Official Development Assistance: What Do the Data Tell Us?
- Aug 10
- 1 min read
John B. Crihfield, Senior Advisor for Public Financial Management and Climate Risk at Neartu Global, has published the latest briefing paper in his ongoing Pensées Inédites series: “Official Development Assistance: Where Are We Now? Part 1: What Do the Data Tell Us?”
The paper takes a data-driven look at the dramatic changes underway in international development finance. U.S. official development assistance fell from $63.3 billion in 2024 to $29 billion in 2025 — a decline of almost 57 percent in real terms. Global ODA also fell by more than 23 percent over the same period, with reduced U.S. contributions accounting for much of that decline.
John also looks beyond USAID to what these shifts mean for the broader international development architecture, including UN agencies, the World Bank, global health partnerships, humanitarian organizations and other major recipients of development finance. The picture is uneven: some institutions have absorbed the shock better than others, while several UN and global health organizations have experienced sharp reductions in U.S. support.
This first paper focuses on what the data tell us. In Part 2, John will turn to the consequences of these changes — including what they may mean for development programs, institutions, recipient countries and the wider future of foreign aid.
We invite you to read the full briefing paper and follow Neartu Global for the next installment.
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