Last year, the total official development assistance (ODA) from all donors in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) posted the largest drop on record. The overall decline was driven in particular by the United States cutting its aid by more than half. Korea also saw a slight decrease from a year earlier, but the drop was relatively small compared with major countries.
According to the "2025 provisional ODA statistics" released by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) under the OECD on the 10th, the combined ODA of the DAC's 33 member countries was $174.3 billion, down 19% from the previous year. As the top donors slashed support across the board—led by the United States, which cut 55.8%, followed by Germany (-11.4%) and the United Kingdom (-4.5%)—the total fell sharply.
Korea's ODA disbursements last year totaled $3.87 billion. That was down $160 million (3.9%) from the year before. The ratio of ODA to gross national income (GNI) earned by Korean residents over the year held at a similar level to the previous year at 0.20%. By size of disbursements, the ranking was unchanged at 13th.
The government cited the strong dollar and a decline in multilateral aid as reasons for the smaller scale this year. As the won-dollar exchange rate rose 4.3% from a year earlier, results measured in dollars fell. In the case of multilateral aid, support that had been temporarily ramped up at the time of the Ukraine crisis was returned to normal levels last year, resulting in a 21.1% ($180 million) drop from the previous year. In contrast, bilateral aid increased by $22 million from a year earlier to $3.21 billion, driven by stronger results in health and transport/logistics.
Compared with major countries, Korea's decline was relatively small. Its ranking by ODA-to-GNI ratio actually rose three places to 22nd from 25th the previous year. Although the absolute ratio edged down, other countries cut more deeply, lifting Korea's position. The DAC-wide average ODA/GNI ratio also fell sharply, from 0.34% to 0.26%.
Starting this year, the government has established the "4th comprehensive basic plan for international development cooperation," which applies through 2030, with a policy to realize "universal values" and "mutual prosperity."