio

11. As mentioned above, the ODA:GNI ratio is based on confirmed ODA spend and the latest estimates of GNI published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The ONS produce estimates for Gross National Income (GNI) on a quarterly basis. The ONS publishes revisions to previous GNI estimates as more economic data becomes available.  The 2022 final ODA:GNI ratio is based on the most recent GNI estimate published by the ONS on 30 June 2023.

9.6 EU attribution

12. The finalised estimate for the UK’s share of the EU ODA budget in 2022 was £532 million compared to £684 million in 2021. The UK’s share of the EU attribution fluctuates from year to year due to the speed of programme delivery, the total share of EU external programming spend that is classified as ODA and fluctuations in exchange rates. In addition to the normal fluctuations, the decrease in 2022 reflects the UK’s shrinking residual contributions to the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2014 to 2020 budget. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK committed to meet outstanding contributions from the 2014-2020 EU budget beyond 1 January 2021 including for external action, development and humanitarian aid. This means a declining tail of ODA contributions until 2029 to 2030 and which is part of the wider financial settlement in the Withdrawal Agreement.

9.7 Grant equivalent

13. From 2018 onwards, Official Development Assistance (ODA) has changed from being measured on a cash basis to a grant equivalent basis, following a decision taken by the DAC in 2014. This change in measure affects official loans to sovereign states and development multilaterals. See our technical note (PDF, 345 KB) for more information.

14. The headline grant equivalent measure of UK ODA for 2022 was £12,795 million, compared to £12,786 million on the cash basis measurement (a difference of 0.2 per cent).

15. The difference is due to official loan reflows not being included under the grant equivalent measure.

9.8 Revisions and changes to the publication from previous years

16. The revisions process is set out in FCDO’s Revisions Policy (PDF, 86 KB).

17. Since this report was first published on 14 September 2023, there have been some additional revisions made. See the revisions statement.

18. Four revisions have been made alongside this publication which is reflected in the 2022 summary tables and data underlying SID. The revisions affect 2020 and 2021 data and are all classification changes rather than changes in value. They do not materially affect any previously reported trends.

19. The changes were:

  • to correct the recipient country for 2 programmes which had been incorrectly reported as “Developing countries, unspecified” in Final SID 2021 when they should have been reported as “India”.  This means that the 2021 figure for India has decreased by £10.5 million and the figure for “Developing Countries, unspecified” has increased by £10.5 million

  • to change the “type of aid” for BEIS programme GB-GOV-13-ICF-0004-CIF from B02 (core contribution to multilateral) in 2021 to B03 (contributions to specific-purpose programmes and funds managed by implementing partners).  This is consistent with how the programme was reported in 2020 and 2022

  • change the sector code for BEIS programme UKRI_NS_EP/T02951X/1_DIDA which had been incorrectly coded as 16063 (narcotics control) and should have been coded as 43082 (Research/scientific institutions)

Table of revisions, ODA value changes:

Year Department Donor project number New net ODA value Old net ODA value Reason for revision
2021 FCDO Equity repayments – income - £9713.48 - £9713.48 Changed recipient country from “Developing Countries, unspecified” to “India”
2021 FCDO Equity repayments – capital - £771.47 - £771.47  
2021 BEIS GB-GOV-13-ICF-0004-CIF 88,200,000 88,200,000 Type of aid changed from B02 to B03
2020 BEIS UKRI_NS_EP/T02951X/1_DIDA 100,897.53 100,897.53 Sector code change from 16063 to 43082

9.9 Accessibility

20. An important part of our SID publications are the summary tables published as excel spreadsheets. These may contain data tables that are difficult to use with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation.

21. We aim to make all SID related spreadsheet documents we publish from now on (SID 2020 onwards) fully accessible.

22. On 30 June 2021 the Government Statistical Service (GSS) published guidance around releasing statistics in spreadsheets. This sets out best practice for accessibility in the statistics produced across Government, for example to enable access to statistics for visually impaired individuals using screen readers. As such, we have followed the guidance where possible and implemented accessibility measures to the summary tables published alongside this report (standard and additional), as well as providing alternative text where necessary to the case studies contained within this report (Chapter 9).

23. We have looked at the resources needed to make SID Excel documents published between September 2018 and September 2021, accessible (in line with The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018). We believe that making these accessible would be a disproportionate burden. It is also important to note that SID tables published before SID 2022, are updated via the tables accompanying this publication due to revisions (as per para 22 to 27).

24. If you need any of the information published as part of the SID collections (SID 2022 or historical) in a different format please contact us at statistics@fcdo.gov.uk.

9.10 Future developments

25. An important part of National Statistics production is assessing whether a product continues to meet user needs. The ODA statistics team are currently reviewing the SID to identify areas to develop further, as well as testing how best to present and communicate ODA trends. So far, the SID has been peer reviewed by other statisticians. The team has also gathered information on the users of SID and their data needs via short user feedback surveys in April 2021 and November 2022.  More information on the development plans and user engagement opportunities will be published on the statistics gov.uk page throughout 2023 and 2024.

