UK foreign aid compared with other countries
OECD figures put the UK's aid spending at 0.43% of national income in 2025 (preliminary), the 9th-highest of the 31 DAC countries with a figure for that year. The range ran from 0.09% of national income in the US to 1.03% of national income in Norway. The simple average across the 31 was 0.37% of national income, a difference of 0.06 percentage points from the UK's figure.
The UK over ten years
From 2018 to 2025 the UK's figure was highest in 2018 (0.70% of national income) and lowest in 2025 (0.43% of national income).
The UK's figure was higher than the average in every year from 2018 to 2025.
In 2018 the UK ranked 5th of the 31 countries with a figure; in 2025 it ranked 9th of 31.
Four countries had a lower figure than the UK in 2018 and a higher one in 2025: the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Finland.
The OECD's figures for 2025 onwards are preliminary.
How the OECD measures it
The OECD's Development Assistance Committee counts official development assistance (ODA) as government aid that promotes the economic development and welfare of developing countries. Since 2018 loans are counted by their grant equivalent, which values only the part given on concessional terms. The figure is ODA as a share of gross national income (GNI). Figures for 2025 are preliminary.
Countries compared: The 31 member countries of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (the EU is also a member but is not a country). The table uses the latest year for which the UK and at least three-quarters of the countries the OECD covers have a figure, so every value is for the same period.
Why this differs from the UK's own figures
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes Statistics on International Development, which reports UK aid as a share of gross national income using the ONS's estimate of GNI. The OECD uses the same rules, but its figures for the UK can differ slightly because of later revisions to aid or GNI and because the latest year is preliminary.
Sources and receipts
Every value on this page was read from these addresses. The SHA-256 is the fingerprint of the file as downloaded, so a later change at the source can be detected.
- https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC1@DF_DAC1,1.8/._Z.11002._Z.1160.PT_B5G.V?startPe…
OECD, DAC1: Flows by provider · read 2026-10-14 · SHA-256
c0b11f2f3f16528e… - OECD: DAC1: Flows by providerThe publisher's page for this data, indicator ODA grant equivalent, % of GNI.
Common questions
Where does the UK rank for aid spending in the OECD's Development Assistance Committee?
OECD figures for 2025 (preliminary) put the UK 9th of 31, counting from the highest, at 0.43% of national income.
Which DAC country has the highest aid spending?
Norway, at 1.03% of national income in 2025 (preliminary) (OECD).
Which DAC country has the lowest aid spending?
The US, at 0.09% of national income in 2025 (preliminary) (OECD).
What is the DAC average aid spending?
The simple average of the 31 countries with figures for 2025 (preliminary) is 0.37% of national income. The UK's figure is 0.43% of national income.
How has the UK's aid spending changed since 2018?
OECD figures give 0.70% of national income for 2018 and 0.43% of national income for 2025; the ten-year chart above shows the years in between.
Is this the same as the UK's official figure?
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes Statistics on International Development, which reports UK aid as a share of gross national income using the ONS's estimate of GNI. The OECD uses the same rules, but its figures for the UK can differ slightly because of later revisions to aid or GNI and because the latest year is preliminary.
Compare any two countries on GDP, inflation, unemployment, debt and life expectancy: country comparison tool.
These pages state each body's figures and the UK's position among them. They give no view on whether a figure is high or low. To report an error, send a correction request.