UK spending on foreign aid hits lowest level since 2008

The UK government’s spending on foreign aid has hit its lowest level in nearly two decades, figures show, as humanitarian experts say the cuts are costing lives.Provisional data shows the government allocated 0.43% of national income to official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, down from 0.5% in 2024 and matching the level in 2008.The total ODA spend in 2025 was just over £13bn, an annual decrease of £1bn, or 7.4%.Discounting the reduction in spending during the Covid crisis in 2021 and 2022, total aid allocations fell to the lowest level since 2015, when just over £12bn was allocated. This figure represented 0.7% of national income at that time.Gideon Rabinowitz, the director of policy and advocacy at Bond, a UK network of organisations working in international development, said severe damage had already been done by aid cuts, which are expected to be the steepest of all G7 countries in the coming year.He said: “Life-saving humanitarian programmes, including education provision in Syria and healthcare programmes across Africa, have already been forced to close, and with even deeper cuts still to be implemented this year and next, the worst consequences are yet to be realised. What is clear is that marginalised communities, particularly across Africa, will continue to pay the highest price for these political choices.”Rabinowitz said adequate support for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK was vital but added: “This money must come from the Home Office’s own budget rather than from funds intended to be spent on people in humanitarian need in the world’s lowest-income countries.“These cuts are costing lives and leaving us all more vulnerable to a world with more disease, conflict and crises. Instead of leading the retreat from our international commitments, now is the time for the UK to step up and urgently rebuild its shattered reputation on the global stage.”Amelia Whitworth, the head of policy, campaigns and youth at Plan International UK, said: “Stripping funding from so many countries means thousands more children will go without life-saving food, healthcare and protection.“Without sustained investment, we cannot expect real change. Girls and young women will be more exposed to harm, and progress towards a safer, fairer world will be halted. Right now, those seeking to challenge the rights of girls and women are loud, well funded and powerful.”The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), made up of high-income countries, said a projected 9% to 17% drop of ODA among its members in 2025 was the consequence of decisions of major providers such as the UK. It said this trend “would hit the poorest countries hardest”.A total of £2.4bn was spent on support for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK in 2025, representing 18% of the total aid budget. This was a reduction on the £2.8m allocated in 2024.The government announced in February that it would reduce ODA spending to 0.3% by 2027 to fund an increase in defence spending but stated a commitment to restore international aid to 0.7% of income as soon as fiscal circumstances allowed.Campaigners and aid organisers were highly critical of the move, arguing it would cause widespread damage and weaken the UK’s influence overseas.Confirming changes to ODA allocations last month, Yvette Cooper, the foreign secretary, said the UK would remain a “major player” in overseas aid and development despite shifting funding to defence.She confirmed that the UK would refocus on being an “investor” rather than a “donor”, providing expertise and technical support as well as funding. Assistance to countries racked by war has been prioritised, including humanitarian support to Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon and Sudan.A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “National security is the first duty of this government. That is why, to fund an essential increase in defence spending, the government took the hugely difficult decision to reduce the UK official development assistance budget to 0.3% of GNI [gross national income] by 2027.“But, as the foreign secretary has made clear, reducing the size of our development budget does not mean walking away from our values or our responsibilities. There will therefore be no change in the safeguarding standards we set for ourselves and our partners.“We will continue to have specific safeguarding clauses in all due diligence and funding agreements, and we will continue to demand that our delivery partners do everything possible to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and to respond appropriately when required.“We will also continue to use our diplomacy and convening power to drive improvements around the world, and to encourage other countries to implement the stronger safeguarding global standards and practices that the UK has helped develop since 2018.”They continued: “For the first time, this foreign secretary has also made women and girls a stand-alone priority for the UK’s foreign policy, and that is why our funding for initiatives to tackle violence against women and girls, prevent sexual violence in conflict, and promote the women, peace and security agenda, will all be protected at 2025-26 levels.“Where the UK is providing bilateral ODA, we will also ensure that by 2030, 90% of it is geared towards the needs of women and girls, protecting them against violence, championing their education, healthcare and rights, and supporting their ability to earn a living.”