26. The team always welcomes the opportunity to understand further how our readers are using the SID products and data. You can provide feedback by contacting us at statistics@fcdo.gov.uk.

27. FCDO’s new finance system ‘Hera’ was implemented during 2022. A dedicated statistician worked on the shift between systems to assess its impact on our statistics and ensure that FCDO ODA can be consistently collected and reported in line with the OECD DAC directives. The assurance process will be ongoing throughout 2023 to further test the 2022 and future data as the system is used to manage all FCDO ODA spend going forward. We will update our ‘assessment of assurance of administrative data’ (Annex 3) and provide more information about the quality assurance of the Hera system prior to reporting on 2023 ODA data.

28. FCDO is defined as a multi-purpose agency by the OECD, as it carries out both ODA and non-ODA activities. FCDO statisticians have produced a suitable methodology that captures the ODA eligible proportion of FCDO administrative costs. Information on this methodology can be found in our explanatory note (PDF, 220 KB). The methodology has been applied from April 2021 (beginning of the 2021 to 2022 financial year).  This methodology is expected to be used on an interim basis whilst the Hera system is being fully implemented and tested. Once this happens, the methodology will be reviewed and adjusted as necessary. The explanatory note will be updated once the methodology is finalised.

29. During 2023, the OECD DAC implemented changes to the way donors should report their ODA-eligible administrative costs, to be applied to reporting on 2022 ODA flows.  The main change that affects UK ODA reporting is that donors should not report a ‘recipient country/region’ for administrative costs.  This has been incorporated into the UK’s 2022 ODA figures and means that our ODA-eligible administrative costs are no longer assigned to individual countries as they were last year but are included in the category “Developing countries, unspecified”.  Therefore, care should be taken when comparing country-level trends over time as they are not directly comparable. The explanatory note (PDF, 200 KB) provides further information about this change and Supplementary Table 2 provides a comparison of 2021 and 2022 country-level figures to illustrate the effects of the change.

9.11 Uses and users

30. The main purpose of this publication is to provide timely statistics on ODA expenditure by UK Official sources. They are published prior to the release of final ODA statistics by the OECD DAC for all OECD members (normally in December).

31. Responses from our short user feedback survey in 2021 show that our largest user groups include expert analysts/technical users, policy influencers and information foragers (see definitions of each persona). Our users use the SID primarily to find out which countries and sectors receive UK ODA, the bilateral/multilateral split of UK ODA and the amount of ODA spent by each government department.

32. We are always keen to enhance the value of these statistics and welcome your feedback either via our Statistics User Group or via email statistics@fcdo.gov.uk.

9.12 Data quality

33. The DAC sets the definitions and classifications for reporting on ODA internationally. These are laid out in the DAC Statistical Reporting Directives[footnote 28]. The statistics in this publication are reported in line with these directives and are subject to the quality assurance process as described in Annex 3 (PDF, 225 KB) of Statistics on International Development.  At the time of publication, the OECD DAC Secretariat had not carried out their external validation checks on the UK’s 2022 ODA data.

34. The data in the publication is largely based on administrative data and so it is not subject to sampling error.

35. Calendar year financial transaction data are used to compile UK ODA spend statistics.  These are extracted from former DFID’s ARIES database, former FCO’s financial transactions data, FCDO’s new finance system “Hera” and other contributor financial transaction data and are subject to input errors from spending teams. The risk of input error is relatively low for estimates of total spend, and by country/region, and relatively higher for spending by sector (where there is sometimes ambiguity, especially for projects or programmes that cut across sectors) and by funding channel.  The quality assurance section of Annex 3 (PDF, 225 KB) describes the steps that have been taken by FCDO statisticians to minimise these kinds of input errors, and to produce UK ODA statistics.

36. Official sector expenditures on refugees originating from ODA eligible countries in donor countries can be counted as ODA during the first twelve months of their stay. This includes payments for refugees’ temporary subsistence, food, shelter and training. See the full UK methodology for in-donor refugee costs (PDF, 343 KB).

9.13 Estimates on ODA spend in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

At the peak of the pandemic, we collected additional information to identify ODA activities that were both specifically designed to address the pandemic and “adapted” (pre-existing programmes that were adapted) to respond to the crisis. As we move to living with COVID-19 and the UK has significantly reduced its COVID-19 expenditure, we have reviewed the additional data that is collected and published on UK ODA spent on COVID-19 related activities.  The COVID-19 figures presented in this report reflect only spend on activities that were specifically designed to address the pandemic. It is important to note that ODA spend through programmes adapted to respond to the crisis continues to be included in the overall ODA figures for 2022. 

  1. The £270 million of UK ODA spent on COVID-19 in 2022 does not include the UK’s core contributions to multilaterals, a proportion of which will have been channelled to address the pandemic.

9.14 Timing and releases

2. FCDO releases 2 editions of Statistics on International Development each year:

  • Provisional UK Aid spend will be published in the spring and includes a preliminary estimate of the UK’s ODA:GNI ratio for the previous calendar year.  The latest edition of this publication can be found on gov.uk (PDF, 856 KB)
  • final UK Aid spend is usually published in the autumn.  This publication confirms the UK’s ODA:GNI ratio for the previous year, as well as including more detailed analysis of the UK’s Bilateral and Multilateral ODA, and includes the microdata used to produce the publication

3. The OECD statistics provide ODA breakdowns for DAC donors (including multilaterals). This source is useful when carrying out international comparisons. Figures for DAC donors’ final 2022 ODA will be published in December 2023.

