8 April 2014: Development aid reached its highest level in 2013, according to an annual survey of donor spending plans by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Donors provided US$134.8 billion in net official development assistance (ODA) in 2013, a 6.1% increase in development aid in real terms.

The majority of DAC member countries increased their ODA in 2013. Out of 28 countries, 17 reported an increase in their ODA, with the biggest increases recorded in Iceland, Italy, Japan, Norway and the UK. Among the 11 countries reporting a decrease, the largest decreases were in Canada, France and Portugal.

The US, the UK, Germany, Japan and France were the largest donors by volume. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) reported the highest ratio of ODA to gross national income (GNI), 1.25%, including their support to Egypt. Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway and Sweden continued to exceed the 0.7% ODA/GNI target, while the UK, which increased its ODA by 27.8%, met it for the first time. Aid from the Netherlands dropped below 0.7% ODA/GNI for the first time since 1974.

Despite increasing development aid budgets, “assistance to some of the neediest countries continues to fall,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. He called for addressing this issue as well as “how to make the most of ODA in a growing pool of resources for development finance” at the First High Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, which will take place in Mexico City, Mexico, from 15-16 April 2014.

Bilateral aid to sub-Saharan Africa totalled US$26.2 billion, a 4.0% decrease in real terms from 2012. Bilateral net ODA to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) was US$30 billion, an increase of 12.3%. This figure includes exceptional debt relief for Myanmar.

By 2017, overall aid allocations to Asia are expected to equal aid to Africa, reflecting a continued decline in aid to Africa and an increase in aid to some Asian countries, according to the 2014 DAC Survey on Donors’ Forward Spending Plans. The survey suggests that programme aid to LDCs and low-income countries (LICs), particularly African countries, will continue to decline, by about 5%. [OECD Press Release][Preliminary OECD 2013 ODA Tables and Charts][OECD DAC Statistics][Sustainable Development Policy & Practice story about ‘Making Development Co-operation More Effective: 2014 Progress Report’]