As UK aid fell by almost £1bn in 2025, bilateral funding for least-developed countries fell while increasing to middle-income countries

Today, 17th September 2026, the FCDO has published final figures on its UK ODA budget spend for 2025: revealing that funding for middle- and upper-middle income countries increased, while least-developed and low-income countries saw a decrease in UK aid.  

The FCDO’s latest statistical release on Official Development Assistance (ODA) presents final and detailed data on the UK’s ODA spending in 2025, and highlights that, in 2025, UK ODA was just 0.44% of GNI – a decrease of £987m from 2024. This follows former prime minister Keir Starmer’s decision in February 2025 to carry out the deepest ever cut to the UK aid budget, which will fall to just 0.3% of GNI by 2027/28. 

Key findings include: 

  • LDCs (least-developed countries) and LICs (low-income countries) saw cuts of £118m (a 7% reduction) from 2024-2025, while LMICs (low- and middle-income countries) saw an increase of £115m (13%) and UMICs (upper-middle-income countries) saw an increase of £7m (2%). 
  • Countries receiving the most UK ODA support in 2025 were Ukraine (£271m), Yemen (£148.8m), Afghanistan (£144.9m), Nigeria (£142m) and Sudan (£140.8m). However, while funding for Ukraine and Sudan is protected until 2028/29, the FCDO’s Annual Report 2025-26 revealed that, between 2024/25-2028/29,
    • Yemen will see cuts of 28% and receive just £104.3m by 28/29
    • Afghanistan will see cuts of 39% and receive just £105m by 28/29 
    • Nigeria will see cuts of 42% and receive just £68m by 28/29 
  • By sector, between 2024 and 2025: 
    • Bilateral ODA to education was cut by 34% (£238m)
    • Funding for water supply, which already constituted less than1% of total ODA, was cut by 19% to £65m in 2025
    • Humanitarian aid was cut by 9% (£129m)
    • Funding for health saw a relatively small decrease of 1% 
    • Administrative costs rose by 11% to £790m (7.53% of total ODA)
  • As reported in the provisional SIDS in April 2026, in-donor refugee spend in 2025 was £2.4bn (18.35%), down from £2.8bn (21.6%) in 2024.  

Reacting to the figures, Gideon Rabinowitz, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Bond, said: 

“Today’s statistics are yet another stark reminder of the devastating scale of Starmer’s cuts to the UK aid budget. As UK aid fell by almost £1 billion between 2024 and 2025, it is shocking that the world’s least developed countries suffered deep cuts, while UK aid funding for programmes in wealthier middle- and upper-middle income countries actually increased in this period.  

The human cost of these cuts is already being felt: with critical humanitarian programmes, from maternal health provision in Sierra Leone to education for children with disabilities across Africa, already being forced to close. Marginalised communities around the world, including in climate-vulnerable and conflict-affected areas, are being left to pay the highest price for the Starmer government’s political choices. 

With a drastically reduced aid budget, it is deeply troubling that, in 2025, the country that received the most UK aid was the UK itself – with a significant proportion (18.35%) of the UK aid budget diverted to cover asylum accommodation costs in-country. We are also concerned that any savings from these costs falling faster than expected are currently not being returned to the UK aid budget, where these funds could help deliver lifesaving programmes overseas. While support for asylum seekers and refugees in the UK is essential, this should be funded through the Home Office’s own budget, rather than the already sparse UK aid budget.  

With a new prime minister and foreign secretary now in post, we urge the UK government to halt the retreat from the its international commitments, and use the upcoming Autumn Budget to definitively rule out further cuts to the UK aid budget. What little remains of the UK aid budget must go where it is most needed: and contribute to the reduction of poverty and inequality – particularly in fragile and conflict-affected countries, where humanitarian needs are most acute. 

Alongside an effective UK aid budget, the UK must also use its upcoming G20 presidency to push for much-needed reforms to the global system, and unlock finance to support countries to invest in their own public services and lift communities out of poverty.” 

Notes to Editors: 

  1. UK ODA spend in 2025 has been corrected slightly upwards from the figures published in the provisional SIDs in April 2026, to £13.095bn (0.44% of GNI). Provisional SIDs from April put total ODA at £13.04bn, or 0.43% of GNI. 
  1. While bilateral region-specific ODA saw a slight increase of 3%, bilateral country allocations published in July 2026 reveal the bilateral regional programme will be cut gradually by 43% in comparison to pre-cut levels. Regional bilateral ODA to Africa will decline by 56% from 2024/5, before the cuts, to 2028/29, and to MENA by 58% from 2024/25-2028/29. 
  1. The final Statistics on International Development, published by the UK government, are available to read here. 
  1. Read Bond’s reaction to the provisional Statistics on International Development, published in April 2026, here, regional UK ODA allocations published in March 2026, and the FCDO Annual Report (including bilateral country allocations). 
  1. New analysis from Bond, first published in the Financial Times, has found that an additional ‘stealth cut’ of around £700m was made to the UK aid budget in 2025, beyond the planned £500m reduction set out in the 2025 Spending Review. More information on the UK ODA budget ‘stealth cut’ in 2025 is available here. 
  1. Bond unites and supports a diverse network of over 330 civil society organisations from across the UK, and allies to help eradicate global poverty, inequality and injustice. 
  1. For more information or interviews, please contact Emily Loynes at [email protected] or 07909947850 

Category

News & views, Press Release archive