4. The Development Tracker can be used to explore details of the individual development projects that the UK is funding. This allows you to filter projects by country and sector and view further details about the project as published in documents such as the business case and annual review. The tracker uses open data on development projects, compliant with the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard, to show where funding by the UK Government and its partners is going and ‘trace’ it through the delivery chain.

9.16 National Statistics

5. The Office for Statistics Regulation (part of the United Kingdom Statistics Authority)  designated these statistics as National Statistics in March 2016, in accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics. Designation means the statistics carry the National Statistics label and conform to the standards summarised below.  

6. The Office for Statistics Regulation published their findings from a compliance check of SID in 2019 which confirmed that it is designated a National Statistic.

7. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is now responsible for producing the Statistics on International Development statistical series.  The designation of National Statistics carries through to the new Department.  

8. For information on the work of the UK Statistics Authority visit: http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk.

National Statistics status

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value.

All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the Authority’s regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate.

It is a producer’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of National Statistics, and to improve its statistics on a continuous basis. If a producer becomes concerned about whether its statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, it should discuss its concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored.

9.17 Contact details

For enquiries (non-media) about the information contained in this publication, or for more detailed information, please contact:

Jacqueline Robertson

Telephone: 07768 90 42 27

Email: statistics@fcdo.gov.uk

Website:https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/foreign-commonwealth-development-office/about/statistics

For media enquiries please contact the FCDO Press Office on +44 (0)20 7008 3100.

For further information on development issues and FCDO policies, please contact the Public Enquiry Point on 020 7008 5000.

10. Listing of main activities of UK Government Departments and other contributors of UK ODA other than FCDO in 2022

Non-FCDO government department or other contributor of UK ODA Main ODA funded activity in 2022
BBC World Service BBC World Service contributes to the BBC’s international news mission by providing trusted, accurate, impartial, and independent information and analysis to audiences around the globe. The BBC World Service aims through journalism to contribute to accountability and good governance and improve the welfare and economic development of citizens in developing countries.
Cabinet Office (CO) In November 2021, the UK hosted the 26th meeting for Conference of the Parties (COP26). Held in Glasgow, COP26 began with a World Leaders Summit, a meeting of leaders from over 100 countries to address the climate change impact, challenges, concerns and agree on mitigation for a better future. Over the 2 week-long event, a particular focus surrounded developing countries, particularly those vulnerable to climate change. The costs of these activities had a main focus on developing countries therefore they are ODA eligible. Furthermore, the COP26 Unit - Cabinet Office’s ODA relates to all relevant eligible costs such as supporting attendance of ODA eligible countries delegates.
Colonial Pensions administered by FCDO Pension payments made to ex-members of the UK Overseas Civil Service who were employed directly by developing country governments
Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) The Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) is a unique cross-government fund that tackles the greatest threats to UK national security arising from instability overseas.  Its ability to blend ODA and non-ODA is unique across HMG and amongst international donors. The CSSF continues to support the delivery of the Government’s top national security priorities linked to conflict and instability, state threats, transnational threats, and women, peace and security in more than 85 countries and territories.  For more details on the CSSF please see the latest annual report.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) The UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) was established in 2011 to help developing countries tackle climate change and move to sustainable economic growth. It is the government’s primary instrument to deliver the UK’s share of the financial and technical assistance to developing countries required under the £100 billion per annum Climate Finance commitment in the Paris Agreement. ICF spending is split between FCDO DEFRA and BEIS. BEIS spent £3.9 billion between 2011 to 2012 and 2022 to 2023 primarily on large scale mitigation projects in the following thematic areas: affordable and clean energy for all, halting deforestation and preventing biodiversity loss, helping countries become resilient to the effects of climate change and sustainable cities and transport.

Each programme in the portfolio is designed to support catalytic change in developing countries. Most of BEIS ICF is spent through large multilateral development banks including the World Bank Group. It is also a major contributor to multilateral climate funds – including the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs). The BEIS ICF also works through contracting delivery partners (both public and private) and public-private partnerships, such as UK Climate Investments and Mobilising Finance for Forests, run with the Macquarie Group and the Dutch development bank FMO. BEIS ODA also contributes to the UK’s annual subscriptions for membership of organisations including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. BEIS ICF has prioritised largescale emission mitigation programmes in middle-income countries (MICs), and in forest-rich countries that play a critical role as major carbon sinks, reflecting where the potential for emissions abatement is highest.

