Official development assistance: the EU and its member states remain the biggest global provider

The Council approved conclusions on the EU development aid targets in the thirteenth annual report to the European Council, which confirms that the EU and its Member States have maintained their position as the largest global provider of official development assistance (ODA).

The report analyses trends with regard to commitments to and delivery of the EU’s ODA.

In an increasingly complex financing landscape, which has been deeply impacted by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, ODA remains a major source of finance for the poorest countries, and continues to play a crucial role in achieving the 2030 Agenda.

In its report, the Council notes that in 2023, EU collective ODA reached EUR 95.9 billion, up from EUR 93.3 billion in 2022 and EUR 71.6 billion in 2021. This increase since 2021 demonstrates the renewed efforts of the EU and its Member States to provide support to developing countries and persons in vulnerable situations, through a Team Europe approach.

The EU and its Member States have therefore maintained their position as the largest global ODA provider, accounting for 42% of global ODA in 2022 and 2023, and have confirmed their leadership on the global agenda for sustainable development.

In 2023, the EU’s combined ODA represented 0.57% of EU Gross National Income (GNI). Although there is a slight decrease compared to its 0.59% share of EU GNI in 2022, this is still significantly higher than the 0.49% share in 2021 and, indeed, of the aggregate of the non-EU Development Assistance Committee members, whose ODA represented 0.31% of their GNI in 2023.

The Council stresses that it is urgent for the EU and its Member States to take additional action towards achieving both individual targets and the EU’s collective commitment to providing 0.70% of GNI as ODA, and to devote 0.20% of its ODA to the Least Developed Countries by 2030.