24th June 2026
Despite the large cuts under President Trump, the United States is no longer the world's biggest aid donor by volume. According to the latest OECD figures for 2025.
The really striking figure is that US aid fell by almost 57% in a single year, the largest reduction ever recorded for a major donor.
Official Development Assistance (2025)
1 Germany $29.1 billion
2 United States $29.0 billion
3 United Kingdom $17.2 billion
4 Japan $16.2 billion
5 France $14.5 billion
Has the UK slipped down the rankings?
Not in terms of cash volume. The UK remains the third-largest donor in the world.
However, it has slipped significantly in terms of national effort (aid as a percentage of national income).
The UK once met the UN target of 0.7% of Gross National Income and was regarded as one of the world's leading aid donors.
Now:
UK aid fell to around 0.43% of GNI in 2025.
The government plans to reduce it further to 0.3% by 2027 to help fund higher defence spending.
Meanwhile countries such as:
Norway
Sweden
Denmark
Luxembourg
all contribute a much higher share of their national income than the UK.
The bigger picture
What we are seeing is a wider shift in priorities across the West.
Governments are increasingly diverting money towards:
Defence spending.
Domestic public services.
Energy security.
Industrial policy.
Managing migration pressures.
The OECD says total international aid fell by more than 23% in 2025, the biggest annual drop ever recorded.
The interesting political question is whether this marks the end of the post-Cold War era when Western governments steadily increased overseas aid, and the beginning of a period where national security, defence and economic resilience take precedence. The evidence from the US, UK, Germany and France suggests that may already be happening.