BEIS manages the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The Newton Fund supports bilateral and regional research and innovation partnerships between the UK and selected middle income countries. The aim of this is to address specific global development challenges and build science and innovation capacity. GCRF provides dedicated funding to research focused on addressing global challenges which most significantly impact upon developing countries. It achieves this by supporting challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, strengthening capability for research and innovation within developing countries, and providing an agile response to emergencies.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) DCMS’s International Cultural Heritage Protection programme works with a range of domestic and international partners to protect tangible and intangible cultural heritage across the world. With initiatives ranging from emergency response to research partnerships, the programme supports sustainable development and humanitarian needs and helps ensure the UK is a force for good in the world. These programmes contribute towards key HMG stabilisation, security, and development objectives. Through the Cultural Protection Fund, the British Council delivers grant funding to local organisations working on cultural heritage protection across the Middle East, North and East Africa. Emergency support has also been delivered to Ukraine, Turkiye and Syria.
Department for Education (DfE) DfE’s ODA covers support of asylum seekers in the first 12 months after they make a claim for asylum in the UK. This support relates to the provision of publicly-funded education services for asylum seekers of compulsory school age.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) The key programme areas of Defra’s ODA portfolio aim to protect and restore critical terrestrial and marine ecosystems, address the decline in species and wildlife, expand knowledge and research on biodiversity, nature, and climate and integrate nature into financial and economic decision making. Defra also provides contributions to, multilateral environment agreements.

Main Activities:

1. The Darwin Initiative: a global competitive grant scheme that funds projects in developing countries and our UK Overseas Territories to help them better manage their natural resources and protect biodiversity.

2. Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund: a global competitive grant scheme that funds projects in developing countries to develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by illegal wildlife trade; strengthen law enforcement and the criminal justice system; and reduce demand for the products of the illegal wildlife trade.

3. Blue Planet Fund (BPF): a global fund designed to aid developing countries protect the marine environment and reduce poverty by improving marine biodiversity; adapting to and mitigating climate change; reducing marine pollution; and supporting sustainable seafood production.

4. International Contributions to Multilateral Organisations and Environmental Agreements (MEAs): Covering subjects including sustainable use of natural resources, sustainable development, air quality, waste management, control of chemicals and food security.

Examples of major projects and countries supported in 2022: Defra’s ODA is delivered through a range of aid instruments, organisations and supports a range of countries. This includes global demand led challenge funds like Darwin and IWT to new programmes such as the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund which will be focussed on 6 specific landscapes and 18 countries (including Peru, Ecuador, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Madagascar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Guatemala, Honduras). The Blue Planet Fund has a strong focus on Small Island Developing States and will also support marine programmes in countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Vietnam and Madagascar.
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) In support of the UK Aid Strategy, DHSC’s expenditure on Official Development Assistance was £226 million in 2021.DHSC’s main ODA activities are on the areas of global health, health security and global health research. The Global Health Security (GHS) programme’s activities in these areas have helped developing countries to reduce preventable deaths and burden from disease; to detect health threats; and to provide rapid and effective response to health threats that emerge. GHS research activities funded innovative research in specific vaccine and vaccine technologies and informed best practice in disease outbreaks interventions and to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance.

In addition, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Global Health Research (GHR) portfolio has supported high-quality applied health research for the direct and primary benefit of people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The portfolio aims were delivered through a mix of researcher-led and commissioned calls delivered by NIHR and through partnerships with other global health research funders, through initiatives to develop and advance global health research and career pathways both in LMICs and in the UK.

Organisations supported (not exhaustive):

World Health Organization
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network
United Nations Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)
Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND)
South Centre
Commonwealth Pharmacists Association
Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET)
Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP)
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)
European and Developing Country Clinical Trials Partnerships (EDCTP)
Grand Challenges Canada
UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR)
Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases
Global Road Safety Facility (GSRF)
Elton John AIDS Foundation
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) The Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities reports ODA eligible costs for the Homes for Ukraine scheme include a proportion of funds paid to Local Authorities (LAs) and Devolved Governments (DGs) as a tariff for which a proportion is ODA eligible and 100% of ‘thank you payments’ for up to 12 months from arrival paid to sponsors providing housing via relevant Local Authorities.
Department for Transport (DfT) The Department for Transport and Network Rail arranged for a shipment of aid and road vehicles to be driven to Ukraine. This shipment included hand tools to help Ukraine Railways to maintain rail infrastructure damaged by the war. This was in addition to a £10 million rail aid package for Ukraine which was funded through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) DWP pays an annual contribution to the regular budget of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 60% of this is ODA-eligible. DWP spend for 2021 also included ODA-eligible benefits to refugees within the first twelve months of stay in the UK as part of the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement (VPR) programme. The VPR ended in March 2021.
Gift Aid The portion of Gift Aid claimed by UK based international development charities that is then used on ODA eligible activities. To understand more about ODA eligible Gift Aid, please see methodology note.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) HMRC works with ODA-eligible countries, supporting economic development through improving tax administration functions, providing economic integration, stability and growth. This includes provision of peer-to-peer technical assistance in tax administration functions. Areas of focus also include international tax transparency standards, the OECD Global Forum 73 standard for transparency and the more recently introduced standards under Pillars 1&2.

