Syria, Iraq, and Yemen were the only three countries from the ten highest aid beneficiaries in 2019 to receive less foreign aid than in the previous year. At the same time, donor’s contributions to Bangladesh continue to grow on a yearly basis, reaching US$2.5 billion. Summing up, the TOP-10 ODA recipients accounted for US$21.3 billion – 14% of the total foreign aid funded by donor countries. This article provides an overview of the global trends in aid disbursements in 2019 and highlights the countries receiving the highest amount of aid.
For 2019, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has reported that the total Official Development Assistance (ODA) provided by the member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reached a total of US$152.8 billion, representing a 1.4 % increase compared to 2018. The United States and Germany continued to be the largest DAC donors of ODA while Afghanistan, India, and Bangladesh were the top ODA recipients.
What is Official Development Assistance?
ODA is defined by the OECD as flows of development assistance provided by the state/local governments or by their executive agencies (e.g., the French Development Agency) to developing countries to promote economic development and welfare. It is important to note that neither military assistance nor commercial transactions are considered as sources of ODA. The list of eligible ODA recipients is managed by the Development Assistance Committee, an international forum comprised of 30 member countries (the largest international providers of aid) that discuss issues surrounding aid, development, and poverty reduction in developing countries.
See also: What is the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)?
Quick facts about ODA trends in 2019
- In 2019, DAC members contributed US$152.8 billion for ODA purposes, an increase of 1.4 % compared to 2018
- The total ODA flows for 2019 represented 0.30% of the combined Gross National Income (GNI) of all donors
- The largest share of ODA funds (97.8%) took the shape of grants, loans and contributions to multilateral institutions
- The United States was the largest ODA donor in 2019 contributing US$34.6 billion, followed by Germany (US$23.8 billion), the United Kingdom (US$19.4 billion), Japan (US$15.5 billion), and France (US$12.2 billion)
- Humanitarian aid diminished for the second consecutive year reaching US$15.4 billion or a 2.9% decrease compared to 2018
Top – 10 recipients of ODA from DAC countries, 2010 – 2019 (USD, million)
The TOP-10 ODA recipients
Afghanistan – was the largest overall ODA recipient in 2019 receiving a little over US$3 billion, a 13.5% increase compared to the previous year. During the 10 year-period analyzed, the country benefited from USS40.6 billion in aid.
India – was the second-highest overall ODA recipient with US$21 billion during the 10-year time frame. The ODA flows directed to India in 2019 reached US$2.9 billion, 27.7% more than in 2018.
Bangladesh – was the third-largest recipient of ODA flows from DAC countries in 2019 and the seventh over the 10 year period. In 2019, Bangladesh was allocated US$2.5 billion, 7.1% more than in 2018
Syrian Arab Republic – the total amount of ODA flows directed to Syria over the last 10 years reached US$15.6 billion. In 2019, ODA amounted to US$2.3 billion, 7.2% less than in 2018
Ethiopia – has received over US$19.7 billion in ODA flows during the last 10 years, the third-highest amount. In 2019, the country was allocated almost US$2.2 billion, an increase of 4.8% compared to 2018
Jordan – the total amount of ODA flows directed to Jordan over the 10-year frame totalled almost US$13.3 billion, eighth overall. In 2019, the country accessed US$2.1 billion, 7% more than the year before
Iraq – received US$1.7 billion in 2019, 12.5% less than in 2018. The overall flows of ODA over the last 10 years reached UD$16.4 billion
Yemen – has received over US$7.6 billion in ODA flows during the last 10 years, the least compared to the other top recipients. In 2019, however, Yemen was allocated US$1.5 billion, 13.2% more than the previous year
DRC – has been the fourth largest ODA recipient over the last 10 years, amounting to a little over US$17 billion. In 2019, DRC received US$1.5 billion, 11% more than in 2018
Myanmar – the ODA flows directed to Myanmar have grown over the last few years reaching US$1.5 billion in 2019, a 20.1% increase on the previous year. The overall amount of ODA flows for the last 10 years amounts to US$11.4 billion.
See also: The TOP-10 ODA recipients in 2018
DevelopmentAid is the leading provider of business intelligence and recruitment tools designed to assist those active in the development sector. Join today and gain access to exclusive information on the upcoming funding opportunities (tenders and grants) from the largest bilateral and multilateral donors.
