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

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU
Press release
18 July 2022

The Council today approved conclusions on the EU development aid targets in the form of the twelfth annual report to the European Council. The report analyses trends with regard to commitments to and delivery of the EU's official development assistance (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 already visible impacts of climate change, 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 2021, the EU's[1] collective ODA amounted to EUR 70.2 billion, up from EUR 67.3 billion in 2020, representing a nominal increase of 4.3% compared to 2020.

The EU and its member states have therefore maintained their position as the biggest global ODA provider, accounting for 43% of global ODA and confirming their leadership in the global agenda on sustainable development.

In 2021 the EU's collective ODA represented 0.49% of EU Gross National Income (GNI); a slight decrease from the ratio of 0.50% in 2020, but still significantly higher than the average of the non-EU members of the OECD Development Assistance Committee, which stood at 0.26% of GNI in 2021. Four EU member states exceeded the 0.7% ODA/GNI threshold.

The Council stresses that it is urgent for the EU and its member states to take action towards achieving their collective commitments to provide 0.7% of GNI as ODA and 0.20% as ODA to the least developed countries by 2030.