Accelerate Trade Facilitation supports ODA eligible countries to implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and related reforms. The aim is to help beneficiary countries to align their border procedures to the TFA, reducing the time and cost of trading goods, which leads to enhanced economic growth and development. The programme is delivered by multilateral partners, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). WCO provide targeted support to customs administrations to implement technical customs reforms in line with the TFA and enhance organisational development. UNCTAD supports the operationalisation of National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs) which comprise of different agencies and private sector stakeholders that coordinate domestic trade facilitation reforms.

Child Benefit Assistance for Afghan and Ukrainian Refugees Programmes provide help and support to Ukrainian and Afghan families with children fleeing conflict to the UK. These programmes are ran under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS), Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), Homes for Ukraine and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
HM Treasury (HMT) HMT ODA relates to development-related administrative costs, and countering money laundering and illicit finance.
Home Office (HO) Main activities:

• in-donor spend on support to asylum seekers and the resettlement of vulnerable people. This is linked to support and shelter for up to 12 months
• work upstream in ODA countries to build capacity and capability in recipient countries in order to improve security, protect children and tackle modern slavery

Organisations supported:
UNICEF, IOM

Countries and sectors supported:
Developing countries unspecified

Refugees/asylum seekers in donor countries
Ending violence against women and girls
Social Protection
Human rights
Facilitation of orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility
Security system management and reform
Ministry of Defence (MoD) MoD ODA spend includes training in human rights, rule of law, international humanitarian law, protection of civilians in conflict, maritime law, and the UK Hydrographic Office support to developing countries in maritime charting.
Office for National Statistics Main activities:

ONS support key FCDO countries, underpins open societies whilst better informing delivery of sustainable development goals, improving lives and informing citizens and policy makers in all sectors, including economic development, health, the environment and demography

Organisations supported:
National Institute of Statistics Rwanda
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Ghana Statistical Service
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics
Department of Statistics, Jordan
Namibia Statistics Agency
Central Statistical Office of Zambia
Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency
Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics
National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania

Countries and sectors supported:
Rwanda
UNECA
Ghana
Kenya
Jordan
Namibia
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Palestine
Tanzania

Major projects supported in 2022:
DevTracker Programme GB-GOV-24-High quality statistics that improve lives globally (fcdo.gov.uk)
Other In-donor Refugee Costs The geography covered in departments’ estimated spend on IDRC is usually UK wide, however, for the majority of DfE’s and all of DHSC’s ODA, estimated spend only reports costs administered in England as Education and Health is devolved for Scotland and Wales.

Therefore, where data is unavailable for Devolved Governments and to avoid undercounting the true UK in-donor refugee spend, Health and Education estimated costs for each scheme are imputed using the same methodology and unit costs per person in England as Scotland and Wales. This is then multiplied by the estimated proportion of ODA eligible individuals in the relevant regions. This information is provided by the Home Office on an annual basis. Estimates for IDRC in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are combined and recorded as ‘Other in-donor refugee costs’ in the published data in SID reports. These costs are not specifically assigned to the Devolved Governments.
Scottish Government The Scottish Government, through its £11.5 million pa International Development Fund in 2022, supports development work in its partner countries Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda and Pakistan, in pursuit of the UN Global Goals; in 2022, this included £1.5 million to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in its 3 African partner countries, as part of its ongoing support for their COVID-19 response. A separate £1 million Humanitarian Emergency Fund also provides humanitarian funding to support crises as they occur, including during 2022 funding support for: the response to Tropical Storm Ana in Malawi; people affected by the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia and Somalia); and Pakistan floods relief. The Scottish Government also provided an additional £4 million in humanitarian support in 2022 for the humanitarian crisis arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which included donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Appeal. Finally, the Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund helps tackle the effects of climate change in the poorest, most vulnerable countries, based on a simple and powerful message: the poor and vulnerable at home and overseas are the first to be affected by climate change, and will suffer the worst, yet have done little or nothing to cause the problem.
Welsh Government The Welsh Assembly supports the Wales for Africa programme, which aims to help deliver the Sustainable Development Goals. It also provides small grants to organisations based in Wales to promote development awareness.

11. Alternative text for one-pager factsheets

1. Main summary factsheet – page 7 Infographic

This factsheet covers the key headlines of the Final SID 2022.

Box 1: Headlines

  • The UK has spent in line with the government’s decision to spend around 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income on ODA in 2022, at 0.51 per cent of GNI.
  • 75.4% of UK ODA was spent bilaterally (ie going to specific countries, regions or programmes).
  • 59.7% of UK ODA was spent by the FCDO.
  • In 2022, Afghanistan was the largest bilateral recipient of UK ODA, at £353 million.

Box 2:  Total UK net ODA: by contributor

This box presents a line chart of total UK ODA by FCDO, Other Government Departments (OGDs) and Other Contributors of UK ODA from 2009 to 2022. The FCDO line starts at £6.7 billion in 2009 and ends at £7.6 billion in 2022. The FCDO line grows steadily over time, peaking in 2019 and then dipping in 2020 and then further in 2022. The OGD line starts at £0.4 billion in 2009 and gradually increases over time to its highest point of £4.8 billion in 2022. The Other Contributors of UK ODA line starts at £0.2 billion and peaks at £1.4 billion in 2017 then decreases to £0.3 billion in 2022. The text reads: From 2009 to 2022, FCDO’s (including combined former DFID and former FCO) total ODA share has gradually decreased from 91.1% to 59.7% , while Other Government Departments’ (OGDs) share has increased, from 5.5% in 2009 to 37.7% in 2022.

