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Official Development Assistance data for 2017

22 December 2018Development Initiatives

This factsheet analyses the 2017 statistics on official development assistance (ODA) spending, based on figures released by the OECD DAC in December 2018.

Some of the key headlines are:

  • Total net ODA fell in 2017 for the first time in five years.
  • ODA as a percentage of gross national income also fell in 21 out of 29 DAC members.
  • Although the proportion of ODA given as core multilateral funding has remained steady, the proportion of ODA transferred to specific countries continues to fall.
  • Eight of the top ten recipients of ODA in 2016 are also top 10 recipients in 2017.
  • Growth in the use of loans continues to outpace grants, even in countries considered to be at risk of or in debt distress.
  • Following minimal growth in recent years, ODA to countries at risk of being left behind grew 12% in 2017, while ODA to less-developed countries and fragile states grew by 11% and 9% respectively.

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