Key facts
- UK aid cuts under Keir Starmer's government have disproportionately impacted the world's poorest countries.
- The UK's Official Development Assistance budget fell to 0.44% of GNI in 2025 from 0.5% in 2024.
- Least-developed and low-income countries experienced a 6.7% reduction in funding, totaling £118 million.
- Aid to Yemen and Afghanistan is projected to decrease by 28% and 39% respectively by 2028/29.
- The charity network Bond stated that critical humanitarian programs are already being forced to close due to these cuts.
New figures released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office indicate that the world's poorest countries have been most severely impacted by British aid cuts under Keir Starmer's government. While funding to least-developed and low-income countries decreased by 6.7%, amounting to £118 million, higher-income countries saw their share of aid increase.
The UK's overall Official Development Assistance budget for 2025 has been reduced to 0.44% of gross national income (GNI), down from 0.5% in 2024, representing a £987 million drop. Further reductions are anticipated as part of plans announced by Starmer to redirect funds towards defense spending.
Gideon Rabinowitz, director of policy and advocacy at the charity network Bond, expressed shock that the least-developed countries bore the brunt of these cuts. He stated that the human cost is already evident, with critical humanitarian programs in Sierra Leone and across Africa being forced to close. Rabinowitz highlighted that marginalized communities in climate-vulnerable and conflict-affected areas are paying the highest price for the government's decisions.
The largest portion of aid, 18.4%, was spent on in-country costs for asylum seekers, a slight decrease from 20% in 2024. While Ukraine, Yemen, and Afghanistan remain the top recipients, aid to Yemen is expected to be cut by 28% and to Afghanistan by 39% by 2028/29, despite aid to Ukraine being ringfenced.
In contrast, aid to lower-middle-income countries increased by 13%, and by 2% to upper-middle-income countries. Aid experts have warned that combined cuts from the UK, US, and Europe are forcing aid workers to prioritize only immediate life-saving support, potentially leading to millions of avoidable deaths. A report by Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (Alnap) revealed that 64 million fewer people received aid last year due to these reductions. Jennifer Doherty, co-author of the Alnap report, noted that these cumulative reductions have created the largest funding gap on record, forcing difficult prioritization and warning of potential long-term consequences if crisis-affected governments and support systems cannot absorb the shock.