Box 3: UK bilateral ODA by region, 2022

This box presents a bar chart of UK region-specific spend broken down by region – Africa (£1,240 millio), Asia (£1,055 million), Europe (£452 million), Americas (£183 million) and Pacific (£10 million).

Box 4: UK bilateral ODA: Top 10 recipient countries, 2022

This box presents a bar chart of the top 20 recipient countries of UK bilateral ODA in 2022 from the largest to smallest. It shows the following countries and value: Afghanistan (£353 million) to the 20th – Zimbabwe (£38 million). All the values in the bar chart are found in Table 6a. Afghanistan (£353 million), Ukraine (£342 million), Nigeria (£110 million), Somalia (£100 million), Ethiopia (£90 million), Yemen (£77 million), South Sudan (£76 million), Syria (£63 million), Pakistan (£58 million), Bangladesh (£55 million), Colombia (£51 million), Mozambique (£49 million), Congo, Dem. Rep. (£47 million), Myanmar (£47 million), India (£46 million), Kenya (£45 million), Uganda (£45 million), Jordan (£42 million), St. Helena (£39 million), Zimbabwe (£38 million).

Box 5: Total ODA spend by contributor, 2022

This box presents a doughnut chart of ODA spend by contributor. It shows contributors that spent over £200 million each in 2022. FCDO is the largest contributor at £7,635 million, followed by the Home Office (£2,397 million), the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (£554 million), Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (£524 million), and the Department of Health and Social Care (£465 million), Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (£314 million), Department for Education (£218 million)  as well as other contributors (£680 million).

Box 6: UK bilateral ODA: top 5 sectors, 2022

This box presents a bar chart of the percentage share of the top 5 sectors – Refugees in Donor Countries (£3690 million), Humanitarian Aid (£1,109 million), Health (£966 million), Multisector (£840 million), Government & Civil Society (£727million).

2. Ukraine Case Study – page 24

This infographic sets out a case study of UK ODA to Ukraine in 2022

Box 1: Background

This box presents background information with context on the current political situation in Ukraine. It includes humanitarian figures as well as key UK ODA data.

  • on 24 February 2022, Russia launched an illegal invasion of Ukraine, escalating more than 8 years of conflict into a full-scale war, driving humanitarian needs countrywide and mass displacement
  • humanitarian needs are most severe in frontline areas, and in areas under the control of Russia – where an estimated 4 million people remain and are largely out of reach to humanitarian actors
  • away from the frontline, the rising cost of living and significantly reduced employment options and income, as well as displacement are key drivers of need

Humanitarian figures:

  • 16.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine in 2023
  • 5.1 million Internally Displaced Peoples, 4.8 million returns and 5.8 million refugees
  • over 26,000 civilian casualties, including 9,500 killed and 17,200 injured
  • over 1,000 attacks on health facilities and 3,750 on education facilities
  • 30% of Ukraine contaminated with mines / explosive remnants of war
  • sources: OCHA, IOM, UNHCR, OHCHR, WHO, MoE

Map of Ukraine and surrounding region:

This section contains an outline of Ukraine in the centre of the map with neighbouring countries Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Belarus and Russia also outlined.

UK ODA 2022

  • the UK provided £342 million of ODA to Ukraine in 2022, up by £311 million (an 11-fold increase) from £31 million in 2021
  • Ukraine was the second largest country-specific bilateral ODA recipient, with an almost 3 per cent share of all ODA
  • in 2022, £199 million of bilateral ODA to Ukraine (58 per cent) was in the form of humanitarian aid
  • the UK also funded 3 Ukrainian refugee schemes in 2022 (Homes for Ukraine, Family Visa Scheme and Extension Scheme), which provide temporary protection visas for Ukrainian citizens. ODA for these schemes is not assigned to Ukraine as the benefitting country, in line with the DAC rules around in-donor refugee costs

Box 2: Breakdown of 2022 UK bilateral ODA to Ukraine, by sector

This box contains a doughnut chart that shows the largest sectors of ODA to Ukraine in 2022, totalling £342 million. The largest is Humanitarian Aid (£199 million), followed by Government and Civil Society (£114 million), Economic Infrastructure and Services (£12 million), Multisector / Cross-Cutting (£10 million), Unallocated/Unspecified (£5 million) , Education (1 million) and Other (£0.3 million)

There is also some text that is next to this chart which reads: The Ukraine Humanitarian Programme provides humanitarian aid and protection support to those affected by the war both in Ukraine and the region, with a focus on the most vulnerable. The programme is a critical part of the UK government’s collective support to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24th February 2022 the FCDO committed £220 million of humanitarian funding to Ukraine and the region covering FY 2021 to 2022 and FY 2022 to 2023. The first phase of the response focused on substantial support to appeals run by trusted partners and in-kind support, before providing more targeted funding to UN partners and NGOs later in the year

Box 3: Largest bilateral ODA contributions through multilateral delivery partners, 2022

This box presents a bar chart with the largest UK 2022 bilateral ODA through multilateral organisations, with contributions over £10 million specifically earmarked to Ukraine. It shows that the IBRD is the largest, with £75 million worth of ODA spend. This was followed by UNOCHA (£35 million), UNHCR (£25 million), UN Children’s Fund (£21 million) World Food Programme (£17 million), UN Population Fund (£10 million) and IOM (£10 million).

