The United States is in the process of reviewing many of its policies. While such review is underway, the United States reserves its position on this topic.
Development Co-operation Report 2018
Joining Forces to Leave No One Behind
Development Co-operation Report
United States
Leaving no one behind: The United States’ approach and priorities
Financial flows from the United States to developing countries
Figure 43.1. Net resource flows to developing countries, 2006-16, United States
Figure 43.2. Net ODA: Trends in volume and as a share of GNI, 2006-17, United States
The United States’ performance against commitments for effective development co-operation
Table 43.1. Results of the 2016 Global Partnership monitoring round (updated), United States
Note: Please refer to Annex B for details on the indicators. Data on untied ODA, retrospective statistics and publishing to the IATI have been updated according to the latest information available.
The United States’ official development assistance
In 2017, the United States provided USD 35.3 billion in net ODA (preliminary data), which represented 0.18% of gross national income (GNI) and a 0.7% increase in real terms from 2016 due to an increase in its bilateral aid that offset a decrease in contributions to multilateral organisations. In 2017, in-donor refugee costs were USD 1.7 billion and represented 4.7% of the United States’ total net official development assistance (ODA), compared to 4.9% in 2016.
The United States’ share of untied ODA (excluding administrative costs and in-donor refugee costs) was 64.6% in 2016 (up from 55.5% in 2015), while the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) average was 81.2%. The grant element of total ODA was 100% in 2016.
In 2016, 83.3% of ODA was provided bilaterally. The United States allocated 16.7% of total ODA as core contributions to multilateral organisations. In addition, it channelled 20.7% of its bilateral ODA to specific projects implemented by multilateral organisations (multi-bi/non-core contributions).
Figure 43.3. ODA composition in 2010-16 and distribution of multilateral ODA in 2016, United States
In 2016, 49% of bilateral ODA was programmed with partner countries. The share of country programmable aid was above the DAC country average (46.8%); project-type interventions amounted to 87% of this aid. Twenty-three per cent of bilateral ODA was allocated to humanitarian and food aid.
Figure 43.4. Composition of bilateral ODA, 2016, gross disbursements, United States
In 2016, USD 7.3 billion of bilateral ODA was channelled to and through civil society organisations (CSOs). ODA channelled to and through CSOs has slightly decreased as a share of bilateral aid (from 26.2% in 2015 to 24.8% in 2016).
Figure 43.5. Gross bilateral ODA disbursements to and through CSOs by type of CSO, 2010-16, United States
The largest share of bilateral ODA was directed to sub-Saharan Africa. In 2016, USD 9.9 billion was allocated to sub-Saharan Africa, USD 3.1 billion to south and central Asia, and USD 3 billion to the Middle East.
Figure 43.6. Share of bilateral ODA by region, 2016, gross disbursements, United States
Note: Thirty-two per cent of bilateral ODA allocated was unspecified by region in 2016. This share is not represented on the map.
In 2016, 25.7% of bilateral ODA went to the United States’ top 10 recipients. The United States provides development assistance to 136 countries, and the share of ODA to its top recipients is declining. Its support to fragile contexts reached USD 13.7 billion in 2016 (47% of gross bilateral ODA). Support to fragile contexts consisted mainly of project-type interventions (69%) and contributions to pooled funds (29%).
Figure 43.7. Bilateral ODA to top recipients, 2016, gross disbursements, United States
In 2016, 32.2% of bilateral ODA was allocated to least developed countries (LDCs), amounting to USD 9.4 billion. This share has slightly decreased since 2015 (when it stood at 33.5%), and is higher than the 2016 DAC average of 21.9%. The LDCs received the highest share of bilateral ODA in 2016, compared with other income groups.
At 0.06% of GNI in 2016, total ODA to the LDCs was lower than the UN target of 0.15% of GNI.
Figure 43.8. Bilateral ODA by income group, 2010-16, gross disbursements, United States
In 2016, 51.1% of bilateral ODA was allocated to social infrastructure and services, totalling USD 15.5 billion, with a strong focus on population policies and programmes (USD 6.6 billion) and support to government and civil society (USD 4 billion). Humanitarian aid amounted to USD 7.1 billion. In 2016, the United States committed USD 28.4 million (0.1% of bilateral allocable aid) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries. It also committed USD 2.9 billion (10.5% of bilateral allocable aid) to promote aid for trade and to improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy.
Figure 43.9. Share of gross bilateral ODA by sector, 2015-16, commitments, United States
USD 6.6 billon of bilateral ODA supported gender equality. In 2016, 23.9% of the United States’ bilateral allocable aid had gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal or significant objective, compared with the DAC country average of 36.5%. This is up from 19% in 2015.
Figure 43.10. Share of bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality by sector, 2016, commitments, United States
USD 3.4 billion of bilateral ODA supported the environment. In 2016, 12.3% of its bilateral allocable aid supported the environment and 5.1% (USD 1.4 billion) focused specifically on climate change, compared with the respective DAC country averages of 33% and 25.7%. The United States has developed a new data-screening process to significantly improve reporting on environment and Rio markers.
Figure 43.11. Bilateral allocable ODA in support of global and local environment objectives, 2010-16, commitments, United States
Note to reader: Annex B provides “Methodological notes on the profiles of Development Assistance Committee members”.