Development Partners Snapshot:

UNITED KINGDOM

 

 

COUNTRY CONTEXT


Development policy:

Development co-operation institutions:

Since September 2020, the FCDO manages the bulk of the United Kingdom’s ODA, following the merger with the Department for International Development (DFID). 

KEY GOVERNMENT ENTITY ON DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION

 

ODA TRENDS

 

The United Kingdom provided USD 15.8 billion of ODA in 2021, representing 0.50% of GNI. This was a decrease of 21.22% in real terms in volume and a decrease in share of GNI from 2020. In 2021 the United Kingdom’s temporarily decreased its ODA/GNI ratio from the 0.7% commitment following the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the United Kingdom’s ODA portfolio in 2020, 93.9% was provided in the form of grants and 6.1% in the form of non-grants.  

The United Kingdom ranks 8th among 29 Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries when ODA is taken as a share of GNI, and 4th in terms of ODA volume. The decrease in ODA/GNI in 2021 was the first time since 2013 that the United Kingdom did not meet the 0.7% target. The United Kingdom has set out fiscal conditions to enable the return to 0.7%, underlining the commitment to the International Development Act 2015. Among DAC members in 2020, it committed one of the highest shares of its screened bilateral allocable aid towards gender equality (75.6%). It provides very significant core contributions to multilateral organisations (USD 7.1 billion in 2020). It also provides very high shares of untied ODA. 

EFFECTIVENESS PERFORMANCE


Global Partnership monitoring trend

Click here for a snapshot of the United Kingdom's results from the two most recent Global Partnership monitoring rounds (2018 and 2016). The Global Partnership monitoring process and framework have been revised, and the new round will take place from 2023 to 2026. This profile will be updated periodically as new data is generated by the monitoring exercise.

Use of monitoring results

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The 2020 OECD-DAC peer review of the United Kingdom was published as leadership for development co-operation moved to the new FCDO. The review commended the United Kingdom’s approach to learning and commitment to stabilisation and recognised its convening power and commitment to poverty reduction and gender equality. The review also highlighted the United Kingdom’s focus on fragile contexts, including through its development finance institution, CDC Group (now British International Investment). The review encouraged more transparency and dialogue with partners beyond their role as implementers and encouraged the United Kingdom to continue to allocate at least 0.7% of its GNI to ODA and retain the legislative requirement to have a direct line of sight between ODA and poverty reduction.