Box 4: UK total and humanitarian bilateral ODA to Ukraine, 2010 to 2022

This box shows a line graph of Total Bilateral ODA as well as Humanitarian ODA to Ukraine from 2010 to 2022. Total Bilateral ODA starts at £0.5 million to Ukraine in 2010 before steadily rising slightly then falling to £31 million in 2021. It then increases from £31 million to £342 million in 2022. Humanitarian Aid follows a similar trajectory but is smaller. It starts at £0 million in 2010 then begins to rise in 2014. In 2021 it is £0.7 million then reaches £199 million in 2022.

3. Humanitarian case study – page 37

This is a case study on Afghanistan, including background information and key headlines and charts on ODA to Afghanistan in 2022 and previous years. 

Box 1: Background information and key figures

Humanitarian aid is assistance designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and maintain and protect dignity during and in the aftermath of emergencies. It covers:

  • emergency response: provision of food aid, material relief, co-ordination and support required in an emergency situation resulting from man-made crises and/or natural disasters
  • reconstruction, relief and rehabilitation: restricted to short term support for the restoration of service and infrastructure during and in the aftermath of an emergency
  • disaster prevention and preparedness: disaster risk reduction activities
  • in 2022, 326 million people needed humanitarian assistance and protection
  • in 2022, UK bilateral humanitarian aid was £1,109 million, an increase of £366 million compared to 2021
  • humanitarian aid accounted for 11.5 per cent of total UK bilateral ODA in 2022, up from 10.3 per cent in 2021
  • the amount of humanitarian aid fluctuates year-on-year due to being driven by response to crises. In 2021 there was a reduction in line with an overall reduction in UK ODA due to the government’s decision to spend 0.5 per cent of GNI on ODA compared to 0.7 per cent. Spend increased in 2022 due to increased humanitarian need

Bar chart on UK bilateral humanitarian ODA 2013 to 2022

Box 1 shows a bar chart on UK Bilateral Humanitarian ODA spent from 2013 to 2022.

Spend starts at £826 million in 2013 and rises to its peak in 2019 before falling in 2021 but then increasing to £1,109 million in 2022.

Box 2: Breakdown of UK bilateral humanitarian ODA by activity, 2022

This box presents a bar chart which shows the Humanitarian Aid sector breakdown of UK bilateral ODA in 2021 and 2022. Material relief assistance and services makes up the largest proportion of the chart in 2022 (£613 million) followed by Emergency Food Assistance (£229 million), Relief coordination and support services (£167 million), Multi-hazard response preparedness (£70 million), Immediate post-emergency reconstruction and rehabilitation (£28 million), and Basic health care services in emergencies (£1.6 million). In 2021 these figures were £408 million, £136 million, £101 million, £68 million, £31 million, and £0.0 million respectively.

Box 3: Humanitarian aid through core funding to multilaterals

This box contains a note which reads: This factsheet focuses on bilateral humanitarian ODA. The UK also funds humanitarian response through core support to international humanitarian organisations, for example:

  • Central Emergency Response Fund (£52 million)
  • World Food Programme (£40 million)
  • United Nations Office of Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (£21 million)

Box 4: Breakdown of UK bilateral humanitarian ODA by region, 2021 and 2022.

This box presents a bar chart of bilateral humanitarian ODA by region in 2021 and 2022. Asia is the highest in 2022 at £503 million, followed by Africa (£243 million), Europe (£199 million), then Americas (£1 million). In 2021, ODA was £398 million in Asia followed by Africa (£300 million), Americas (£3 million) then Europe (£2 million).

Box 5: Changes in bilateral humanitarian aid by recipient country

The text in this box reads: Recipient countries with largest increases in humanitarian aid in 2022 compared to 2021 were Ukraine (+£198 million) and Afghanistan, (+£200 million). 

Recipient countries with largest decreases in humanitarian aid in 2022 were Yemen

(-£33 million) and Ethiopia (-£31 million).

Funding increased in Afghanistan and Ukraine in response to increasing humanitarian needs. These 2 countries accounted for 48% of UK Humanitarian aid in 2022 (see p. 25 for case study on Ukraine).

  1. A glossary, explaining key terms used throughout this report, is available in Annex 1 (PDF, 225 KB) ↩

  2. Gross National Income: Current price: Seasonally adjusted £million, 2022, ONS ↩

  3. For more information on the grant equivalent measure and the historical cash measurement, please see background note 9.3 (paragraphs 16 to 18) ↩

  4. The multilateral must be on the OECD DAC list of eligible multilaterals in order to receive unearmarked funding. The list also states the proportion of a core contribution to each multilateral that can be counted as ODA, and is driven by proportion of ODA eligible work the multilateral carries out ↩

  5. The UK contribution could be used for different programmes or initiatives as well as general operations of the organisation. See section 7.3 for information on how we estimate which countries and sectors the UK core contributions benefit ↩

  6. See background note 9.12 for more information about what is included in the estimate of COVID spend for 2022.  ↩

  7. COVAX is co-led by Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Gavi (The Vaccine Alliance) and ‘World Health Organisation’ (WHO). The WHO website describes COVAX’s aim as to accelerate the development and manufacture of COVID19 vaccines, and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country in the world. ↩

  8. This figure has been calculated in line with the DAC guidance on reporting vaccine donations in 2022, i.e. applying the DAC’s average price of $6.66 per dose. For vaccines the UK paid less than $6.66 per dose, the actual price paid has been used instead, in line with the DAC’s proposed safeguard. ↩

  9. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Department for Business and Trade are government departments created in 2023. For this publication we have continued to report activity in 2022 by the departments as they were known in 2022. ↩

  10. Note 1. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. Note 2. FCDO figures for periods before the merger are the total sum of former FCO and former DFID ODA spend. Note 3. From 2021, the full UK Attribution of the development share of the EU budget is reported under FCDO. This is in line with ODA allocations. Prior to 2021, the UK EU Attribution core contribution was partly reported by former DFID, and partly by non-DFID. Note 4. Office for National Statistics ODA was less than last significant figure in the table in 2018. In 2018 it was £270,104. Note 5. Department for Transport ODA was less than last significant figure in the table in 2022. In 2022 it was £33,400. Note 6. Department of International Trade ODA for 2021 was £373,465. Note 7. The figures used in the 2022 publication for the Ministry of Defence are those provided for Statistics on International Development: Provisional UK Aid Spend 2022 in April 2023.  These figures represent 0.03 per cent of total ODA in 2022.  This proportion has remained constant over the last 5 years. Note 8. This includes estimated ODA eligible health and education in-donor refugee support costs which have been be administered by the devolved governments using geographic data and applying the same unit costs as England. Note 9. Welsh Government record their ODA by financial year. ↩

  11. For some multi-country/region programmes, the current administrative system does not allow recording of spend by individual recipients. Improvements to the system are being considered but for this publication, where this is the case spend is reported as bilateral ODA spend with no single benefitting country or region (section 5.1.5). ↩

  12. The Global Partnership for Education is an example of a sectoral-specific fund where amounts allocated to countries is not known in advance. ↩

  13. From 2017, a single project could allocate spend to one or more sectors codes. See our note on Multiple Sector Codes for Project Activity – Analysis 2017 which looks at the impact of this methodology change. ↩

  14. See OECD directives: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/STAT(2020)44/FINAL/en/pdf page 30 ↩

  15. By definition, this support could include contributions the UK gives to support refugees in other donor countries.  In 2021, this spend was all in the UK. ↩

  16. Defined as ODA-eligible multilateral organisations for core (unearmarked) contributions by the OECD DAC, see http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/annex2.htm ↩

  17. The UK may also provide funding to these organisations for specific programmes, which would be recorded as bilateral spend through a multilateral organisation. ↩

  18. Note 1. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. Note 2. FCDO figures are the total sum of former FCO and former DFID ODA spend. Note 3. From 2021, the full UK Attribution of the development share of the EU budget is reported under FCDO. This is in line with ODA allocations. Prior to 2021, the UK EU Attribution core contribution was partly reported by former DFID, and partly by non-DFID. Note 4. For this publication the basic health support for asylum seekers have been produced with a health unit cost (per capita cost) for 2021. “0” is null and “[low]” is less than half the smallest unit displayed. For a full breakdown of UK-ODA by government department and other contributors to UK ODA by delivery channel for 2017, 2020 and 2021 please see Table 10. [r] Several minor revisions have been made to 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 data. See section 9.8 in the SID Report background notes. ↩

  19. Finalised figures for DAC members will be published in December 2023, therefore we are using provisional figures in this chapter. To illustrate the impact of using provisional figures, DAC members’ provisional ODA for 2020 was £125.6 billion. This increased to £126.5 billion for final ODA for 2020 – an overall increase of 0.73 per cent. ↩

  20. The EU is also a DAC member but has not been included in this chapter. ↩

  21. The OECD refers to nominal prices as ‘current’ prices (that is, current for each individual year). ↩

  22. The OECD refers to real prices as ‘constant’ prices (that is, the series uses one year as the constant price across all years). ↩

  23. From 2018 onwards, Official Development Assistance (ODA) has changed from being measured on a cash basis to a grant equivalent basis, following a decision taken by the DAC in 2014. For more information please see the Grant Equivalent Technical note (PDF, 345 KB) ↩

  24. For further analysis on DAC country donors, see the OECD report on donor’s provisional figures: https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/ODA-2022-summary.pdf ↩

  25. GNI is monitored using forecasts published by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to manage the 0.7% commitment ↩

  26. See OECD, Aid Statistics, Methodology webpage available here: https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/data-collection-and-resources-for-data-reporters.htm ↩

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